I have (suddenly) the following problem: Archiving mail from my Gmail account, which includes pdf attachments, does not let me see the pdf files in the EagleFiler Archive. The pdf files “seem” to be there, the file name is shown, but there is only a “downloading” button, which seems not to load it. Also, clicking on the paper clip in the top opens mail in Apple, but does not show the pdf. I had never this problem before when archiving from gmail, I could also simply click on the pdf and this way display it. I would appreciate your help, since I would have lost two years of mail attachements.
How did you archive the messages from Gmail? It sounds like you did not actually save the full message data, hence the missing attachment. When you use the capture key, EagleFiler will warn you if an attachment is missing, but perhaps you didn’t see the Errors window that popped up or saved the message in a different way so that EagleFiler was unable check for missing attachments.
In order to load the attachments from the server, you would need to open the original message in Apple Mail, not the copy stored in EagleFiler.
thanks for the reply. I used the capture key (as I always do). I did not see warning or errors (I saw it sometimes in the past for a few attachments, but now 100s of attachments are missing). I tried to rebuild the database, since the Files Folder is much bigger in size than the data base, I was hoping this would do it, but it seems not to be the case. In the library in question, very few attachments are there, but the overwhelming number of attachments is missing. As I said, I did this many times before (I am a user since 2016), never having a problem.
In the file list, shouldn’t messages that have a missing attachment not be flagged as “missing attachments” with the orange triangle? No messages are flagged this way.
It’s normal for the Files folder to be much bigger because that’s where all the data is stored. Rebuilding the database does not affect the content (or attachments) of any files because the database is used to keep track of where each file is, not what’s in each file.
When were the ones with missing attachments imported? Are they .eml files or mbox files?
When you click the paperclip icon, that opens EagleFiler’s copy of the message in Apple Mail. In order to load the attachments you would need to open Mail’s copy, i.e. the one shown inside one of the mailboxes in Mail. That’s the one that’s linked to the server and so can be redownloaded.
Normally, yes, but that feature was added relatively recently and so would not apply to old imports.
thank you for all your explanations. I think I understand the underlying issues, but unfortunately, I think my attachments are gone (and I deleted the mails from the server). I still do not understand why the attachments were apparently not downloaded to my computer (in the mail settings for the account “download all” is selected), I never had this issue before.
since you were kind enough to answer all my questions, I would like to give you a brief update of the problem from my point of view (and I think the problem is gmail). I am using Apple mail as my mail client. For all accounts, in the preferences “dowload all attachments" is on.
Gmail (imap account): I have been archiving gmail since 2020, and never had the issue that the attachments would not be incorporated in the EgleFiler archive until now. The last time it worked was July 2024 when I archived my Gmail from 2021 to 2023. All attachments are there.
Gmail (imap account): I archived my Gmails 2024/2025 in March 2026, and essentially all attachments are missing (and yes, EagleFiler flags this in the error pane). I did not realize this and have deleted my gmail 2024/2025 from the gmail server, so I am afraid the attachments are lost.
Gmail (imap account): I have today created an Eaglefiler archive and put my Gmails from 2026 in it. Now, the original mail is still present on the Gmail server. Still, the attachments do not get downloaded. If I click on the clip in the Eagler Filer, I can open the attachment, but only when I am online, it apparently pulls the attachment from the Gmail server. I am not completely sure, but I think once I open an attachment this way, it stays in the archive. This is, of course, not a workaround, since I have hundreds of mails with attachments.
University mail (also an imap account setup through Microsoft Exchange): Again, I am archiving my University mail since 2016, and this works flawlessly (incorporating all attachments) up to today (I archived my mail from 2026 today, all attachments are there).
So it looks to me that Gmail is somehow blocking the attachments from getting downloaded locally on my computer unless I manually download one. I searched a little on the Internet, and I think they confirm this; there is apparently a way to view emails with attachments offline for 90 days by accessing Google Mail through the Chrome browser.
As stated before, this is probably not something Eagle Filer can help with, but if it is not possible to archive GMAIL with the attachments in bulk, this would be a major issue for me.
Unfortunately, it’s “normal” that for at least the last 10 years that setting doesn’t fully work. That’s why EagleFiler goes to such great lengths to check the messages when importing. Also, it’s important to note that Download Attachments: All isn’t the online thing in play. Separately, macOS has an Optimize Storage feature where it will delete attachments from old messages if it thinks your Mac is running out of space. And sometimes this seems to happen even when it’s not running out of space.
This doesn’t sound right. When you click the paperclip icon, that opens EagleFiler’s copy of the message in Mail. There is no connection to the mail server. Either the attachment is there or it isn’t.
However, please note that not all image content in an e-mail is attachments. Sometimes a message just includes a link to an image or file. In that case, the file is never embedded in the message or archived for offline use. Instead it will be loaded from the web server as needed (if you’re online).
If you export one of these messages from EagleFiler, I can take a look at what that particular message is doing.
Is there currently a message in Mail where capturing it does not include the attachments but EagleFiler does not warn you of this?
I have never heard of anything like that. If you have a link, I’d be happy to read it, but it sounds to me like a webmail feature that doesn’t apply to your situation (using a native client).