Deleting SMTP Servers from Mail.app in Mac OS X?

jesse12345 asks: "Here's probably an easy one for you Unix masters. I travel a fair amount and use Mail in OS X. I'm always using lots of outgoing mail servers. What I can't figure out is how to delete outdated ones. There seems to be no GUI for this within the Mail.app. Is there some way to do this in UNIX?"

Comments

Easy to do in Panther

[theWrkncacnter]

Its VERY easily done within the GUI of Mail.app in Panther. In the accounts section of preferences there's a "Outgoing mail server" drop down menu that has "Edit Server List" as one of the options that allows you to remove an SMTP server. I'm not sure if this is the same in Jag but I'd imagine so. Hardly seems like a story to me.

Re:Easy to do in Panther

[johram]

This feature is not present in jaguar.
Software updates are tied to OS updates as far as the free digital lifestyle iApps are concerned.

As long as security updates are available to all OS's I don't think thats a problem.

Re:Easy to do in Panther

[dema]

No, it's not the same in Jag. And I think it's a great story because I have been trying to find the answer to this question for quite some time as well.

Re:Easy to do in Panther

[billbaird]

Software updates are tied to OS updates as far as the free digital lifestyle iApps are concerned.

Not true. Just a few weeks ago there was a standalone iCal update released.

Re:Easy to do in Panther

[__aafkqj3628]

In that case, here is some "Apple Sample Code" -

Manage SMTP Servers.scpt

(*
Manage SMTP Servers

Copyright (C) 2002 Apple Computer, Inc.

You may incorporate this Apple sample code into your program(s) without
restriction. This Apple sample code has been provided "AS IS" and the
responsibility for its operation is yours. You are not permitted to
redistribute this Apple sample code as "Apple sample code" after having
made changes. If you're going to redistribute the code, we require
that you make it clear that the code was descended from Apple sample
code, but that you've made changes.
*)

(*
This script goes through each smtp server, checks to see whether they are
being used by an account, then presents a list of 'orphaned' smtp servers,
which you can choose to delete if you wish.
*)

tell application "Mail" to set everySMTPServer to every smtp server
set nameOfEverySMTPServer to {}
repeat with eachSMTPServer in everySMTPServer
if (my isThisSMTPServerBeingUsed(eachSMTPServer)) then
-- Don't add to the list of smtp servers to potentially delete
-- if the server is actively being used by an account
else
set nameOfEverySMTPServer to nameOfEverySMTPServer & name of eachSMTPServer
end if
end repeat
if ((count of nameOfEverySMTPServer) is equal to 0) then
display dialog "All the SMTP servers you have defined are being used by active accounts."
else
set theServersToDelete to choose from list nameOfEverySMTPServer with prompt "Choose one or more SMTP servers to delete. None of these servers are currently being used by any of your email accounts." with multiple selections allowed
if theServersToDelete is not equal to false then
if ((count of theServersToDelete) is greater than 0) then
repeat with eachServer in theServersToDelete
repeat with eachSMTPServer in everySMTPServer
try
if (name of eachSMTPServer is equal to eachServer as string) then
tell application "Mail" to delete eachSMTPServer
end if
end try
end repeat
end repeat
display dialog "The selected servers have been deleted!"
end if
end if
end if

on isThisSMTPServerBeingUsed(theServer)
-- Run through each account and see if any of them
-- are using the given SMTP server
set theResult to false
tell application "Mail"
set everyAccount to every account
repeat with eachAccount in everyAccount
set nameOfSMTPServer to name of smtp server of eachAccount
try
if (nameOfSMTPServer is equal to name of theServer) then
set theResult to true
end if
end try
end repeat
end tell
return theResult
end isThisSMTPServerBeingUsed

Re:Easy to do in Panther

[Anonymous Coward]

And people say Linux is hard to use.

Re:Easy to do in Panther

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it would be easier if you posted the compiled AppleScript on your website and made a link here ("I solved it. Click here and you're done"). Posting source code makes everybody think that Apple makes complicated computers. Just an idea for the next time.

Re:Easy to do in Panther

[DanFrakes]

In Jaguar, select "Manage SMTP Servers" from the Mail scripts menu.

There's an AppleScript for it

[Colitis]

Try: /Applications/AppleScript/Example\ Scripts/Mail\ Scripts/Manage\ SMTP\ Servers.scpt

Seemed to work for me OK.

