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How can I delete Mail.app and associated data (like cached emails and mailboxes) from my laptop?

Then, how can I reinstall a fresh version of Mail.app?

minseong
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    Why would you need to remove the application? – Marc Wilson Jan 18 '22 at 00:10
  • @MarcWilson because searching and finding flagged emails don't work – minseong Jan 18 '22 at 01:00
  • Have you rebuilt the mailboxes? What macOS does your machine have? – DavidRecallsMonica Jan 18 '22 at 01:35
  • This is an XY Problem - the X has already been posted - https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/435234/how-to-get-mail-search-to-work – Tetsujin Jan 18 '22 at 07:18
  • Since the data (preferences, mails, and related metadata) won't change if you delete the app, there really is no point in deleting Mail.app. It will not fix your problem and on macOS 11+ is likely to cause even bigger problems. A quick way to check whether clearing your data fixes the issue: create a new user account on your Mac and then set up your mail account there. If it works, you can try to reset the mail related data on your main account. If it doesn't fix it, then there might be a bug in Mail.app (reinstalling wouldn't fix it; only an update would). – DarkDust Jan 18 '22 at 08:15
  • @DarkDust my question does literally ask "How can I delete Mail.app and associated data (like cached emails and mailboxes" – minseong Jan 18 '22 at 12:15
  • I understand that, but as Tetsujin already wrote, this question looks like an XY problem: you actually want to solve a different problem (Mail misbehaving, search doesn't work?), don't you? One part of your question (deleting Mail.app) won't help you. I just wanted to suggest a quick way to check whether you actually stand a chance to solve your "original" problem, or whether it's an Apple bug for which you have to wait for an update. – DarkDust Jan 18 '22 at 12:46

2 Answers2

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To remove, and then redownload, a macOS default app is impossible.

Removing default apps, such as Podcasts.app, Mail.app, etc, can be made possible by 3rd-party or open-source applications such as this, but doing so can void the warranty of your copy of macOS (stopping you from getting more updates, etc). It is also possible to accidentally delete vital system files this way, and I personally do not recommend it.

Once you have deleted a preloaded application in this way, you cannot reinstall the official Apple version (which will get updates, etc) because it's not meant to be uninstalled, much less reinstalled. There is no public download.

There is a workaround:

This is a little more drastic, however, but you can uninstall and reinstall a fresh copy of macOS. Move files to an external device, reset the laptop, and reinstall macOS, then move your files back. This is a bit of a nuisance and can be finicky, however, so if there is any way to avoid this method, then it is advisable to do so. (For example, if the problem is irrelevant enough or ignorable, then ignore it.)

For instructions on how to reinstall a fresh copy of macOS: Apple's instructions

Peter Nielsen
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  • Thanks to SIP, Mail.app cannot be removed from /Applications in recent versions of MacOS. – WGroleau Jan 18 '22 at 01:56
  • On macOS 11 Big Sur and up, the default apps live in the Sealed System Volume (I think it actually started in 10.15, but not sure). Trying to remove these apps is now much harder and you can break your system (meaning: it won't boot anymore). The instructions of the linked GitHub repo thus don't even work with Big Sur. – DarkDust Jan 18 '22 at 13:00
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Try rebuilding your Mailbox. It will take some time, depending on the size of the mailbox. The following link from Apple should help you.

https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/rebuild-mailboxes-mlhlp1227/mac

ErniePC12
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  • If rebuilding the Mailbox doesn’t resolve the issue, delete the e-mail account and reinstall that (the account). If it is IMAP or Exchange, all messages will be re-downloaded from the server. – WGroleau Jan 18 '22 at 02:00
  • I have already tried both – minseong Jan 18 '22 at 02:00