# Can't use Devonthink Services in Mac Mail.app on Catalina

**URL:** <https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662>\
**Category:** DEVONthink\
**Created:** [May 14, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662 "2020-05-14T16:35:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 8:39am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662/21 "2020-05-25T08:39:47Z")

</div>

> [@russellg](#):
>
> The core question is: is it essential to have the home directory on the boot drive in Catalina for DT3 to function. I understand that the actual databases can be located elsewhere. If this isn’t the cause of the missing Add-Ons could you suggest what might be the cause ?

In case of a moved home directory Apple Mail doesn’t seem to see & use the installed plugins anymore.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![russellg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/df788c/32.png) [@russellg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/russellg)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 8:44am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662/22 "2020-05-25T08:44:42Z")

</div>

Thanks. I can probably live with that, and use the Apple Scripts. Are there any other known issues of a home directory not on startup ? You don’t mention anything so I suspect that there aren’t any big issues though this sort of minor glitch may occur now and then.

R.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 9:06am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662/23 "2020-05-25T09:06:54Z")

</div>

> [@russellg](#):
>
> Are there any other known issues of a home directory not on startup ?

No other known issues so far but very few people use such a setup actually.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![russellg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/df788c/32.png) [@russellg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/russellg)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 11:58am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662/24 "2020-05-25T11:58:34Z")

</div>

Thanks for your comment. “very few people use such a setup” is valuable guidance. This is a daily work machine, so I decided to move the setup back to having /home on startup disk, better to go through the change now than to have problems in the future.

BUT… I still have _exactly_ the same issue of the option to import using the Apple Mail Add-On simply not showing up on the Message and Mailbox menus. No change to the screen-shots.

I have tried restarting and launching DT3 before Mail, and clicking on “Install” Add-Ons but it of course does nothing.

Now, I would really like to get this working both because I want to use the Add-On but also in case this is the visible symptom of something else and I really don’t want to have to mess with email at some future date in order to sort out something better resolved now. Do I need to do something like uninstall and then reinstall the Mail program? Wouldn’t surprise me as it seems really buggy and unreliable at the moment.

Thanks for any guidance.

Russell.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662/25 "2020-05-25T13:11:18Z")

</div>

> [@russellg](#):
>
> BUT… I still have _exactly_ the same issue of the option to import using the Apple Mail Add-On simply not showing up on the Message and Mailbox menus. No change to the screen-shots.

You could try this:

1. Delete the folder ~/Library/Mail/Bundles
2. Ensure that DEVONthink 3 has full disk access
3. Install the plug-in for Apple Mail via DEVONthink 3 \> Install Add-Ons…
4. Enable the plug-in in the preferences of Apple Mail

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![russellg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/df788c/32.png) [@russellg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/russellg)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662/26 "2020-05-25T14:07:36Z")

</div>

Thank you !

Deleting the DevonThink Bundle from ~/Library/Mail/Bundles and reinstalling sorted it.

[hmmm… I should have thought of deleting and reinstalling, but thanks for pointing it out, and sorry to waste your time].

Will now test importing mail using the Add-On.

Russell.

[Previous page](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/cant-use-devonthink-services-in-mac-mail-app-on-catalina/55662.md?page=1)