Re:There's an AppleScript for it

[Bloodmoon1]

Also (in both 10.2.x and 10.3.x): Library/Scripts/Mail Scripts/Manage SMTP Servers.scpt

Re:There's an AppleScript for it

[Anonymous Coward]

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107 425

Howto:

[moofbong]

Edit the file "com.apple.mail.plist" in ~/Library/Preferences. There is a key in the XML called DeliveryAccounts (just search for it in your favorite text editor). Immediately beneath it, there is an array with tags. Just remove the whole ... </dict> section that corresponds to the SMTP server and you should be all set. Probably should close Mail before doing this. Maybe make a backup of your preference file too, just in case. ;)

Use Sendmail

[coolmacdude]

Why not use sendmail (or Postfix in Panther)? That way you never have to manage your SMTP servers and can just use one all the time.

Re:Use Sendmail

[Nathan Brazil]

Don't some ISPs break this? I am referring to the ones that decide that their users would only send Spam if they were allowed to bypass the ISP's SMTP server?

Re:Use Sendmail

[shamino0]

Don't some ISPs break this?

Many ISP's (including Earthlink, which I use) block access to port 25 - meaning you can't send directly to a remote mail server. As a part of this, they tell you that all outbound mail must go through thair provided mail server.

This is an anti-spam procedure that works well. If all of their customers must send mail through a single server, that server can filter and block those customers that have abused their mail privileges. In other words, these blocks are (for the most part) a good thing.

But this doesn't rule out running your own internal mail server. You just have to configure it to relay all outbound mail (that is, everything leaving your LAN) through your ISP's mail server instead of sending directly to the recipient's server. I know that sendmail can be configured to do this (I've done this on my Linux PC in order to allow me to use /usr/ucb/mail.) I would assume that any other halfway decent mail server should be able to do the same thing.

Re:Use Sendmail

[johram]

I've used postfix enabler successfully on my 10.3 machine. I've sent emails with 5mb attachments to friends and they've gotten them fine.

I have Pacific Bell slash SBC as an ADSL provider.

postfix enabler is available at
http://www.roadstead.com/weblog/Tutorials/imag es/P ostfixEnabler1.0.zip

Re:Use Sendmail

[Anonymous Coward]

This is an anti-spam procedure that works well. If all of their customers must send mail through a single server, that server can filter and block those customers that have abused their mail privileges. In other words, these blocks are (for the most part) a good thing.

Oh joy. What a good thing the ISP is doing! They are censoring users that say things they might not link. Why don't they go ahead and force all web content through proxies so they can make sure you don't do anything else on the Internet that they don't approve of.

Re:Use Sendmail

[dynayellow]

No, no, no, this is Slashdot. You're supposed to first give him a passive-aggressive beratement for using an application with a GUI, then instead of answering his question, tell him to use the most obscure command-line app available (or possibly write one), without, of course, telling him where to get the app.

Also, include references to one of the following: WINE, FINK, and for extra points, Ogg.

Re:Use Sendmail

[Anonymous Coward]

you miss the point entirely. i'm sick of all these paranoid privacy freaks. you think you have all this private special stuff but it ain't crap! no one give a crock what you do with your day!

you're trying to compare spam (forced on you) to web content (your own perverted little fingers actively see that out). this simple safeguard by the ISP is fair and reasonable.

Re:Use Sendmail

[Curtman]

I've sent emails with 5mb attachments to friends

What an excellent way to lose friends. ;)

Re:Use Sendmail

[shaitand]

It's not fair OR reasonable. I buy x amount of bandwidth from my ISP. If I max out X bandwidth 24/7 365 a year, I'm within my rights, if I use x bandwidth to do ANYTHING I damn well please I'm within my rights, since they've already capped it to the speed I pay for. Yes this even includes spam, kiddie porn etc. Those things are illegal but that is the police's problem NOT the ISP's.

Re:Use Sendmail

[lullabud]

you forgot the indescribably beaten to a bloody death usage of "i, for one, welcome apple as the smtp overlords."

Re:Use Sendmail

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, tell that to all the ISPs who have been named as defendants in illegal/questionable actions by their customers.

When you signed up with your ISP you signed a contract. This requirement was in the contract. If you didn't like it, you didn't have to sign it. Period.

You could have found some spammer-friendly ISP to use instead. Of course, a serious portion of the mail servers on the planet would refuse SMTP traffic from your system or your ISP's system, but hey, your freedom of speech (cough bullshit cough) is protected.

Talk all you want, I don't have to listen to your dumb ass, much less PAY to listen.

Re:Use Sendmail

[monkeymonster]

and don't forget the obligatory "In Soviet Russia, unused SMTP servers delete YOU" comment.

