What is "All Mail", and where have my messages gone?

[Ilfracombe]

I'm running Mail 13.4 on an elderly 2012 Mac mini, on Catalina 10.15.7.

On the Mail window, on the ribbon on top right, there is a field that I can click to send messages to mailboxes. I've just noticed that the default has changed to "All Mail', and I've been clicking it for a few messages. Some of those messages are important, and I don't want to lose them. But where are they? I do not have an 'All Mail' mailbox.
So where are these messages? and how can I retrieve them? Why has this appeared?

 

[NoBoMac]

Sounds like you are using Gmail. Click/expand the Gmail entry in the left column to see the "All Mail" folder. Can also make it a favorite by clicking on the "+" next to Favorites in same left column.

 

[Ilfracombe]

Hi, NoBoMac. Thanks for your reply. Sorry for my slow response. I've been away.
No, I'm not using Gmail. I'm running Mail 13.4.
I do have a gmail account, but I rarely use it , and I have never used it on Mail

 

[NoBoMac]

Look under "On My Mac" in the left bar/ribbon. If not there, expand the entry for your email provider.

 

[Ilfracombe]

Look under "On My Mac" in the left bar/ribbon. If not there, expand the entry for your email provider.

Thanks. I've opened all the mailboxes in 'on my mac' and there isn't any 'All Mail" box. I suppose that by 'my mail provider' you mean iCloud. However, there is no "All Mail box there either. This is odd, as I inadvertently saved some messages to 'All Mail', so it must be there somewhere.

 

[chabig]

Post a screenshot of your Mail sidebar.

 

[Ilfracombe]

Thanks for your help. Here it is (but I've closed all the folders)

 

[chabig]

Thank you. I think the reason you don't see All Inboxes is because there appears to be just one email account.

 

[Ilfracombe]

Thanks, but I don't understand what you mean. I only ever use iCloud. I don't want any other email account. Basically, I need to know how to stop my Mail.app inviting me to put messages into an 'All Mail' mailbox that I don't have.

 

[Ilfracombe]

Thanks for the help, but this is still not solved. Any more ideas anybody?

 

[BrianBaughn]

I don't use my iCloud email but if I "enable" it and disable everything else this is what I see at that "Move to…" button:

and this is what I have on the Sidebar:

I don't see "All Mail". What folders, other than the ones you created, are on the sidebar when you log into your account at the iCloud email website?

 

[Ilfracombe]

I don't use my iCloud email but if I "enable" it and disable everything else this is what I see at that "Move to…" button:

View attachment 1962819
and this is what I have on the Sidebar:

View attachment 1962820

I don't see "All Mail". What folders, other than the ones you created, are on the sidebar when you log into your account at the iCloud email website?

 

[Ilfracombe]

Well, as I said, the 'Move to' button said 'All Mail'. As I think my attachment above showed, there are no 'all Mail' folders. My main problem is that I absent-mindedly clicked the 'Move to All Mail' field, for a score of messages, and now I don't know where those messages are. I should have taken a screen shot, but I didn't know that was possible. Actually, that behaviour has ceased, and 'Move to All Mail' is not appearing. If it happens again, I'll post a screen shot. Thanks for listening, anyway.