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How to Fix Apple Mail Not Loading Images on Mac

Quick Tips
  • Open the Mail app > Mail > Settings > Privacy > Disable Protect Mail Activity and Block All Remote Content.
  • Open Settings > Profile name > iCloud > Private Relay > Disable the feature.
  • Open the Mail app > Settings > Accounts > Select your email account > Click the Minus icon > Click the Plus icon to add your account again.

Basic Fixes

  • Check internet connection: Ensure that you have good connection speeds on your Wi-Fi network in order to load images.
  • Disable VPN: Open Settings > VPN > Disable the service.
  • Force quit and relaunch Mail app: Click the Apple logo > Force Quit > Mail > Force Quit.
  • Update macOS to update mail app: Open Settings > General > Software Update.

Fix 1: Check Mail App Privacy Settings

The Mail app’s privacy feature hides your IP address and blocks remote content. Due to this feature, you might not be able to see images in your emails. We suggest disabling this feature temporarily by following these steps.

Step 1: Open the Mail app > Mail > Settings > Privacy.

Step 2: Uncheck the box next to Protect Mail Activity.

Step 3: Uncheck the box next to Block All Remote Content.

Step 4: Close the window and then open the email that contains the image file(s).

Step 5: Click on Load Remote Content at the top-right side to load the images.

Fix 2: Disable iCloud Privacy Relay

iCloud Privacy Relay was a security feature introduced with iCloud+ that lets you hide your IP address and browsing activity from advertisers and trackers. iCloud Privacy Relay will redirect web traffic toward a third-party server, and even Apple won’t have access to it. This service might not allow downloading content like images in the Mail app. So we suggest disabling this feature temporarily.

Step 1: Open Settings > Profile name > iCloud > Private Relay.

Step 2: Click the toggle next to Private Relay to turn off the feature. Then, click on Done.

Fix 3: Log in Again to Your Email Account

You can log in again to your email account in the Mail app. This will reload your entire inbox along with your preferences. This should help in reloading images in the emails that you receive.

Open the Mail app > Settings > Accounts > Select your email account > Click the Minus icon > Click the Plus icon to add your account again.

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Tip: Refer to our post in case you are sometimes unable to send emails using the Mail app.

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Last updated on 16 August, 2024

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