7.1.2 Checking the Apple Mail Setup (Plug-In)

This section is about checking the setup of Apple Mail and SpamSieve when using the Mail plug-in setup. If you are using the Mail extension setup, you should instead go to the Checking the Apple Mail Setup section.

Go to the Settings ‣ Apple Mail ‣ Setup window in SpamSieve:
1. Make sure that Enable spam filtering using Mail plug-in is checked.
2. If you do not see the SpamSieve training commands in Mail’s Message menu, click Install Plug-In button in the Settings ‣ Apple Mail ‣ Setup window. There is more information about this in the Why don’t I see the SpamSieve commands in Apple Mail’s Message menu? section.
Make sure that SpamSieve has Full Disk Access and Automation access to control Mail (if you are using macOS 10.14 or later).
Go to the Junk pane of Mail’s Settings window and make sure that Enable junk mail filtering is unchecked.
Go to the Rules pane of Mail’s Settings window and make sure that you have a rule like the one shown in the Setting Up Apple Mail section:
1. Make sure there is a check mark next to the SpamSieve rule, indicating that it’s active.
2. Make sure that the rule’s name starts with SpamSieve.
3. Make sure that the rule’s conditions say Every Message.
4. Make sure that the rule does not have any Set Color actions.
5. Make sure there are no other rules that move spam messages to another mailbox or the trash. (Exception: in rare cases, you may want to create an “unwanted messages” rule, as described in the Correct All Mistakes section.)
6. Drag the SpamSieve rule to the top of the list, if it isn’t there already. (Exceptions: If you’re using the drone setup, the Remote Training rule should be above the SpamSieve rule. If you are using an “unwanted messages”, as in (e), it should be above the SpamSieve rule.)
7. Even if the rule looks correct, it can help to delete it and create a new one. (If you do this, be sure to click Don’t Apply when it asks whether you want to re-apply the rules.)
iCloud syncing can cause problems with Apple Mail. If you are not actually using Mail on multiple Macs, you can turn off its iCloud support to prevent these problems. Open System Settings, click on Apple ID, click on iCloud, click on iCloud Drive, click on Apps syncing to iCloud Drive, then uncheck Mail.app.
If training a spam message in the inbox as spam does not cause it to change color and move to the spam mailbox, please see Duplicate Apple Mail Accounts section. If you are using macOS 10.14 or later, check that SpamSieve has Automation access.

Testing That the Rule Works

Select a spam message in Mail.
Choose SpamSieve - Train as Spam from the Message menu to tell SpamSieve that it is spam. (If messages don’t move to the spam mailbox when trained, please see the Duplicate Apple Mail Accounts section.)
Drag the message to your inbox and select it again.
Choose Apply Rules from the Message menu.

Note: This will also apply your other Mail rules.

If the message moved to the Junk mailbox after Step 4, the rule worked. SpamSieve will be able to catch other messages like this if it’s properly configured and trained.

If something is not as described above check the Log window in SpamSieve to see whether an error was reported. If you don’t understand what the problem is, please go to SpamSieve’s Help menu and choose Save Diagnostic Report. Contact technical support, attaching the report file, and explain what happened when you followed these instructions.