Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The IMAP Path Prefix
Some IMAP servers use a nonstandard mailbox arrangement—for example, putting all
user-defined mailboxes inside the Inbox rather than at the same level as the Inbox. In
such cases, you must tell Mail what it should consider the “top” level so that all your
mailboxes appear in their correct locations. (How do you know if your IMAP provider
uses a path prefix? Normally that information is included with your setup instructions
or elsewhere on the provider's Web site.)
To specify a different IMAP path prefix (the default is “/”—the top level of your mailbox
list), go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars >
Account Name
> Account > Ad-
vanced, tap IMAP Path Prefix, and type the mailbox name or path that should be con-
sidered the top level. (In cases where the server stores other mailboxes inside your
Inbox, you may need to type
INBOX
in all capital letters.)
Special Mailbox Problems
When you set up a new account that isn't one of the predefined options (such as Google, AOL,
or Yahoo), Mail has a tendency to guess incorrectly about which mailboxes should be used
for Drafts, Sent, Trash, and Archive. And even if Mail guesses “correctly,” you can override
that choice if you prefer.
To specify which mailbox Mail should use, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars >
Ac-
count Name
> Account > Advanced (or, for iCloud accounts, Settings > Mail, Contacts, Cal-
endars >
iCloud Account Name
> Account > Mail > Advanced; for Exchange accounts, Set-
tings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars >
Account Name
> Account > Advanced Settings). Tap
the name of a mailbox under Mailbox Behaviors and then tap the mailbox you want to use
for that purpose. Note that you can choose either a local mailbox (at the top, under “On My
iPhone/iPad/iPod touch”) or—what you more likely want—a mailbox on the server.
Back in
Untangle Special Mailboxes
, I explained what to do in Mavericks Mail if you find that
you have duplicate special mailboxes in an account. If you're experiencing this problem, you
can follow essentially the same steps on an iOS device, except that instead of selecting a mail-
box and choosing Mailbox > Use This Mailbox For >
Mailbox Name
, you visit the Advanced
(or Advanced Settings) view as described above.
Network Problems
If you're having trouble sending or receiving mail, first try the following suggestions.
