MacOS – Why can’t I create an IMAP folder in Mail

emailimapmacos

Having used MS Outlook for a while with my IMAP account, I thought I would try out the new and improved Mail in OS X Lion. The structure of my mailbox on the left hand panel is as follows:

MAILBOXES
    INBOX
        CLIENT 1
        CLIENT 2
        CLIENT 3
            SUBFOLDER
            SUBFOLDER
            SUBFOLDER
        CLIENT 4
        CLIENT 5
        CLIENT 6
        CLIENT 7
    SENT
    TRASH

MY COMPANY NAME
    TRASH
    JUNK
    SENT

This has worked fine with Outlook, and with Outlook I am able to add extra IMAP folders (or mailboxes as Mail calls them). In Outlook I can add to the client folders, and the subfolders inside a client folder.

However, with Mail, when I add a new mailbox, it will only let me add a new folder inside one of my client folders. It will not let me add a folder to the "Client" level.

If I add a new mailbox, and try and place it at the top "Client" level, the new folder ends up going here:

MAILBOXES
    INBOX
        CLIENT 1
        CLIENT 2
        CLIENT 3
            SUBFOLDER
            SUBFOLDER
            SUBFOLDER
        CLIENT 4
        CLIENT 5
        CLIENT 6
        NEW FOLDER DOESNT APPEAR HERE
        CLIENT 7
    SENT
    TRASH

MY COMPANY NAME
    TRASH
    JUNK
    IT APPEARS HERE INSTEAD???
    SENT

It doesn't go in my inbox.

Can anyone help? This is the reason I have to use Outlook, as Mail won't let me create new IMAP folders at my "Client" this level.

Any help would be appreciated. Maybe I am looking at it from the wrong side, as I am used to Outlook.

Best Answer

You need to add these folders in your IMAP mail account.

If for example you are using Gmail login, and create the folders you want using the webmail settings panel.

When you next launch mail the folders will be there and you can then drag and drop emails into folders, etc.

Outlook doesnt create the folders in IMAP it creates them on the machine, so they are not true IMAP folders they are just folders in Outlook.

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