Where Does Apple Mail Store Emails on Mac?
Apple Mail storage under ~/Library/Mail with versioned V folders, and how to reach it for backup or migration.
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Apple Mail keeps local mail under ~/Library/Mail in a versioned V folder (V10 on recent macOS, older systems used V9, V8 and so on). On My Mac mailboxes live inside it.
Do not reorganize that tree by hand. For backup, copy the Mail folder with Mail quit. For moving mail, use Mailbox, Export Mailbox to mbox instead.
Where Apple Mail stores this, by platform
~/Library/Mail
Current mail under the newest V folder (V10 on Ventura and later). Exact version may vary by macOS release. Hold Option, open Finder Go menu, pick Library to reach it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up Apple Mail properly?
Quit Mail, copy ~/Library/Mail plus ~/Library/Mail Downloads and the Mail preferences plist. Time Machine covers these automatically when enabled.
Where are Mail attachments saved?
Under ~/Library/Mail Downloads for saved copies, with cached copies inside the V folder tree. Export the mailbox to collect a message plus its attachments together.
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