IMAP Deleted messages folder(s) out of sync - please help!
Trying to help my mother... you know that one!....
My mother has an iPhone and a PC that is using Thunderbird. They are both set up as IMAP.
On her phone, she has two "Trash" folders. On her PC, she has "Trash" and "Deleted messages."
It's all messed up. we figured this out by testing:
When an email is deleted from the PC/Thunderbird, it goes to:
--"trash" on the PC --the 2nd trash folder on the iPhone
When an email is deleted from the iPhone, it goes to:
--"deleted messages" on the PC --the 1st trash folder on the iPhone
Essentially, there are two trash folders. They have different names depending if you are looking at them on the PC or the iPhone. And each device moves a deleted message to a different folder.
If we could just get them to both move the trash to the same folder, we can live with them having different names on the two devices.
I went into the iPhone settings and changed the "on the server" setting for deleted messages. Curiously, it seemed to change it back to what it was previously every time I deleted a message.
So I tried changing where Thunderbird moves the deleted messages. I went to the server settings for the account and changed the target folder for deleted messages from "trash" to "deleted messages" (that is where they show up when they are deleted on the iPhone so it seemed like a good thing to do. Unfortunately the result is, even though I changed the target folder, it is ignoring that setting and continuing to move deleted messages into "trash" instead of "deleted messages."
I'm running out of things to try. This is not how computers usually behave -- ignoring my commands or resetting them.
I just want to fix it so that all deleted messages go into the same folder regardless of whether it was deleted on the iPhone or the PC/Thunderbird.
Does anyone have any advice? I would really really appreciate it!
thanks, Gar in Vermont
All Replies (5)
On the PC, look under Tools > Account Settings > Your account > Copies and folders, double check all the options there and set it up to either folder.
The unsubscribe to the other folder. You have to right-click on the account header, on the left pane folders view, then "Subscribe..." and uncheck whichever folder you choose. You will need to also do this on the iPhone.
Modified by Fabián Rodríguez
I tried that.... however it was unclear exactly what I need to unsubscribe and subscribe to... and after I did it, a whole new set of folders was created which made everything worse and more confusing. I was able to delete the folders that were created but we still have the original problem where the phone is saving trash/deleted to one folder and the PC is putting it in another.
is there a way to fix this please!?!?!?!?!?!? I am a techie. this should not be so difficult! please help!
account settings > server settings > advanced. Set the IMAP server directory to [Gmail] (the case is important here) Restart Thunderbird.
Matt said
account settings > server settings > advanced. Set the IMAP server directory to [Gmail] (the case is important here) Restart Thunderbird.
HUH? there is no Gmail involved here... Using bluehost servers. if you are sure about this, do i include the square brackets?
Modified by Gary
this is crazy. I have "When I delete a message, move it to this folder" set to "deleted messages" but it completely ignores that, and puts it in "Deleted" instead.
why have a setting if it is ignored like that????
I also went to subscribe and subscribed to "deleted messages" and I am still getting the same results, it is going to "deleted" instead of "deleted messages"
this is nuts. can someone help me please.