Thunderbird did not create/download Sent Mail folder/emails

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mileena
Posts: 54
Joined: May 14th, 2005, 10:13 pm

Thunderbird did not create/download Sent Mail folder/emails

Post by mileena »

Hi, I just got a new computer running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. when I went to set up an email account on Thunderbird 3, Thunderbird did not automatically create and download messages for any folders, including sent mail and drafts. I use IMAP and have my own webhosting account. In the past when I used Thunderbird 2 or Outlook Express 6, once I created the IMAP account on the prrogram, the email program automatically found and downloaded my sent mails stored on my server.

Can someone please help?

Thanks!
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tanstaafl
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Posts: 49647
Joined: July 30th, 2003, 5:06 pm

Re: Thunderbird did not create/download Sent Mail folder/emails

Post by tanstaafl »

Check whether tools -> account settings -> copies & folders -> "place a copy in" points to the correct folder. For example, my Fastmail IMAP account uses "sent items" rather than "sent" so the default setting pointed to a non-existent folder.

Are you using Thunderbird 2 or 3? If its Thunderbird 2 it doesn't download messages from IMAP accounts by default, you have to configure the folder as a offline folder for that to happen. Instead, it just downloads headers and fetches the message as needed whenever you want to read it.

Thunderbird 3 enables message synchronization by default, so it should automatically download all of the messages in your IMAP folders.
mileena
Posts: 54
Joined: May 14th, 2005, 10:13 pm

Re: Thunderbird did not create/download Sent Mail folder/emails

Post by mileena »

Hi, thanks so much! I am using Thunderbird 3. I have the correct folders selected to copy sent items, drafts, and templates to. But there is no way to change the name of these folders on Thunderbird. All that appears for all my accounts is a communal inbox then separate account names for each account below this. but there are no sent items or drafts folders under each of these. that is my point: thunderbird 3 did not create these folders like it did in thunderbird 2. so when i do a sent mail, the sent mail copy just disappears, except for my default account.

I could just copy my new sent mails to my default account starting now, but I still need to retrieve sent mails from the past, which are under the sent items folder in these other accounts. but i cannot download these until i find a way to create sent mail folders!
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tanstaafl
Moderator
Posts: 49647
Joined: July 30th, 2003, 5:06 pm

Re: Thunderbird did not create/download Sent Mail folder/emails

Post by tanstaafl »

It sounds like you're "Smart Inbox" rather than "All Folders". I suggest you switch advanced folder views using the little left/right arrows at the top of the folder pane. You should be able to both find and create folders more easily using "All Folders".
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