If you right-click a folder, Properties, then Repair Folder, does the number in the column match the actual number of messages?

Nope. Tried that for each of the subfolders (Archives itself doesn't have the option) and even restarted TB afterwards, but no change.

Thanks anyway, any other suggestions?

The images says this: The expanded 'Archives' folder itself (not including any subfolders) contains 6311 emails. The 'Archives' folder also contains various subfolders and those subfolders also contain various amounts of emails.

When you collapse the 'Archives' folder that number will change and you will see a downpointing arrow appear beside it. Then it will display the 'Total' number of all emails that lurk within the 'Archives folder and all it's subfolders'.

An example of this is shown for the subfolder immediately below 'Archives'. It is collapsed and therefore shows the 'Total' of all emails. If you were to expand that folder to see it's subfolders, then that folder would only display the number of emails in that folder and not the total of all it's subfolders.

I do not believe you have any problem. If you seleted the 'expanded' 'Archives' folder, it would contain 6311 emails and they would be listed in the Thread Pane. If you collapsed the 'Archives' folder, so you could not see any of it's subfolders, then that number would increase significantly.

@Toad-Hall Thanks for the reply, but I'm not sure I understand.

Just to clarify, under Archives, I have a folder for each mail account, and under each of those, a folder for each year, so all current messages go into Archives -> me@myaddress.whatever -> 2022

The number next to Archives stays the same irrespective of whether the folder is expanded or collapsed. The individual account folders do change as you explained, in that if I expand the folder for a specific account, the number no longer shows on the account folder, and I see numbers on the individual folders within (in my case one for each year). See the attached screenshot, in which I have expanded the first account folder. Compare this to the first screenshot I attached, and you can see that the number on the account folder has gone, and I see numbers on the individual year folders. In both screenshots, you can see that the Archives folder itself still has the number (now 6341) showing.

Also, it only started doing this very recently. Up until then, the Archives folder showed a number that made sense. I know this because I keep a vague eye on that to see how many emails I've received, compared to how many I've sent. Slight OCD here, but what can you do '

Slight correction. I just took an estimate of the number of emails showing when I click on Archives, and it does look to be around 6000. However, as I said, almost all of these show 2022 under Location (none for previous years for some reason), and all (that I tried) can be found in the 2022 folder of their respective accounts.

Don't know if that helps or not. Thanks again.

re : I just took an estimate of the number of emails showing when I click on Archives, and it does look to be around 6000.

That explains why you have that number 6341 against the expanded 'Archives' folder. The 'Archives' folder contains emails as well as subfolders containing emails.

re :In both screenshots, you can see that the Archives folder itself still has the number (now 6341) showing.

That's because the 'Archives' folder is expanded to show all subfolders, so it will be the same.

Please collapse that top level 'Archives' folder, so you cannot see any of it's 'me@myaddress.whatever' subfolders. To the left of the 'Archives' folder is down pointing chevron arrow - click on it to collapse the display.

Then post an image.

re : I just took an estimate of the number of emails showing when I click on Archives, and it does look to be around 6000. That explains why you have that number 6341 against the expanded 'Archives' folder. The 'Archives' folder contains emails as well as subfolders containing emails.

That's what I thought following your previous reply, but as I said, I couldn't see any such emails. Almost all showed 2020 in the Location column, not Archives.

What's also weird is that I can see messages in Archives that aren't actually archived. For example, there is an unread message in one of my Inbox folders, but it's also visible under the account folder in Archives. That's why Archives is shown in bold in the attached screenshot. I don't know why the message is showing in both folders. I haven't archived it yet.

re :In both screenshots, you can see that the Archives folder itself still has the number (now 6341) showing.

That's because the 'Archives' folder is expanded to show all subfolders, so it will be the same.

Please collapse that top level 'Archives' folder, so you cannot see any of it's 'me@myaddress.whatever' subfolders. To the left of the 'Archives' folder is down pointing chevron arrow - click on it to collapse the display.

Then post an image. </blockquote>

Please see the attached screenshot, where Archives is collapsed, but still shows the lower number (now 6364).