(Actually, is it just me or do those seem to be waning?)

Re:Use Sendmail

[trublaha]

(Actually, is it just me or do those seem to be waning?)

Nah, they are just modded down so much, so quickly that we never get to see them. Thank God...

Re:Use Sendmail

[Anonymous Coward]

What a good thing the ISP is doing! They are censoring users that say things they might not link.

Moron. Re-read the part you quoted:

" that server can filter and block those customers that have abused their mail privileges"

I fail to see how stopping people who abuse something as "censorship"

Re:Use Sendmail

[danigiri]

Yeah, also add in some oblique to SCO actually owning SMTP's IP and by transitivity, you.

Re:Use Sendmail

[ObiWanKenblowme]

Maybe you should check your paperwork, but I'd be surprised if the ISP didn't have you sign an agreement that spells out exactly how they will limit your use of their bandwidth. For example, no mail servers, no hosting porn sites, etc. So no, you're not within your rights and no, you CAN'T do anything you damn well please - legal or not - if you signed a contract agreeing not to do it.

Re:Use Sendmail

[shamino0]

Oh joy. What a good thing the ISP is doing! They are censoring users that say things they might not link

You didn't even bother reading my post before writing this, did you?

I said nothing about censorship. I have yet to hear of a single case where an ISP blocked a customer's mail access because of the content of his private communications.

Thes blocks are put in place because of spammers. You know, the people who send out millions of solicitations for black-market Viagra. And before you claim that you have a right to do that, read the terms of service for your ISP. I can guarantee you that as a part of your subscription, you agreed to not engage in that sort of activity.

Re:Use Sendmail

[shaitand]

First of all I don't spam, or setup any servers that DO spam. The company I work for is an ISP, the boss wanted to content filter out the arse. Luckily we talked him out of it. Our customers are PAYING for x amount of bandwidth and the right to use it for all the internet has to offer. That includes the right to have a mailserver and send out email without us nosing into it.

In fact since we also have a monopoly in central Illinois we are generally the same people who build their networks including the mailservers and generally set them up with encrypted email. For a small to medium sized business 99% of the reason for having their own mailserver to begin with is so that neither the ISP nor anyone else they have no authorized can read their confidential correspondance with their customers. They could be sending them spam (although we would not willingly setup a mailserver for this purpose), or trading porn or whatever else they damn well please. It's their mailserver, they are using THEIR bandwidth they purchased from us. We purchased that bandwidth from AT&T and you know what? It's none of THEIR damn business what WE do with it either. Now of course if we disrupted their service that would be different... but since we have paid for a link of x speed and have every right to max out that link 24/7 (just like our customers) with blaster traffic or whatever else we want that's not likely.

As for signing a contract, I signed none, I have a direct uncapped wireless link to our T3. I control my own terms of service.

Re:Use Sendmail

[shaitand]

Nope I signed no agreement. We actually run an ISP an I have a direct untapped wireless link. I have a dsl connection as well, but their connections are all considered "business class" and so there are no blocked ports, my bandwidth is fixed and guaranteed. The only restriction I have is that I can't resell any bandwidth on that link.

Re:Use Sendmail

[good soldier svejk]

But this doesn't rule out running your own internal mail server. You just have to configure it to relay all outbound mail (that is, everything leaving your LAN) through your ISP's mail server instead of sending directly to the recipient's server. I know that sendmail can be configured to do this (I've done this on my Linux PC in order to allow me to use /usr/ucb/mail.) I would assume that any other halfway decent mail server should be able to do the same thing.

Unfortunately, AOL rejects mail from "private" addresses. I used to configure sendmail to listen only on the loopback address, and Mail.app to relay off localhost. That way, wherever my powerbook went I had a reliable relay (because of my office an ISP's policies, this used to be a problem.) At some point AOL started sending me reject notices when I mailed my dad. What business of theirs is it where I choose to relay?

Re:Use Sendmail

[bigman2003]

That sounds like capitalism. I thought you didn't like capitalism... Your own comments

Re:Use Sendmail

[shaitand]

Actually no, one might purchase bandwidth in socialist europe just like here in the capitalist US.

Try the "Remove Server" button

[Tor]

At least in Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther):

• Mail -> Preferences -> Accounts -> [account name] -> Account Information
  
• From the "Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP):" pull-down list, select "Edit Server List...".
  
• Select the server(s) you wish to remove, then press the "Remove Server" button.
  

yes

[jcbphi]

Open your favorite text editor (or the plist editor included with the OS X dev tools), and have a go at:

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist

In this file, there is a key labeled "DeliveryAccounts". This is where all your SMTP account information is kept. You should be able to edit/delete any account from there.

