Mac Mail - "files" folder appears and cannot be deleted

Hi

I had the same problem but am not so concerned about the folder (though annoying) as the search results with hundreds of (No Sender) mails. I fixed this by opening ~/Library/Mail/v3 and found the files.mbox file in the right folder there. I then opened Spotlight preferences (in System Preferences) and opened the privacy tab. I dragged the files.mbox to the list of excluded files and folders. (No Sender) results no longer appear when I am searching.

Hope that helps.

Hi Chris,

Thanks for getting back to me. 

I'm still curious if there is a setting (attribute/meta) that has been set on the "Conversation Action Settings" folder that is missing on the "Files" folder. From an API/programming perspective it seems wrong to add a fundamental new folder hierarchy knowing that it may well break a huge established software base. 

Apple Mail correctly hides the "Conversation Action Settings" folder. What is different about this folder compared to the "Files" folder?

Can you help out with this?I understand that you can't make changes to Apple's software but I if there is a setting that can be changed/corrected so that the folder is hidden by default then surely that's the correct course of action here.

Hi Keith,

Thanks for sharing the information.

I have done some consulting and test regarding this behavior. Yes, we have added a Hidden folder into mailboxes named "Files". This folder is exposed to EWS clients such as Mac Mail. This is a normal behavior in EWS. In addition, it is up to the client whether to hide a folder or not. Regarding this, we appreciate your understanding.

Thanks,

Chris

I'm having an ongoing discussion with Microsoft about this exact problem.

It's definitely NOT an Apple folder. This can be proved if you try to create a folder called "Files" as a new root folder using Outlook 2016. The error comes back that this folder already exists, even though it's not shown.

The problem is more likely a new feature that MS have added that helps with searching content as the "Files" folder contains searchable content of all the attachments from all your emails. The Files folder is marked as a "Distinguished" folder, meaning it has special significance (i.e. it's a system folder) and cannot be deleted, a it like the "Junk", "Clutter" and "Sent" folders.

See here for details:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj191225(v=exchg.150).aspx

I'd like to see the "Files" folder made hidden like the other Distinguished folders that Apple Mail doesn't show, e.g. the "Conversation Action Settings" folder is hidden. 

My gut instinct tells me that the "Files" folder is missing some attribute that Apple uses to hide it from the normal folder listing and it would be easy for MS to add such an attribute so that it's handled like the "Conversation Action Settings" folder.

Any update from MS or the community greatly appreciated!

Hi Michael,

Based on my test, the “files” folder is a system folder created and used by Apple Mail. Regarding this folder as well as other Mac Mail system folders that don’t appear in Outlook Web App(OWA), we suggest you contact Apple support for effective assistance.

***[Updated by Chris Peng MSFT,******09:24 AM,***Aug 18, 2016 (UTC)]

Regarding the clutter folder, we can turn off the clutter feature but cannot delete the clutter folder. You can vote the idea in our dedicated channel for customers’ feedback via the following link:

https://office365.uservoice.com/forums/273494-outlook-and-calendar/suggestions/7667757-get-rid-of-clutter

Understanding your experience helps us to make our product and service better for you and others.

Thanks,

Chris