Mail Crashing On Mac, Not Opening In macOS Ventura? (Fix?)

iPhone Tricks > Errors and Issues

Posted in Errors and Issues, Bug Fixes by Tyrone on November 11, 2022

Mail crashes on Mac

Is Mail crashing on Mac after macOS Ventura update? App not opening even after the macOS 13.0.1 bug fixing release? Mail crashes when searching or when selecting more than one email message at a time? You’re not alone!

Mail Crashing Ventura?

This problem has been reported by Justin:

“Mail not opening. Crashes every time.”

We couldn’t replicate this issue but have found similar complaints on Apple’s discussion forums:
1:

“I installed Ventura this morning and Apple Mail stays open for approx 2 seconds before closing/crashing.”

2:

“Same here, crashing when I select more than one e-mail at a time”

3:

“If I try to search for an email. Literally, the first letter of the word that I am searching, crashes it.”

How To Fix Mail Crashes On Mac

Users have reported various troubleshooting options for this issue. Here is what you should try out:

1. Restart Mac

The first thing that you should do is to reboot your computer. A fresh start could flush any minor glitches that might prevent the Apple Mail app from working properly.

Click the Apple logo, available in the top-left corner of the menu bar and select Restart.

2. Open Mail With Shift

If the problem persist, try to open the Mail app while pressing and holding the Shift key. This will prevent new messages from loading at startup.

Downside: Mail might still crash when dismissed to the Dock, but at least you can use it and try to continue troubleshooting. (Deleting a corrupt message.)

3. Re-Add Exchange Accounts

The next option is to remove all exchange accounts:

• Open System Settings and click on Internet Accounts.
• Click the account that you want to remove and use the Delete Account option.
• Restart Mac and open Mail.
• Add your exchange accounts one by one until you reach the one that triggers the issue. Or, it might just work without requiring you to do anything else.

4. Delete Mail Preference Files

Old preference files might cause Mail to crash. Erase them and let us know if it works:

• Open Finder on Mac from Dock or using Spotlight Search.
• Click Go in the top menu bar.
• Press & hold option key and select Library.
• Scroll for the Preferences folder and open it.
• Locate the following files: apple.mail.plist and com.apple.mail-shared.plist and delete them (Move to Trash).
• Restart Mac. Is the Mail app still crashing?

Have you managed to fix Mail crashing on Mac in macOS Ventura? Do you have a better solution or other problems to report? Share your feedback in the comments.

Related: For other macOS 13.0.1 issues and available workarounds please check our extended review.