Mail Rules - Help

[Labhras]

So, I tried looking around but the only post similar to my question is from 2011.
What I would like to do with Mail is set up a rule that moves mails to certain folders but only after I've read it. I know you can move it to a folder instead of the inbox, but between the tons of mails I get and the fact that I'd most likely forgot all about that folder I can't do that.
Is there any rule I can apply or configuration I can use?

P.S. I know I can install Windows on Mac using Parallels or Bootcamp. I wanted to know, with Windows I should install an antivirus program of some kind, right? What else would change?
How much would that slow my mac? I'm using a 2014 MBA 13", 1,4Ghz i5, and 8RAM.

Thanks

 

[Weaselboy]

The problem with using a rule to do this is rules execute as the new messages come in, so there is no way to have the rule do this automatically after the message was received and you have read it. What you could do it configure the rule then run in yourself manually once a day or whatever then that would move those messages for you.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I gather that you like the convenience of reviewing all your items from the Inbox, rather than checking the multiple mailboxes you've created, and that afterwards, you wish to find those messages by topic, rather than via the Inbox?

Another option would be to create Smart Mailboxes.

A Smart Mailbox doesn't actually move the mail item - it's effectively a permanently-created search result. Per https://support.apple.com/kb/PH22315 :

A Smart Mailbox displays messages that are stored in other mailboxes and that meet certain criteria you specify. For example, a Smart Mailbox could include all the messages you receive about a specific project, regardless of which mailboxes the messages are stored in.

Incoming mail items would be present in both the Inbox and Smart Mailbox(es) simultaneously - you could find/read them in either location.

 

[Phil in ocala]

What would be the practical value of smart mailboxes....I think it is a solution in search of a problem....

 

[ApfelKuchen]

What would be the practical value of smart mailboxes....I think it is a solution in search of a problem....

I'll assume the bold text is not intentional.

Smart is the difference between searching and physically filing. If you can't see the benefits of search...

I use Smart Mailboxes in Mail, Smart Albums in Photos, Smart Playlists in iTunes. I don't use Smart Folders in Finder, though I could. To me, they're definitely a solution to a problem.

It's the difference between searching for information, wherever it may be, and going to a specific location and hoping everything has been filed/sorted accurately. It's the difference between searching manually and searching automatically. If you routinely search by particular criteria, then why not save those criteria permanently?

In practice, it means every time I receive or send email on a particular topic, it will be found in the Smart Mailbox. Even if it was mis-filtered as Junk. Mail Rules only affect inbound mail, not outbound.

If an item fits several different categories/criteria, it can be located by any of those criteria, rather than, perhaps, duplicating it so that it can be found in several different locations.

Apple provides Smart mailboxes/playlists/albums/folders by default. The VIPs and Flagged functions in Mail are examples. Mail items are not moved from the Inbox to VIPs or Flagged - they're convenient ways to find particular mail items by a particular criterion. In Finder, All My Files and Tags are Smart functions. In Photos the Favorites, People, Places, Videos, Last Import, Selfies, Panoramas, Time-lapse, Slo-mo, Bursts, Screenshots, Hidden... all Smart.

 

[eRondeau]

This isn't directly related to your question, but -- email addresses are free and I can never understand why most people only use one for everything. I have a "Personal" email and a "Mailing List" email. My personal email is known only by my friends & family; it has never been posted online. It goes to my iPhone and MacOS Mail. So if I get something in this account, I know it's from a real person and it'll be reasonably important. My mailing list email, on the other hand, is what I use for everything else -- shopping, registering, subscribing, banking. If I get something in this account, I know it's from a company/organization. I only access these emails through the web interface, so nothing from here is automatically downloaded or saved. I might go days without checking it because I know nothing urgent ever ends-up there. This dual-address method has been working great for me for a decade and I strongly recommend it to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed constantly filtering through email. Try it!

 

[BrianBaughn]

Windows in Bootcamp won't slow your Mac because the Mac isn't running when Windows/Bootcamp is running.

Virtual Machine apps such as Parallels will use up CPU and RAM while running...yes. You may not feel it at all when you're running Mac apps simultaneously, however.

I think the need for an anti-virus and/or malware protection app depends on how you'll be using the Windows system.

As to the email-message-moving-rule question...who is hosting your email account?