There is a means of doing this through AppleScript as well, but I don't remember how that works, so I'll have to leave that as an exercise for the reader.

Re:yes

[Daniel Dvorkin]

Actually, if you double-click on this (or any) .plist file -- or go there through the Terminal and type "open FILENAME" where FILENAME is the name of the .plist file -- it will open in Property List Editor, which is designed explicitly for this kind of management. It takes some playing around with this app to get comfortable in it (ALWAYS BACK UP!) but once you do, it's a powerful and convenient tool.

Re:yes

[shamino0]

Actually, if you double-click on this (or any) .plist file ... it will open in Property List Editor

I think the Property List Editor is part of the developer tools, and so isn't installed by default. But every distribution of OS X includes an installer for them, so this shouldn't be a big deal.

Yeah

[Hanji]

I've had this same problem, and it really pissed me off for a while.

Fortunately, Panther seems to have fixed this - in account prefs, the SMTP server dropdown has added a "Edit Servers" Option. If you're still in Jaguar, however, I believe you can kill servers by editing ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist. I managed this once in Jaguar, but I'm too lazy to try to figure out which entries to trash now. I'm pretty sure it's in there somewhere, though.

Re:Yeah

[stephentyrone]

1. open com.apple.mail.plist and backup
2. expand "root"
3. expand "DeliveryAccounts"
4. expand "0", "1", etc
5. find the account you want to delete
6. select the corresponding array number
7. press the delete button
8. save as com.apple.mail.plist

just did it on my machine (running Jaguar), works a charm.

Osxhints.com has an extensive hint on this...

[Anonymous Coward]

for jaguar users

Wow

[hawkbug]

I find it amazing that I submit articles about stuff somebody might care about, and somebody else submits a question than could proably be easily answered on groups.google.com, and it gets posted. Wow. A simple search would have eliminated the need for this submission:

Newsgroup post

Re:Wow

[standsolid]

oh my god, I foudn the answer in 20 seconds on google... not even newsgroups
http://email.about.com/cs/macosxmailtips/a/et01270 3.htm
since when is slashdot "I'm too lazy to use GOOGLE" tech support. goddammit.

Re:Wow

[theWrkncacnter]

Heh, you should check out the geniuses we get over at the MacAddict Forums. Every day there's people who ask some question that could have been found if, heaven forbid, they used the Search feature or they just scrolled down a bit.

Re:Wow

[Anonymous Coward]

Not sure how that's Flamebait, you did provide a link, informative maybe??

Who knows.

Re:Wow

[hawkbug]

Yeah, thank you. I guess people think I'm flamebait because I may have offended the poster for wasting his time submitting a dumb question to slashdot, and by some miracle, Cliff thought it was relevant and people would care, instead of simply using google to find the answer in less than 10 seconds.

Re:Wow

[Dixie_Flatline]

What do you mean 'since when'? It's always been like that.

Re:Wow

[shaitand]

The difference is, the forums there are intended for that purpose. Slashdot is not.

speaking of mail.app....

[carpe_noctem]

While we're on the subject of mail.app annoyances, does anybody know how to get mail to permanently accept SSL certificates in 10.3? I looked around macosxhints.com, but none of those suggestions seemed to work.

Thanks.....

Re:speaking of mail.app....

[Anonymous Coward]

You're supposed to be able to do "View Certificate", drag the certificate icon to your desktop, and add it to your keychain, but the "drag" step always seems to hang on me.

Re:speaking of mail.app....

[geoffspear]

Dragging the certificate icon to my desktop just gives me a text clipping of it, which the keychain won't import properly.

I also found a tip somewhere that involved using certtool on the actual certificate (which is on my local machine anyway since it's for a locally-running imapd), but Mail.app just keeps asking for the certificate again even though it's in the keychain.

Re:speaking of mail.app....

[Squozen]

This link should hopefully help you. I have the same problem with the mail server at my office.

Re:speaking of mail.app....

[Anonymous Coward]

Mexicans are dirty landscapers, and they almost always have multiple mailservers. They like the clutter.

Re:speaking of mail.app....

[eyeball]

I can't remember exactly, but it's somthing like: (BTW, Please be careful -- back up files and tread lightly. if unsure about any of this, verify my advice with experts, online posts, etc.)

