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Apple mail app not opening some attachments in Golden Gate 27.0.1, iPhone with 27.0.1 works fine.

Apple mail app not opening some attachments in Golden Gate 27.0.1, iPhone with 27.0.1 works fine. All that I see in Mac Apple Mail app is a blank document icon with the text 'Mail Attachment' and a download icon. When I double click the download icon, I get a blank window in TextEdit. Sometimes these are email list digests, sometimes they are Amazon order confirmations. I really would like to resolve this issue.

1 reply

The first thing I would check is whether Mail  in macOS is downloading the actual attachment correctly. 


The generic “Mail Attachment” icon and blank TextEdit window do not, by themselves, establish why the attachment is failing to open.


Since the same emails work on your iPhone, I would try the following on your MacBook Pro (M4 Pro, 2024), in order:


A - Save an affected attachment rather than opening it directly. In Mail, open the message and choose File > Save Attachments, or use the attachment’s download control. Save it to your Desktop, then check its filename and extension. If it has no extension or opens as a blank document, that is useful information. If it is a PDF, try opening it in Preview. If the file is empty or cannot be identified, proceed to the next step.


B - Check Mail’s attachment download setting. Open Mail > Settings > Accounts, select the affected email account, and click Account Information. Set Download Attachments to All if it is currently set to Recent or None. Then quit and reopen Mail and test a new affected message. Apple documents this setting here: Change Account Information settings in Mail on Mac.


C - Compare the same message in webmail. Sign in to your email provider’s website and open one of the affected messages. If the attachment downloads and opens correctly there, the problem is more likely to involve Mail on the Mac or its local copy of the message. If it fails there too, the message or attachment itself may be involved.


D - Restart the Mac and test again. If the issue persists, check whether macOS has a newer update available. I would not delete Mail’s downloaded files, rebuild mailboxes, or remove and re-add the account as initial troubleshooting steps.


Apple’s instructions for viewing and saving attachments are here: View, save, or delete email attachments in Mail on Mac.


Because this affects different kinds of messages, I would not assume that the problem is specific to Amazon or email digests. Nor would I conclude that TextEdit is at fault simply because it opens a blank window.


One detail would help narrow this down: when you save one of the affected attachments to the Desktop, does it have a normal filename and extension (for example, .pdf), or is it just named “Mail Attachment” with no extension?