SpeedMail - speed up Mail.app

Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, E-mail, Productivity, Apple, Freeware

SpeedMail - speed up Mail.app

by Jason Clarke Jul 14th 2007

Over time, your Mac's Mail program can start to feel sluggish because, like any database, over time it needs to optimized. While there's a terminal command you can run to perform this function on your mail database, SpeedMail is a tiny little downloadable utility that will perform the same function without having to head into the potentially intimidating world of terminal windows.

Of course we recommend backing up your Mail data files before doing anything like this.

For the brave Mac users out there, here's how to get the same benefit as running SpeedMail without having to download anything at all. Comments at MacUpdate about SpeedMail suggest simply opening a terminal window, and typing:

sqlite3 ~/Library/Mail/Envelope\ Index vacuum;

We've tried both and they do seem to have the same effect, although once the optimization is done, it's done. In other words, pick one or other other, since running both isn't going to get you any further benefits.

Tags: optimize Mail, optimize Mail.app, OptimizeMail, OptimizeMail.app, Speed Mail, SpeedMail

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Lisa Hoover said 12:49PM on 7-15-2007

Jason,
I have four POP and one IMAP accounts pouring into my Mail.app and, consequently, it's been just...poking...along...lately.

I tried this trick and now it worksreallyfast.

Great tip, thanks!

Lisa

Josh said 6:37PM on 7-16-2007

Thanks! I just tried the terminal command and it really helped!

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters