Mail app on Macbook not downloading the oldest (2-3 years) of messages

April 7, 2016 11:41 AM

I am trying to back up my Gmail account to my home computer, a MacBook Pro. I am able to sync the account and have downloaded most of my messages/attachments, but the native Mac mail program only downloads messages as far back as 2006. (My Gmail account goes back to 2004.) Disk space is not a problem. I have also made sure the setting for limiting the number of messages to download is not checked. Any other ideas? Thanks!
posted by brbmaroon to Technology (3 answers total)

Best answer: How long has this downloading been happening? I believe Gmail may be limiting how much data or how many messages you can download in one session or over a certain amount of time.

If it's only been a day or two, give it a few days. I'm pretty sure that every time I've had to do a redownload of Gmail to Mail.app it has taken a while and I seem to remember some notification about it, too.

One way to test: are you getting new Gmail messages immediately in Mail.app now? Send yourself a couple from outside accounts and find out.
posted by Mo Nickels at 1:05 PM on April 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I should add: I have hundreds of thousands of messages and am assuming you do, too.
posted by Mo Nickels at 1:09 PM on April 7, 2016

Response by poster: False alarm! I was only looking at my inbox. It's all there under "All Mail." Thanks!
posted by brbmaroon at 3:20 PM on April 7, 2016 [1 favorite]