Mail problem...2 accounts checking mail

[brianh]

I have a problem. How can 2 accounts access mail and both still get all emails? Is there a way to transfer mail messages from one account to another. I use OSX Mail.

Thanks,
Brian H
Kenai, AK

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

You can set up as many accounts as you like in OS X's Mail. Simply add them as you need them via Mail's Preferences.

You'll notice that in the "Mailboxes" slide-out drawer that you've got an "In" folder, and with multiple similar accounts, there will be a disclosure triangle next to the icon. Click that and you can see your individual "in" boxes, or simply click the big "In" box and all messages in all "in" boxes will be displayed.

If you want to transfer one email message from one account to another, simply drag-and-drop the email in whatever folder in the drawer you'd like.

 

[scruffy]

not quite sure what you mean - do you want two different computers to be checking the same mail account on a server? If that is the case, you would be best off using imap if it's available, since that leaves all mail on the server.

 

[texanpenguin]

I read the question as two users on the same computer trying to access the same mail messages in a single mail server.

In order to do that, go to the Advanced Tab of the Mail account you want and tell it to leave a copy of the message on the server.

 

[brianh]

I guess my orig post is unclear. I have 4 users on my G5. The admin and one other user can check mail. If I as the admin checks Mail, can my wife check the mail and get the sames messages. Is this accomplished by "leaving message on server"?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[perfessor101]

I guess my orig post is unclear. I have 4 users on my G5. The admin and one other user can check mail. If I as the admin checks Mail, can my wife check the mail and get the sames messages. Is this accomplished by "leaving message on server"?

As you suggest that might be accomplished by "leaving message on server" but a message may not be displayed after it has been read the first time.

What you are proposing is essentially the idea behind an IMAP account as opposed to a POP account but the IMAP solution is a tad more elegant and the message headers are displayed every time.

In either case, there is an issue of Mail and disk space management you will have to contend with. Whether you are using a POP or IMAP account, when you leave messages on the server, there is the constant danger of running out of disk space on the server unless

• You have an infinite amount of disk space on the email server or...
• you work out some process for downloading messages to your computer and then deleting them from the server. If this is not done correctly, either you or your wife, or maybe even both, will almost certainly be very angry when the critical message was deleted from the server before you/she saw it.

The solution my wife and I have worked out is each of us has our own account and when one of us gets a message we think the other should see, we simply forward it to one another. Sometimes that means we get a message twice, once from the original sender and once from our spouse, but it works for us. Besides that my wife gets tons of mail on her account that I have no need, desire, or intention of wading through and vice-versa. This way we only see what we need to see.