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Bob-W2GG
User level: Level 1 (39 points)

Mail search dropdown missing and new message cursor inconsistent.

Hello Community members (and Apple??)


I am using Mail (v 16.0) on a Mac Mini with OS 27.2.


(1) Following the upgrade from OS 26 to OS 27, the Mail application no longer displays a dropdown menu (e.g., “Subject contains:” or “Attachment contains:”) when initiating a search. Although the underlying functionality remains—such as entering “to,” “from,” or “attachment contains” followed by the search term—the loss of this interface element reduces usability.


(2) In Mail, pressing Command-N to compose a new message results in inconsistent cursor placement: approximately half the time the cursor appears in the message body, and the other half in the “To:” field. Previously, the cursor consistently defaulted to the “To:” field, allowing immediate entry of the recipient’s address. This change diminishes efficiency.


I would appreciate any available solutions. I have searched for similar reports without success. The behavior was stable in OS 26 but emerged with OS 27.0.x and persists in OS 27.2.



Posted on Nov 4, 2026 11:08 AM

2 replies

tillu_code
User level: Level 4 (2,112 points)

Nov 4, 2026 3:53 PM in response to Bob-W2GG

I noticed the same kind of thing after a big update, the little search suggestions come and go. When you click in the search box and start typing, do the suggestions show up if you type a word first and wait a second? Mail tends to only show them once it has something to match. The cursor thing sounds like a bug to me. Does it happen right after you open Mail, or only when another window is already open? Might be worth sending it to Apple through the feedback page, they do read those.

Bob-W2GG Author
User level: Level 1 (39 points)

Nov 5, 2026 4:49 AM in response to tillu_code

As I type in the search window, suggested matches to the typed text do begin to populate. But the 'categories' (like "attachment contains") that used to show up are absent in the dropdown.


As far as the cursor, it is just inconsistent. Sometimes it defaults to the "To:" field. Sometimes to the body of the text for the email.


I shall use the Feedback Page.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256388818