Store Apple Mail messages on external drive with alias to desktop??

Question

Store Apple Mail messages on external drive with alias to desktop??

I am migrating from a 2013 iMac to a 2025 mini M4 with only 512GB of memory and a connected dock with 2TB of memory. I had trouble setting up my two email accounts but they are now working on the M4, so now I want to get all my old custom mailboxes. Migration Assistant brought over no Mail data as far as I can see. Using "Export Mailbox" on the old machine and then "Import Mailbox" on the M4 works, albeit slowly. // My question is: can I put old-but-useful Mailboxes ("2015 IN" and "2015 OUT" and so on) on the 2TB external drive with an alias to the M4 desktop? That system is working for my "Jobs" and "Photos" data, but I worry if Apple Mail might not want to split parts. I have about 100 GB of Mail data, I think.

Mac mini, macOS 15.7

Posted on Oct 10, 2025 1:41 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 27, 2025 10:52 PM in response to LeesBetterLetters

Update, sort of: I gave up and have all my Apple Mail folders on the M4 mini. Everything works fine, I can do a search back to 2012. I just wish I could put about 80GB of old emails on the external drive since I only look back now and then. But if I store the .mbox files on the external drive I won't know when a relevant email exists without loading them all onto the M4 drive (sad face emoticon).

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