Mac storage basics · Mail, Messages and chat apps

Can I move my Apple Mail data to an external drive?

Short answer: There's no built-in setting, and moving Mail's folder by hand is risky. Export old mailboxes to the drive with Mailbox → Export Mailbox, then remove them from the account.

macOS has no setting to relocate Mail's data, and moving its folder by hand can confuse Mail. Better options:

  • Archive old mail: select a mailbox and choose Mailbox → Export Mailbox…, saving it to the external drive; you can import it later with File → Import Mailboxes.
  • Delete or archive the exported messages from the account to free space.
  • Limit attachment downloads so Mail stores less going forward.

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