Check to see what messages are being displayed according to View > Messages and View > Folders

Currently, I'm maxxed out at 10,000 emails viewable in Thunderbird. I can view only 10,000...which is only 2021-current. On the server, AOL and GMAIL, I have 50K+ emails that date back a decade. How do I show all those, or pull those into, Thunderbird?

AOL have set that 10,000 limit not Thunderbird.

You would need to alter the incoming server name: https://help.aol.com/articles/download-your-email-from-aol-mail-with-imap?guccounter=1

AOL advise you set this for imap account: Make sure your app is set to download the full contents of your email for offline use.

In Thunderbird,

• Menu icon > Account Settings
• Select 'Synchronisation & Storage' for the imap aol account
• Select checkbox to keep 'keep messages in all folders for this account on this computer'
• Click on 'Advanced..' button
• Make sure all the folders are selected to download full copies.
• click on 'OK'
• Select 'synchronise all messages locally regardless of age'

This means you can perform a backup of your Thunderbird profile folder and store on external drive so you have a complete copy that is totally independent of the server. In Windows copy this Thunderbird folder assuming you are using the default location. C://Users/ User name/Appdata/Roaming/Thunderbird

Ideally, create some new folders or sub folders and organise emails so you have less per folder.

In Thunderbird, if downloading full copies then they are saved in an mbox text file which has same name as folder. Emails are appended to that file as they are downloaded. If you have a lot of emails in one folder then you have a lot of emails stored in a single text document, which you may consider to be more risky should any corruption occur. It may also use more RAM to open large text documents and slow down process. It may also make it more difficult to compact your folders to remove all old residues of 'moved' or 'deleted' emails. This mainly effects the Inbox,Drafts and Junk/Spam folder as they usually get more moving/deleteing.

All of those settings are, or were, in place. The typing of emails is delayed on the screen versus when I type on the keyboard. I suspect that's the RAM useage...

1 - As suggested, you said to create subfolders. Would I do this on the server of AOL...with that automatically translate to TB? Or, do I do that in TB? Is that simply cutting and pasting in the main app, or somewhere else in a windows folder?

2 - On the bottom systray/notification bar... It constantly shows the amount of emails downloaded against the number available. So, it may say 127 of 99,999. The 99,999 should get reduced as the 127 increases as downloads occur. Therefore, the 99,999 should always be a reduced number every time I open the app and emails are downloaded. However, that's not the case. Each time I open TB, it starts again at 1 of 99,999. What do I need to do about this? I think that download is what's stressing my RAM and causing the delay in viewing what I type.

Thanks!!!

You have a choice: You can create them in the webmail account and move emails in the webmail account. As you are moving alot of mail, it may be quicker via webmail.

Then in the Thunderbird imap mail account you would need to subscribe to see those new folders and all the emails will appear in the relevant folders.

You could create those new folders in Thunderbird imap account and they should get auto created on the server. Suggest you create one, check it is subscribed and then logon to webmail to ensure it is now visible. I would advise you do one folder at a time. I'm now assuming you are moving emails out of Inbox: When all set up ok - I would advise you use the 'Copy to' option to get batches of emails into new folder, then delete the original copies once you are certain the copied ones are properly moved.

When you have moved aload of emails out of that folder eg: 'Inbox' I would advise you go into 'Offline' mode first to stop any communication with server.

Do you have the 'Folder Pane Columns' enabled? If no, please enable it.

• Menu icon > View > Layout
• Select 'Folder Pane Columns'
• Then use the small icon top right of Folder Pane to select 'Size'

See image below as guide - it's an older version of Thunderbird, but it's the same process. Now you can see current size of 'Inbox' folder.

It might be easier to compact one folder at a time rather than try to do the lot in one go. Suggest you try the 'Drafts' folder first. Right click on 'Drafts' and select 'Compact' When completed, compact the 'Junk/Spam' folder. This may free up some space, so you can try compacting the 'Inbox'.

Recommend you do not click on any folder or view any emails whilst Thunderbird is trying to compact. Just watch the 'Size' to see if it reduces. Also keep an eye on the bottom 'Status Bar' to see whether it says compacting completed etc.

Assuming it completes the compacting then you can go back to Online status to reconnect with server.

Report on how you get on.

