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sailmac

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 15, 2008
333
89
One of my email accounts is served by Comcast. When setting up the account in Mail it automatically added folders I have no interest in using. I try to delete them but it turns out they are “reserved” folders on Comcast so the action fails. Am I stuck with these or is there a method to remove them?

Here are the unwanted folders pushed by Comcast

00 Unwanted folders Comcast IMAP.png


Right-click on Chats to delete it

01 Right click to delete Chats.png


Mail app usual warning

02 Delete mailbox Chats.png


Confirm delete results in failure

03 Chats could not be deleted.png


This is usually a sign that the folder does not exist in the mail account on the server. Mail says “delete this” and the server says “nothing to delete” so Mail falls to “can’t delete nothing”.

There is a known trick where you login to the mail server, create the missing folder, then return to Mail app and delete it. Because there is then a match, the delete action succeeds. So I tried that…

Comcast’s default folders

04 Default folders Comcast IMAP.png


Create a new folder named Chats

05 Create new folder Chats on Comcast.png


Press OK and systems says uh-uh that’s a reserved folder

06 Chats is reserved.png


Same thing happens with the other two folders.

Although they are invisible in the main mail folder, I suppose these 3 folders must be buried in other tabs visible from Comcast’s webmail interface — notably Address Book and Text Messaging. I looked but didn’t see a way to make them go away.

07 Comcast tabs.png


So here I am wondering if any of you have encountered this problem and found a solution?
 

Bruno09

macrumors 68020
Aug 24, 2013
2,202
153
Far from here
I would have a look in "Preferences" on the mail server, to see if you are offered an option to choose which folders are, or are not, synced through the IMAP process.

(the synced folders show up in Mail on the Mac, the non-synced folders don't).

Gmail for example has such a feature.
 

sailmac

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 15, 2008
333
89
I would have a look in "Preferences" on the mail server, to see if you are offered an option to choose which folders are, or are not, synced through the IMAP process.

Thanks for the suggestion. I just now touched every available preference on the mail server and nothing applies to (or even mentions) the reserved folders.

Looking like another one of those minor annoyances built into the Comcast experience. I'll learn to ignore it. :rolleyes:
 
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