But sometimes (when I want to copy my mailboxes to a different computer or want to back them up, for example) it's good to have an idea where those messages are on the hard disk.
Where Mac OS X Mail Stores Mail
To open the folder where Mac OS X Mail keeps your messages:
- Open a Finder window.
- Select Go | Go to Folder… from the menu.
- Type "~/Library/Mail/V2".
- You can have Finder auto-complete the folder names by pressing Tab.
Mac OS X Mail stores the mailboxes in sub-folders to the Mail directory, one sub-folder per account. POP accounts start with POP-, IMAP accounts with IMAP-.
Where Mac OS X Mail 1-4 Store Mail
To locate the folder where Mac OS X Mail 1-4 stores mail:
- Open a new Finder window.
- Go to your home directory.
- You can use the Home toolbar button or
- select Go | Home from the menu to go home.
- Open the Library/Mail directory.
(Updated July 2011)