1. you first use openssl to grab the certificate in base64 form like this:

   openssl s_client -showcerts -connect yoursmtpserver.com:465

2. Copy the base 64 cert section (between and including the 'begin certificate' and 'end certificate') to a file (i.e.:yoursmtpserver.cer).
   
3. Next copy /System/Library/Keychains/X509Anchors to your home dir
   
4. open the keychain access app
   
5. In the file menu, use Add Keychain, and add the X509Anchors in your home directory
   
6. make sure the X509Anchors keychain is selected (you should see only certificates listed)
   
7. in the file menu, select import, and import your .cer file
   
8. delete the keychain (DELETE REFERENCES ONLY), and close keychain access.
   
9. copy the X509Anchors back to the original location.
   

It's a pain in the neck, but works perfectly for me. This also works for adding self-signed certs and such.

Re:speaking of mail.app....

[bill_mcgonigle]

Dragging the certificate icon to my desktop just gives me a text clipping of it, which the keychain won't import properly.

It's an option-drag, but odds are you'll just hang Mail.app if you try it.

Buggy.

The OpenSSL route seems to work.

Re:speaking of mail.app....

[Blue Lozenge]

Check out my instructions here.

Not possible in Panther

[schwanerhill]

It was not possible from within the Jaguar GUI. (I submitted a bug report about it to Apple, and am glad to see that they fixed it.)

The easiest way to remove servers is to edit the Mail preferences file. Open ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist (either in Property List Editor--if you have the developer tools installed--or any text editor) and find the entry "Delivery Accounts". Delete any you don't want.

How to do it

[Anonymous Coward]

Here's how you delete your SMTP server in Debian: type 'apt-get remove exim'. I believe that is the specific answer to your ill-considered question.

actions!

[lavaface]

In Panther Mail, there is an action (from the little gear pulldown menu) called manage SMTP servers. Triggers an Applescript to delete unused servers

The AppleScript is best, but in the shell:

[Domini]

Edit:
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist

And take out the <dict> entries that matches the unused entries...
<PRE>
<key>DeliveryAccounts</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>AccountType</key>
<string>SMTPAccount</string>
<key>Hostname</key>
<string>mail.tbs.co.za</string>
&nbsp ; <key>ShouldUseAuthentication</key>
&nbsp ; <string>NO</string>
</dict>
</array>
</PRE>

Dirty way to do it in Jaguar

[theomedes]

Here is a direct (probably dirty) way to remove smtp servers from the list. Go to the Preferences directory in your home. Open com.apple.mail.plist in property list editor. The subtree under the DeliveryAccounts entry has the list of all the SMTP servers. Delete the ones you don't like.

Applescript: the GUI way!!!

[zpok]

Go to the folder "../Applications/AppleScript/Example Scripts/Mail Scripts/"

There you'll find "Manage SMTP Servers.scpt".

Double-click it and you'll get a nice little window with all SMTP servers you don't use and a button to delete them.

Cheers,

Also on Subject of Mail.app, how do I hide folders

[wilton]

On the subject of Mail.app...
I use IMAP mail on my server with about 10 folders. These work OK, but I am also presented with a list of hidden system folders like .ssh, .bash_history.

In thunderbird you can hide folders that start with a '.', or match public_html.

How do you do this in Mail.app ?

Will

Re:Also on Subject of Mail.app, how do I hide fold

[Sonic McTails]

It's not possiable w/ Mail.app as far as I know, but my solution to this was to change where UW IMAPd uses for imap mail. It works fine, my home folder doesn't get messy, and I don't get junk. I'm too lazy to look up the correct line, but there is an article on Stepwise about it; it's undewr the Pre-Mac OS X10.1 section. I just recommend you put it in ~/.mail instead of Library/Mailboxs as the article says

who was asleep when this got posted?

[pelorus]

Evidently the chimps permitted this question. Is /. a support site?

In Panther and before, use Apple's Apple Script

[Spyritus]

Hi,

In /Library/Scripts/ Apple has a folder full of Mail AppleScripts, one of which allows you to manage SMTP servers, "Manage SMTP Servers.scpt". It basically allows you to delete any SMTP server from the list that is not currently connected to a Mail Account.

You can easily add them to the Menu Bar by going to the /Applications/AppleScript/ folder and draging the AppleScript menu onto the menu bar. This will give you a menu with all the folders in /Library/Scripts/ and ~/Library/Scripts/ in it, allowing you to easily run any AppleScripts you put in these folders. Under Panther, /Applications/ApplScript/ now has AppleScripts to add and remove this menu.

You can move the right side menu items around by command-clicking and dragging the items into the order you wish.