Thanks again

RE: Image - Please see the attached screenshot, where Archives is collapsed, but still shows the lower number (now 6364).

That's the one - agree - seems odd.

Some interesting things you have said:

When asked :"right-click a folder, Properties, then Repair Folder,..." You said: "Archives itself doesn't have the option"

You also said " I can see messages in Archives that aren't actually archived. For example, there is an unread message in one of my Inbox folders, but it's also visible under the account folder in Archives."

I also note in the image that all your default folders seem to have subfolders.

Therefore, I'm suggesting you are using 'Unified' view. This is an important piece of information.

The 'Unified' 'Archives' folder should be displaying all the subfolders you have set up to be the designated Archive folder for all accounts.

The 'Unified' 'Archives' folder should also be displaying every email you have in all your various account 'Archive' folders which it clearly isn't.

Please do the following: Set : View > Folders > select 'All' - remove 'Unified.

Now do this:

• Menu app > Help > More Troubleshooting Information

It opens in a new tab

• Under 'Application Basics' - half way - Profile Folders - click on 'Open Folder'

A new window opens showing contents of 'profile name' folder.

• Exit Thunderbird now - this is important.

• Scroll down and delete the following file: virtualFolders.dat
• Click on 'Mail' folder
• delete this folder : smart mailboxes

Start Thunderbird

Allow all mailboxes to do the usual check for mail.

Then Set : View > Folders > 'Unified'.

Please report on results.

Thanks for the reply.

I did all that, and it looks exactly the same. Archives shows 6374, irrespective of whether it is expanded or collapsed, and I have emails that are in both Archives and the appropriate Inbox folder.

Any other ideas? Thanks again.

Hmm, just come back to TB, and things have changed. First off, the Sent folder is now doing the same thing.

Whether collapsed or expanded, Sent shows 2 and Archives doesn't have a number, see attached screenshots.

I think I've lost the plot!

I'm assuming you have 8 mail accounts

The 'Archives' shows 8 subfolders, one for each account. The 'Sent' folder shows 7

Check the 'Sent' folder has all the accounts designated 'Sent' folders selected

• Right click on Unified 'Sent' folder and select 'Properties'
• Click on 'Choose'
• Each account will have a designated 'Sent' or 'Sent Mail' or 'Sent Items' (names vary depending upon what the imap account uses)folder, make sure the 'Sent'checkbox for each account is selected.
• Click on 'OK'
• Click on 'Update'
• Then select the Unified 'Sent' folder.

I'm assuming you have 8 mail accounts

Actually, no I only have six. Both Sent and Archives have a "Local Folders" entry, and Archives has an odd one that I don't really understand...

Some time ago, I tried to get Thunderbird to talk to Amazon Web Services, as I have a domain registered with their Simple Mail Service. Apparently, you are supposed to be able to set up TB to use this directly, instead of having to pay for a mailbox with someone else. I tried this on two separate occasions, and failed miserably both times! One attempt resulted in a folder appearing under Archives named "Filed - MyAccount" as opposed to the MyAccount folder that I had had there for years. That folder is still there, but is empty.

I suspect my installation is a mess, and would love to clear it out, but I don't know how I could do that without losing all my emails and settings.

The 'Archives' shows 8 subfolders, one for each account. The 'Sent' folder shows 7 Check the 'Sent' folder has all the accounts designated 'Sent' folders selected

• Right click on Unified 'Sent' folder and select 'Properties'
• Click on 'Choose'
• Each account will have a designated 'Sent' or 'Sent Mail' or 'Sent Items' (names vary depending upon what the imap account uses)folder, make sure the 'Sent'checkbox for each account is selected.
• Click on 'OK'
• Click on 'Update'
• Then select the Unified 'Sent' folder.

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh! Now I see what the problem is!

As I mentioned earlier, for each mail account, I have a folder under Archives for the year.

I had previously used the Archives -> Properties -> Choose feature and checked the current year's folder for each account. Presumably the number of emails I have archived this year was around 6300. I just checked all the folders, and now it shows a number large enough to make me think that I spend far too much time sending emails!

Thanks very much for your help. Do you know if there is any way of cleaning up a TB installation without losing any data?

Thanks again