I created subfolders on the webmail side. It took some adjusting of the folders/location on the TB side. Those new folders are all under an "archive" folder. I set the folders up by years, if current, or a batch of years if really old.

I let TB run for a few days to get it all transferred over. The subfolders contents don't seem to reside on my local hard drive "offline". It looks like the emails are there, but not downloaded locally... so I adjusted the settings under "copies & folders" in settings. Please see the attached screenshot to see if this is the correct setting.

Meanwhile, my typing speed is limited due to what I type vs what displays on the screen. I think that's slowed down due to all the downloading that's happening. Please see screenshot 2. Can you advise why all the emails are downloaded...BUT then they are again and again. I don't see any duplications in my folders...it just seems that it syncs and resyncs in an endless loop. I am curious that AOL says for imap to use server settings "export.imap.aol" versus just "imap.aol". Can you speak to this?

Thanks!

To see all the folders AND subfolders of an imap account, you need to subscribe to see them.

• Right click on imap mail account name folder in Folder Pane and select 'Subscribe'
• Select all folders and subfolders - click on 'Subscribe' and click on OK

You are using an imap account, so you would need to use the 'Archives' folder for the account in order to download them into the imap account. In Account Settings

• Copies & Folders
• Archives section
• Select 'Other' and choose 'Archives on imap account'

This means anything you choose to 'Archive' gets put into the 'Archives' folder in the imap account and also moved to 'Archives' folder on server.

It is also possible to set up the 'Archive options' in that location. It then auto creates the relevant folders etc within the Archives folder.

• click on 'Archive Options' button
• choose eg: 'Yearly archived folders'
• You can also retain folder structure within a year by selecting that additional option.
• click on 'OK' to set it up.

The 'Local Folders' account is not able to synchronise with any server. It is a default account which stores emails independently of any server. Those emails are stored on your computer. So, it is a good place to store emails if you need to get them off the server to gain space/increase available quota on server. But you do need to have downloaded full copies and not just headers in order to have an independent copy which you can read.

Please note if you choose to use the 'Copies & Folders' > 'Other' > Archives in 'Local Folders' option, when you click on 'Archive', the email is getting 'moved' out of the imap account into the 'Local Folders' mail account. This means it is getting moved off the server. If you do not get a good copy then you may lose the original.

I would advise to use right click on highlighted emails and use 'Copy to' a folder in Local Folders account when you need to create space on server, but only after you have got a full copy downloaded into the imap account folders. If you are wanting to COPY a lot of emails then doing it in offline mode may be quicker. Then when you happy you have a good copy of emails, you can go back to online mode and delete the original off the server.

Make sure the imap Archives folder and all it's subfolders are set up to download full copies. Otherwise you are only downloading headers meaning you need an online connection in order to download selected emails when you want to read them. If you go offline, you cannot synchronise with server and this means you do not see contents of emails. No emails have been fully downloaded.

How to make sure you are getting full copies of emails: In Account Settings

• Select 'Synchronisation & Storage' for the imap aol account
• Select checkbox to keep 'keep messages in all folders for this account on this computer'
• Click on 'Advanced..' button
• Make sure all the folders AND subfolders are selected to download full copies.
• click on 'OK'
• Select 'synchronise all messages locally regardless of age'

Then do the following to get all folders fully synchronsied and up to date. Also select to work offline so you can check result.

• Menu icon > File > Offline > Download/sync now
• Select 'Mail messages'
• Select 'Work offline once download and/or synchronisation is complete'

To double check all folders and subfolders are selected:

• click on 'Select'
• Make sure all the relevant checkboxes are selected and click on 'OK'

• then click on 'OK' to commence the process.

Wait. You will get information displayed in the bottom Status bar. Do not try to do anything in Thunderbird. Wait until the process has completed. You will then see the 'online' icon change to an 'offline' icon in bottom left of Status bar.

Finally check the folders and subfolders in the imap mail account. Selecting random emails in various folders/subfolders.

Thank you for the detailed step by step. All of this was actually in place, the last part about download/sync now and working off line I am trying that now.

One thing prior was that after it seemed the full mailbox was dowloaded, it would start all over again from "downloanding 1 of ###". Any idea why it would start over and then again, and again?

I'll update you shortly on the progress of the sync and working off line.