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Move mails from inbox to local folders will not delete them on the server, using POP3

  • 2 ŋuɖoɖowo
  • 1 masɔmasɔ sia le esi
  • 56 views
  • Nuɖoɖo mlɔetɔ jasper6

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Hello,

I tried to find the answer, but could only find info regarding IMAP, and not about POP3.

At the moment I have my home computer configured to use POP3 and leave a copy of the emails on the server, so I can also access them from my phone, which is configured to use IMAP. Thunderbird on my home computer is configured to delete mails on the server when I delete them in Thunderbird, this works properly.

To reduce the size of my inbox I moved, by drag-and-drop, E-mails from my inbox to folders which I created under "local folders" and as they disappears from my "local" inbox I was under the impression they where also removed from the server. Now I found out that all these mails are still visible when I use Webmail, so they are not deleted from the server at all, just not visible in my inbox in Thunderbird. Is there a way to configure Thunderbird, with POP3, to have mails deleted from the server once I move them to local folders?

From what I read so far, "archive" and local folders is more or less the same, only "archive" can be automated and moving them to local folders I have to do manual. Is this correct?

During my search I also found out that when using IMAP it`s also possible to "Keep messages for this account on this computer", so to have them available offline as well. If above option with POP3 (to have them delete from the server once moved to a local folder) is not possible, I might change to IMAP completely. In that way when I move messages to local folders they will for sure be removed from the server. The reason I never changed to IMAP was that I wanted to have local copies of my E-mails and could back-up them. But now I read, and think, this will also be possible with IMAP and "keep messages on this computer"

Best regards, Jasper

Hello, I tried to find the answer, but could only find info regarding IMAP, and not about POP3. At the moment I have my home computer configured to use POP3 and leave a copy of the emails on the server, so I can also access them from my phone, which is configured to use IMAP. Thunderbird on my home computer is configured to delete mails on the server when I delete them in Thunderbird, this works properly. To reduce the size of my inbox I moved, by drag-and-drop, E-mails from my inbox to folders which I created under "local folders" and as they disappears from my "local" inbox I was under the impression they where also removed from the server. Now I found out that all these mails are still visible when I use Webmail, so they are not deleted from the server at all, just not visible in my inbox in Thunderbird. Is there a way to configure Thunderbird, with POP3, to have mails deleted from the server once I move them to local folders? From what I read so far, "archive" and local folders is more or less the same, only "archive" can be automated and moving them to local folders I have to do manual. Is this correct? During my search I also found out that when using IMAP it`s also possible to "Keep messages for this account on this computer", so to have them available offline as well. If above option with POP3 (to have them delete from the server once moved to a local folder) is not possible, I might change to IMAP completely. In that way when I move messages to local folders they will for sure be removed from the server. The reason I never changed to IMAP was that I wanted to have local copies of my E-mails and could back-up them. But now I read, and think, this will also be possible with IMAP and "keep messages on this computer" Best regards, Jasper

All Replies (2)

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To give you a simple answer, yes, an option of IMAP is to download for offline use. That is done at the folder level.

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Thanks, than I will switch to IMAP and progress from there.