Where do DELETED emails go?

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cayuga
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Joined: November 5th, 2020, 9:01 am

Where do DELETED emails go?

Post by cayuga »

HI

I had a lot of emails in recd folders & recd emails.
Had to clean up so I deleted most. Where do these DELETED emails go?

regards,
cayuga
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DanRaisch
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Re: Where do DELETED emails go?

Post by DanRaisch »

That would depend on the type of account (IMAP vs POP) and on your local settings. How is the account set up, as POP or IMAP? In Thunderbird the menu path is Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings->Server Type at the top right of the dialogue.
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tanstaafl
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Re: Where do DELETED emails go?

Post by tanstaafl »

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... =1&vwsrc=0 (cached copy of Deleting messages in IMAP accounts KB article)
cayuga
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Joined: November 5th, 2020, 9:01 am

Re: Where do DELETED emails go?

Post by cayuga »

Hi,

I have a POP acct.
Regards,
cayuga
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DanRaisch
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Re: Where do DELETED emails go?

Post by DanRaisch »

With a POP type account the messages you deleted did not actually "go" anywhere. They are still in the same file as before the Del button was pressed but have been "marked as deleted" by having a flag set in the message file so that Thunderbird does not display them. To complete the deletion process, the next step would be to "Compact" the folders, causing Thunderbird to create a new file containing only those messages from the original file that were NOT marked for deletion. It also rebuilds the index file for the folder. The result will be a file of a smaller size as it no longer contains the messages marked for deletion.

Not that you don't have to compact after each message is deleted or each set of message. It can be done periodically according to the number of messages being received and deleted from the folders AND their is a setting to have TB automatically compact folders when a set amount of space can be recovered.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_: ... ng_Folders
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Frank Lion
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Re: Where do DELETED emails go?

Post by Frank Lion »

DanRaisch wrote:...when a set amount of space can be recovered.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_: ... ng_Folders
KB links are no longer working, try this -

https://web.archive.org/web/20210213214 ... ng_Folders
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke (attrib.)
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DanRaisch
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Re: Where do DELETED emails go?

Post by DanRaisch »

Thanks, Frank.
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