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?
 

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windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering onlyIntel i51140016 GB0
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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.
 

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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
 

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windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering onlyIntel i51140016 GB0
OS
windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
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
25 in BenQ
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
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9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
PSU
600w
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Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
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Bell pure fibre optic. 3 GB package. 6E Wireless adapter 750/500
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How much space does your email provider give you? Is it possible the email provider is deleting messages due to space being used?
 

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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 My Computer

At a glance

windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering onlyIntel i51140016 GB0
OS
windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
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
25 in BenQ
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
PSU
600w
Case
Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
Internet Speed
Bell pure fibre optic. 3 GB package. 6E Wireless adapter 750/500
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 My Computer

At a glance

windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering onlyIntel i51140016 GB0
OS
windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
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
25 in BenQ
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
PSU
600w
Case
Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
Internet Speed
Bell pure fibre optic. 3 GB package. 6E Wireless adapter 750/500
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 My Computer

At a glance

windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering onlyIntel i51140016 GB0
OS
windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
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
25 in BenQ
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
PSU
600w
Case
Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
Internet Speed
Bell pure fibre optic. 3 GB package. 6E Wireless adapter 750/500
Browser
Firefox, Microsoft Edge
Antivirus
Defender
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