Merge Mail files

Off-Topic
#1

I just got a new MacMini for my wife… and she has a boatload of email files on TWO different macs (an iMac and a MBP)

The iMac is going to be the “source” image to prime the MacMini (using a TM backup from the iMac)… so it will have all the email data from there.

Is there an “easy” way that I can take all the email from the MBP and merge it into the existing email? She has literally thousands of emails (don’t ask)

#2

No, not that I know. Except for my own software which de-duplicates mails automatically.

Are the mails local or IMAP? Whatever your wife does you need to make her a workflow that she doesn’t get into this problem again.

#3

Well the data became “fragmented” when she moved from the laptop to the Imac… then the Imac started to act up… and she went back to the Laptop… and we never properly consolated things then. This mac Mini is replaceing all of that, since the battery in the laptop died… not to mention its a Dinosaur.

I am using a TM backup from the iMac (got it to run long enough to get it)… then I have exported the Mail and Calendar from the laptop on to MY iMac…

#4

@Dave S — You can import existing mailboxes from Mail.app. Select File>Import…, select the format and click OK. Then select the folder containing the emails.

#5

@Stephane Mons: importing into Mail works. But the end result is a huge mess of duplicate mails.

#6

and I’m afraid that mess will be huge… anyway to automate cleanup?

#7

@Dave S — Well there is an article on MacWorld about that, but I haven’t tested.

#8

Oi. Sometimes I hate Xojo a bit (filetypes). But when I see such scripts I’m so glad to use Xojo. As far as I can see the script works on the selected mails. It’s therefore not so good for a large amount of mailboxes.

#9