Solved Thunderbird POP account deleting mail from server


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FDretired

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I have Bell sympatico account and have been using Thunderbird for decades. I have setup the Thunderbird to leave mail on the server. Recently the mail on the server is being deleted.
What are the possible reasons?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    28 in Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    6 SSDs a mixture of 3 Nvme and 3 Sata.
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
Most E-Mail apps will have a choice to leave a copy on the server or delete from the server when downloaded. Some servers will automatically delete older messages on a date basis or when the stored gets too large.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe M.2
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 4TB Seagate HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Berton said:
Most E-Mail apps will have a choice to leave a copy on the server or delete from the server when downloaded. Some servers will automatically delete older messages on a date basis or when the stored gets too large.
Click to expand...
These are the settings on my Thunderbird. The mail is being deleted from the server intermittently. Screen Shot 04-06-25 at 09.43 AM.webp
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    28 in Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    6 SSDs a mixture of 3 Nvme and 3 Sata.
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
How much space does your email provider give you? Is it possible the email provider is deleting messages due to space being used?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7/10/11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    I'm a computer enthusiast so have quite a few systems that I run. More like an advanced hobby.
BamaInArk said:
How much space does your email provider give you? Is it possible the email provider is deleting messages due to space being used?
Click to expand...
Bell automatically deletes mail from the deleted folder after ?60 days.

The volume never exceeds a few hundred emails. It may be a bug in a updated version of Thunderbird.Screen Shot 04-06-25 at 10.12 AM.webp
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    28 in Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    6 SSDs a mixture of 3 Nvme and 3 Sata.
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
I may have solved the problem by changing the settings on the INBOX folder (internet search finding)
=====================
How do I stop Thunderbird from deleting emails?

So here are the steps that you can use to stop Thunderbird from deleting emails.

In the Thunderbird, right-click on the folder in which you want to change the settings.

Choose the Properties option. Navigate to the Retention Policy tab.

Don't delete any messages.

After that click OK.Screen Shot 04-06-25 at 06.32 PM.webp
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    28 in Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    6 SSDs a mixture of 3 Nvme and 3 Sata.
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
UPDATE

The problem recurred.

I deleted Thunderbird with GEEK but kept the Thunderbird folder in the Roaming folder. I then reinstalled Thunderbird as an administrator and this appears to cured the problem. No need to change the properties of the inbox folder. It is possible that a file (popstate.dat which Keeps track of which messages have been left on the POP3 server) left over from my previous installation was corrupted.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    28 in Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    6 SSDs a mixture of 3 Nvme and 3 Sata.
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
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