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Thunderbird just deleted ALL my Yahoo email: inbox & folders

  • 3 replies
  • 12 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by Zenos

RemySecor
RemySecor
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I loaded Thunderbird (current version). Watched as it started to download my Yahoo email. Then each of the messages just downloaded disappeared. Within seconds, every single message in the inbox was gone as were the inbox itself and all of my Yahoo folders (about 50).

I exited Thunderbird and then I checked the Profile folder: yep. Everything (the imap yahoo folder) was gone.

I restored my entire Thunderbird Profile from backup, verified that the imap folder for Yahoo had been fully restored (it showed all of my folders).

I launched Thunderbird. My Yahoo account was still empty.

I checked the Profile imap folder for Yahoo again: everything was gone (all the folders that I had just restored from backup).

I went through this entire process twice and do not know what to do.

I've had a Yahoo account for probably two decades or more and it contains an enormous amount of email history that I rely on. (Unfortunately, I can't log into Yahoo directly: for the past several months Yahoo's login screen simply recycles. So my dependence on a functioning Thunderbird is huge.)

Yes, I know "everybody" uses GMail, but I started using email before Google existed and didn't like the first several iterations of gmail.

I will probably switch to a gmail account because of all my unrelated Yahoo problems, but I need the history that is in my Yahoo account.

At this point, I don't care if I can't download new messages (assuming Thunderbird deleted only the local folders and not my entire Yahoo account). But I desperately need to be able to access the existing emails.

What can I do to keep Thunderbird from deleting the imap folder for yahoo every time I launch it?

I loaded Thunderbird (current version). Watched as it started to download my Yahoo email. Then each of the messages just downloaded disappeared. Within seconds, every single message in the inbox was gone as were the inbox itself and all of my Yahoo folders (about 50). I exited Thunderbird and then I checked the Profile folder: yep. Everything (the imap yahoo folder) was gone. I restored my entire Thunderbird Profile from backup, verified that the imap folder for Yahoo had been fully restored (it showed all of my folders). I launched Thunderbird. My Yahoo account was still empty. I checked the Profile imap folder for Yahoo again: everything was gone (all the folders that I had just restored from backup). I went through this entire process twice and do not know what to do. I've had a Yahoo account for probably two decades or more and it contains an enormous amount of email history that I rely on. (Unfortunately, I can't log into Yahoo directly: for the past several months Yahoo's login screen simply recycles. So my dependence on a functioning Thunderbird is huge.) Yes, I know "everybody" uses GMail, but I started using email before Google existed and didn't like the first several iterations of gmail. I will probably switch to a gmail account because of all my unrelated Yahoo problems, but I need the history that is in my Yahoo account. At this point, I don't care if I can't download new messages (assuming Thunderbird deleted only the local folders and not my entire Yahoo account). But I desperately need to be able to access the existing emails. What can I do to keep Thunderbird from deleting the imap folder for yahoo every time I launch it?

All Replies (3)

Zenos
Zenos
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I think you should copy your backed-up IMAP folders into Local Folders (using your file manager).

Yahoo users are seeing a lot of problems currently. It's hard to tell if these are specific to Thunderbird or just a general ongoing malaise at yahoo.

For example: https://www.product-reviews.net/down/yahoo-mail-problems/ https://www.product-reviews.net/down/bt-email-problems/

RemySecor
RemySecor Question owner
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OK, so I have \profileid\ImapMail\imap.mail.yahoo.com\*.msf

Do I just copy the *.msf files to a local folder?

Also, there used to be a startup option with Thunderbird to work offline. Is there some way I can force it to do that?

I have a couple of other email ids and don't want to risk having Thunderbird wipe all of them out, too, if this is the result of some bug in the latest version of Thunderbird. If I can launch it to run offline, I may be able to tell if the problem is with Yahoo or with this latest version of Thunderbird.

It still seems very strange that Thunderbird would delete the entire local email stuff without my doing anything.

Zenos
Zenos
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I'm running both TB 52.3.0 and a TB 56 beta version and it hasn't eaten any of my (all non-yahoo) accounts. I think this is a yahoo thing.

You do not need msf files. But each msf file has an accompanying file by the same name but with no extension (e.g. Inbox, Sent, Drafts) and these are the files you do need.

Turn off your router or disconnect it and Thunderbird cannot get online. There is a switch to take Thunderbird offline, but naturally you have to run Thunderbird to get to this switch, and of course that may be too late.