Disabling "Mail"

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I use Gmail and am very happy with it. But I can't seem to find a way to disable Apple Mail. i have my Gmail set up as my opening window through Safari (I am always signed on to Gmail). But whenever I have to send an email through a merchant's online site, the default is always Apple Mail. I then have to copy the merchant's email address, close Apple Mail, go to Gmail and start a new blank email in which to paste the email address and then finish my email. LOT of work for one email. I don't like Apple Mail. I'm very happy with Gmail and have mail fetching/forwarding set up the way I want it. All my email is saved with Gmail, so I don't need or want Apple Mail to do that.



I know there are other things that can be done with Apple Mail, but I'm not interested in them right now. I have enough to learn about my Macbook (after coming from MS environment) without messing around with Mail.



Please, somebody tell me how to turn Mail off. I have tried Apple forums, but no info there.



Thanks

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    I don't think there's a way to disable Apple Mail.



    Why don't you do what I do and use Apple Mail to collect and send your gmail emails? Just open it and follow instructions on how to set it up Apple Mail with your Gmail account. Very easy to setup (Leopard will do all the work) and it will download all your previous emails. One other step must be done -- log into gmail on your browser and enable POP (so that Apple Mail can receive your emails).



    Don't worry, you'll always have your emails, Apple Mail will not delete them from Gmail. Setting this up doesn't mean you always have to use Apple Mail, you can simultaneously use the Apple Mail and the browser.



    This way, anytime you click on an email, Apple Mail will open up a new message with that email as the recipient. You can also setup multiple accounts onto one Apple Mail.





    I hope you embrace Apple Mail. It's absolutely fabulous!
  • Reply 2 of 9
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by big_ears View Post


    I don't think there's a way to disable Apple Mail.



    Why don't you do what I do and use Apple Mail to collect and send your gmail emails? Just open it and follow instructions on how to set it up Apple Mail with your Gmail account. Very easy to setup (Leopard will do all the work) and it will download all your previous emails. One other step must be done -- log into gmail on your browser and enable POP (so that Apple Mail can receive your emails).



    Don't worry, you'll always have your emails, Apple Mail will not delete them from Gmail. Setting this up doesn't mean you always have to use Apple Mail, you can simultaneously use the Apple Mail and the browser.



    This way, anytime you click on an email, Apple Mail will open up a new message with that email as the recipient. You can also setup multiple accounts onto one Apple Mail.



    I hope you embrace Apple Mail. It's absolutely fabulous!





    Thanks for the feedback. I did set it up when I first got my Macbook about 6 weeks ago, but I really like Gmail much better and went back to it within a couple of days. I understand how Apple mail works and stores all the outside email, but I just don't like it. I intend to install the Chrome browser as soon as it comes out of Beta. I used Chrome on my old PC and really appreciate it. I'm not all that impressed with the Apple software in general. I was one of the first MacIntosh purchasers decades ago. I used them in business (even though people thought you couldn't). But, I'm finding things a little convoluted when they should be simple. Thought I'd be past this after dumping MS and Dell. Hard to find info to my questions also (I live very far from an Apple store). When a tutorial tells me to do something in sequence, I want to know why I'm doing it - what is the process and what are my actions doing.

    Anyway, I'm thinking too much

    Since I don't want Apple mail, I don't like the fact that I can't turn it off. Even MS allows this and they're not usually helpful with applications.

    You should look at Gmail, just for reference - you might be surprised.



    Happy Holidays!
  • Reply 3 of 9
    The only way to "turn off" an application is to either delete it, or simply not use it -- the latter making the most sense to me. Seems the only problem you're having is with mailto links on web pages opening Mail. Other than that, you can ignore Mail entirely if you prefer the web interface in Gmail (which I think sucks rotten eggs, but that's just me perhaps). Also, you can set up your Gmail account as IMAP, which gives you the best of both worlds IMO.



    BTW, you can change your default email reader in Apple Mail preferences (look under General). Whether this can be changed to a web browser, I don't know. Worth a try.



    And more solutions:



    http://www.mactips.org/archives/2008...-mailto-links/
  • Reply 4 of 9
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post


    The only way to "turn off" an application is to either delete it, or simply not use it -- the latter making the most sense to me. Seems the only problem you're having is with mailto links on web pages opening Mail. Other than that, you can ignore Mail entirely if you prefer the web interface in Gmail (which I think sucks rotten eggs, but that's just me perhaps). Also, you can set up your Gmail account as IMAP, which gives you the best of both worlds IMO.



    BTW, you can change your default email reader in Apple Mail preferences (look under General). Whether this can be changed to a web browser, I don't know. Worth a try.



    And more solutions:



    http://www.mactips.org/archives/2008...-mailto-links/



    You caught me asking stupid questions again, Dr. Millmoss

    I must be really weird 'cause I really like Gmail. And since it's set up the way I like with multiple accts and choice of reply addresses, I want to stay. I have tried all the preference settings on my Macbook and there is no way I can find, to turn this sucker off. Mail is on whether you like it or not. I have turned off some of it, but not the reply (mail to from an outside site).



    I will check out the link you supplied, maybe there's a little tidbit in it that will help.



    I think I'm very surprised that Apple is showing some MS tendencies (OMG, I just blasphemed!) in forcing someone to use something they don't want or need. I like choice and control.



    Thanks,

    Have a nice Holiday Season!
  • Reply 5 of 9
    I still don't get "turned off." An application is "off" whenever you aren't using it.



    Did you try anything I suggested?
  • Reply 6 of 9
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post


    I still don't get "turned off." An application is "off" whenever you aren't using it.



    Did you try anything I suggested?



    I had already done everything I could under preferences in Mail to try to stop Mail from being the default for mailto links. I have not checked out the mactips link you gave me, I've been on the phone taking care of some rather important things. Mail is annoying to me, but really not that important in the scheme of things But I will concentrate on it later today. I'll let you know what happens.



    When I use the term "turned off", I mean disabled or not intruding on the application that I really want to use instead.



    I appreciate all the feedback and help.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    In the specific case of Safari defaulting to Mail for certain links, you have to edit the MIME type settings (it does some other file type identifier stuff as well). OS X doesn't allow you to do this directly, but here is a bit of freeware that does.



    It's pretty straightforward to use, just a preference pane with drop down lists for selecting which app gets associated with which identifier.
  • Reply 8 of 9
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    In the specific case of Safari defaulting to Mail for certain links, you have to edit the MIME type settings (it does some other file type identifier stuff as well). OS X doesn't allow you to do this directly, but here is a bit of freeware that does.



    It's pretty straightforward to use, just a preference pane with drop down lists for selecting which app gets associated with which identifier.



    I wonder if that would work. Without reading too deeply into it, this pref pane seems to change Finder associations, which would not work for mailto links in web pages, I believe.



    In any event, it appears that Google Notifier and Gmailto do this very thing.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post


    I wonder if that would work. Without reading too deeply into it, this pref pane seems to change Finder associations, which would not work for mailto links in web pages, I believe.



    In any event, it appears that Google Notifier and Gmailto do this very thing.



    It changes finder associations as well, but also allows you to assign default apps to various URL schemes.
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