how to prevent IMAP synching, possible to switch to POP?

[Isis4]

I recently set up an IMAP account in Thunderbird, and realized that a lot of my sent emails have been deleted. I think my email provider deletes them periodically from webmail.

Could someone explain to me how I can prevent this from happening anymore? I can't quite make heads or tails of 'synching' and how I can download my email, but not have anything automatically deleted out of my Thunderbird files.

I was thinking that I should maybe set it up as a POP account instead, like my other account from the same provider, which I've never had any problems with, but I don't know how to change an account from IMAP to POP.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[DanRaisch]

See this article to change to POP -- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/changing-imap-pop

[makaiguy]

Change the destination of your Sent messages to a Sent folder under your Local Folders instead of the Sent folder on your provider's server.

[Isis4]

Thanks, DanRaisch and makaiguy.

I don't know how to change delivery to a different Sent folder. I can only remember that I had the option to save my sent items in the existing Sent folder, which I'm doing. I don't remember being given an option to save my sent items in any other folder option.

It seems to me there should be some easy way to prevent the system from deleting mail from my local Sent folder, without having to create some new folder, or is IMAP really all or nothing, with no ability to control what seems like a relatively small, but important detail?

I really dislike IMAP, so on some level I'd really rather just switch, but the article says I can't change an existing account from IMAP to POP, that I can only set up a new account, and then delete the accidentally created IMAP account. But can I set up two identical accounts, one with IMAP and one with POP? I already have a lot of mail in the current account, and obviously need to be able to transfer it to the POP account, before deleting the IMAP account.

[DanRaisch]

With an IMAP account the messages you see in Thunderbird are actually stored on the server and are subject to the server's storage limits, whether that is based on time/date or space taken up by the messages.

To store Sent messages on the local computer so they are not subject to the server's limits, use menu path Tools->Account Settings->Copies & Folders->"When sending messages, automatically:"->'"Sent" Folder on:'->select "Local Folder." Thunderbird will then begin to store messages on the local computer's hard drive.

You CAN set up a POP account using the same email address as an IMAP account because Thunderbird treats the server name as part of the unique identification for an account and the POP account would have a different server name than the IMAP account you now have. Once the POP account was created you would be able to move messages from the folders of the IMAP account in Thunderbird to the folders of the new POP account.

[Isis4]

Thanks, I think I have a better sense of what IMAP synching means now. Also you just showed me how the "Local Folders" work. Though storing my mail there isn't going to work for me, so I set up a new account with POP, moved all my messages from the IMAP account over, and deleted it. I think this is going to work much better for me.

As always, much appreciate your help, DanRaisch.

[DanRaisch]

With a POP account you are also storing messages on the local hard drive, both sent and received.

[Isis4]

Perfect. That's exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks!

[DanRaisch]

You're welcome.