Oct 03, 2016. To stop your Mac from opening downloads automatically, you will have to adjust your browser settings. The native browser of Macs, Safari, has a default feature that automatically opens all downloaded files that are considered safe.
- Jul 14, 2016.
- Apr 05, 2017.
- May 15, 2018.
- Nov 11, 2016 macOS Sierra update downloads the same way that updates to OS and apps automatically download. This is a feature you can turn it off (but remember, it will turn off auto downloads for everything in the App Store). Step 1: Click the “Apple” icon from the menu bar and select “System Preferences”.
Finding my Mac a bit slow and not able to run as smoothly as I’d have liked, I decided to shoot out the clutter. While cleaning up the storage hogging files and also discovering the tricks to keep them at bay, I came to know that the stock Mail app was playing the villainous role.
By default, Apple’s email app automatically download all the recent attachments (up to 15 months old) regardless of their importance. As I like to manage storage smartly, I found this feature unnecessary. And hence, I decided to completely stop Mac’s Mail app from downloading attachments automatically.
Should you also want to disable this auto-downloading feature, follow along as I walk you through the quick steps!
How to Prevent Mac’s Mail App from Downloading Attachments Automatically
Step #1. Launch Mail app on your Mac.
Step #2. Now, click on the Mail menu at the top left and choose Preferences.
Step #3. Next, ensure that the Accounts tab is selected. Then, choose the email account which attachments you no longer want to download automatically.
Step #4. Click on the drop-down menu next to Download Attachments.
Step #5. Next up, you have three options:
- All: Automatically download all the attachments
- Recent: Download only the attachments, which are less than 15 months old
- None: Prevent the app from downloading the attached items automatically
Select “None” if you want to have complete control over which attached a file to download and which one to ignore.
You can configure the download attachment drop-down menu of all of your email accounts based on your requirement. Once you’ve perfectly customized it, quit the setting.
That’s pretty much it!
Stop Automatic Download On Mac Shortcut
Wrapping up…
So, that’s how you can prevent the Mail app from cluttering the storage on your macOS device. One of the simplest tricks to help the Mac run smoothly is to smartly keep the junk files away.
If you ignore them, they will keep piling up in the background and eventually slow down your device. Therefore, never let them have a free run.
You might want to read these articles as well as:
Did you find this hands-on guide helpful? Do not forget to share your valuable feedback.
Stop Automatic Download On Macbook
The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.
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