Managing your inbox effectively starts with understanding your total email volume. Tracking the total number of incoming emails can help you assess your workload, identify trends, and plan your email cleanup more efficiently. This guide walks you through how to view all incoming mail messages in Apple Mail.
Why Track the Total Number of Incoming Emails?
- Workload assessment – Know how much email you’re handling daily.
- Identify trends – Spot email spikes or patterns over time.
- Inbox management – Plan cleanups and prioritize important messages.
How to View All Incoming Emails on Mac
Make Sure the Mailbox Sidebar is Visible
If you don’t see the mailbox sidebar:
- Open the Mail app.
- Select View in the menu bar.
- Select Show Sidebar.
View Total Incoming Emails for a Single Mail Account
- Click Inbox in the sidebar.
The mailbox name and total message count will appear in the Mail window’s title bar.
View Total Incoming Emails for Multiple Accounts
- In the sidebar, select the Inbox for each account individually.
You may need to hover over the account name and click the down arrow (v) next to it to expand its mailbox list.
View All Incoming Emails Across Multiple Accounts
To see a combined total for all accounts:
- Select All Inboxes in the sidebar.
If All Inboxes is missing:
- Hover over Favorites in the sidebar.
- Click the down arrow (v) to expand the list.
- Select All Inboxes.
Still don’t see it?
- Click the plus (+) icon next to Favorites.
- Choose All Inboxes from the pop-up menu.
A new All Inboxes folder will now appear under Favorites, with a consolidated view of all messages from all of your connected accounts.
Troubleshooting: Total Message Count Not Showing
- Restart Apple Mail – This often refreshes the message count display.
- Restart your Mac – A full system restart can resolve persistent display issues.
How to View the Number of Unread Messages
The number shown next to each mailbox in the sidebar reflects only unread emails, not the total count.
The number shown next to the Flagged mailbox is the number of flagged messages, and the number shown next to the Drafts mailbox is the number of unfinished messages.
Can You View Total Emails on iPhone or iPad?
The iPhone and iPad Mail app does not display a cumulative total of all emails received. It only shows the number of unread messages per mailbox.
