Unread count not showing on the Mac Dock icon
Why a mail app sets its unread count but the Dock shows no red badge, and how to turn the badge back on in System Settings, Notifications, on your Mac.
Sanjeev Maharjan5 min read
When a Mac app has asked to send notifications, macOS shows the red number on its Dock icon only if that app is allowed to badge its icon. If the unread count is missing from the Dock, open System Settings, choose Notifications, select the mail app and turn on Badge application icon. The app was setting the number all along.
The short version: System Settings, Notifications, choose Mailvie (or your mail app), make sure Allow notifications is on, then turn on Badge application icon. The number appears on the Dock icon straight away, with no restart.
Why the number goes missing
A Mac app puts a number on its Dock icon by giving the Dock a short label. Mailvie does this every time its counts change: the label is the number of unread emails in the inboxes of all your accounts together, the same number shown beside All inboxes at the top of the sidebar. Above 998 it reads 999+, and with nothing unread there is no badge at all.
Whether the Dock actually draws that label is up to macOS. Once an app has asked for permission to send notifications, its Dock badge becomes part of its notification settings. If badges are switched off for that app, or notifications were declined when the app first asked, the app keeps setting its count and the Dock quietly leaves it out. Nothing in the app looks wrong, which is why this is easy to miss.
Mailvie asks for notifications so it can tell you about new mail while its window is in the background, and so a message that carries a sign-in code can offer Copy Code right in the notification. That request covers alerts, sounds and badges together, so a no to the request, or a later change in System Settings, also hides the Dock number.
Turn the Dock badge back on
These steps are for current versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings.
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select Notifications in the sidebar.
- Under Application Notifications, select Mailvie. Apps are listed by name.
- Turn on Allow notifications if it is off.
- Turn on Badge application icon.
The badge appears on the Dock icon as soon as the switch is on, provided there is unread mail in an inbox. Apple describes each of these switches on its page about how to change Notifications settings on Mac, which is the place to check if the screens have moved.
If Mailvie is not in the list: it has not asked for notifications on this Mac yet. Open Mailvie once from your Applications folder and leave it running for a moment. A copy started any other way, such as from a downloaded disk image that was never moved to Applications, may not be listed.
What the badge counts, and what it does not
The Dock number in Mailvie is unread mail in your inboxes, across every account you have added. It does not count mail in Sent, Drafts, Spam or Trash, or mail filed under a label or another folder, because those are not mail waiting for you.
| In the Dock number | |
|---|---|
| Unread in the Inbox of any account | Yes |
| Read mail in an Inbox | No |
| Unread in Spam, Trash or Sent | No |
| Unread under a label or in another folder | No |
When you open a conversation it is marked read on your mail service and the number goes down. If the number looks too high, check that the mail you read elsewhere, on your phone for instance, has reached the Mac: the check-mail button above the message list asks every account at once.
The count in the menu bar instead
Some people prefer the number at the top of the screen, where it is visible even when the Dock is hidden. Mailvie puts its mark in the menu bar with the unread count beside it, and a click opens a panel with today's numbers, your accounts and your newest mail. That count is drawn by Mailvie itself, so it does not depend on the notification settings above.
The menu bar icon is on unless you turn it off, in Mailvie's Settings, General, Menu bar. While it is on, closing the main window leaves Mailvie running there so mail keeps arriving. To stop Mailvie completely, choose Quit in the panel or press Command Q.
If you are still setting up, the guides to adding Gmail with an app password and to IMAP and SMTP settings for Gmail, iCloud and Yahoo cover the accounts themselves. You can get the app from the Mailvie download page.
Other reasons the Dock shows no number
There is no unread mail in an inbox
The badge only appears above zero. Unread mail in Spam or in a folder does not count, so an empty badge can be correct.
The account is still downloading
Right after you add an account, Mailvie downloads the newest mail first. The count fills in as mail arrives, and the first numbers can be lower than the total on the server.
Two copies are running
If an older copy of Mailvie is still open, the Dock can show two icons, each with its own number. Quit both, then open the one in your Applications folder.
Questions people ask
Why does my Mac show no number on the Mail app icon?
Most often the app is not allowed to badge its icon. In System Settings, Notifications, select the app and turn on Badge application icon. If it is already on, there may simply be no unread mail in an inbox.
Do I have to allow all notifications to see the Dock badge?
Allow notifications has to be on for the app, because the badge is one of its notification options. You can still keep alerts quiet: choose None as the alert style and turn off sounds, and leave only Badge application icon on.
Does the badge count every unread email in Mailvie?
It counts unread mail in the inbox of each account you have added. Unread mail in Spam, Trash, Sent or another folder is not included, so the number matches All inboxes at the top of the sidebar.
Can I see the unread count without the Dock?
Yes. Mailvie shows the unread count beside its icon in the menu bar, which does not depend on notification settings. Turn it on or off in Mailvie's Settings, General, Menu bar.
Written by Sanjeev Maharjan
Sanjeev Maharjan builds Mailvie, a mail app for the Mac. Found a mistake in this guide? Write to [email protected].
