This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

downloading

  • 14 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by Gnospen

more options

Every time i start up Thunderbird, it starts downloading messages.. all my messages are there already, im not sure what its downloading..

it slows my computer very anoying

Every time i start up Thunderbird, it starts downloading messages.. all my messages are there already, im not sure what its downloading.. it slows my computer very anoying

All Replies (14)

more options

Just check if there is some mails in the outbox folder thats blocking.

more options

it just shows downloading ## of ##### in inbox

more options

try this

  • go offline,
  • open troubleshooting information (under help)
  • copy to clipboard (use button)
  • open show folder (explorer opens)
  • close Tbird
  • find your servername (under mail or ImapMail)
  • Open that directory
  • delete INBOX.MSF (just the .msf-file) It will be recreated.
  • start Tbird (now in offline mode)
  • When tbird is ready rebuilding .msf .... Go online

If it behave as it should, great, otherwise paste what you copied earlier here (or get it again)

Modified by Gnospen

more options

Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 31.5.0
   User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; WOW64; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.5.0
   Profile Folder: Show Folder
             (Local drive)
   Application Build ID: 20150222233048
   Enabled Plugins: about:plugins
   Build Configuration: about:buildconfig
   Memory Use: about:memory
 Mail and News Accounts
   account1:
     INCOMING: account1, , (imap) imap.googlemail.com:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: smtp.googlemail.com:465, SSL, passwordCleartext, true
   account2:
     INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext
   account3:
     INCOMING: account3, , (imap) imap.googlemail.com:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: smtp.googlemail.com:465, SSL, passwordCleartext, true
 Crash Reports
 Extensions
   McAfee Anti-Spam Thunderbird Extension, 2.0, false, msktbird@mcafee.com
 Important Modified Preferences
   Name: Value
     accessibility.typeaheadfind.flashBar: 0
     browser.cache.disk.capacity: 358400
     browser.cache.disk.smart_size_cached_value: 358400
     browser.cache.disk.smart_size.first_run: false
     browser.cache.disk.smart_size.use_old_max: false
     extensions.lastAppVersion: 31.5.0
     font.name.monospace.el: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.tr: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.x-baltic: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.x-central-euro: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.x-cyrillic: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.x-unicode: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.x-western: Consolas
     font.name.sans-serif.el: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.tr: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.x-baltic: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.x-central-euro: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.x-cyrillic: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.x-unicode: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.x-western: Calibri
     font.name.serif.el: Cambria
     font.name.serif.tr: Cambria
     font.name.serif.x-baltic: Cambria
     font.name.serif.x-central-euro: Cambria
     font.name.serif.x-cyrillic: Cambria
     font.name.serif.x-unicode: Cambria
     font.name.serif.x-western: Cambria
     font.size.fixed.el: 14
     font.size.fixed.tr: 14
     font.size.fixed.x-baltic: 14
     font.size.fixed.x-central-euro: 14
     font.size.fixed.x-cyrillic: 14
     font.size.fixed.x-unicode: 14
     font.size.fixed.x-western: 14
     font.size.variable.el: 17
     font.size.variable.tr: 17
     font.size.variable.x-baltic: 17
     font.size.variable.x-central-euro: 17
     font.size.variable.x-cyrillic: 17
     font.size.variable.x-unicode: 17
     font.size.variable.x-western: 17
     gfx.direct3d.last_used_feature_level_idx: 0
     mail.openMessageBehavior.version: 1
     mail.winsearch.firstRunDone: true
     mailnews.database.global.datastore.id: 1f581cd1-4ff9-4b27-af2b-d343d816be3
     network.cookie.prefsMigrated: true
     network.online: false
     places.database.lastMaintenance: 1425312045
     places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages: 104858
     plugin.importedState: true
 Graphics
     Adapter Description: NVIDIA GeForce GT 720
     Vendor ID: 0x10de
     Device ID: 0x1286
     Adapter RAM: 1024
     Adapter Drivers: nvd3dumx,nvwgf2umx,nvwgf2umx nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
     Driver Version: 9.18.13.3235
     Driver Date: 1-7-2014
     Direct2D Enabled: true
     DirectWrite Enabled: true (6.3.9600.17111)
     ClearType Parameters: ClearType parameters not found
     WebGL Renderer: false
     GPU Accelerated Windows: 1/1 Direct3D 10
     AzureCanvasBackend: direct2d
     AzureSkiaAccelerated: 0
     AzureFallbackCanvasBackend: cairo
     AzureContentBackend: direct2d
 JavaScript
 Incremental GC: 1
 Accessibility
   Activated: 0
   Prevent Accessibility: 0
 Library Versions
     Expected minimum version
     Version in use
     NSPR
     4.10.6
     4.10.6
     NSS
     3.16.2.3 Basic ECC
     3.16.2.3 Basic ECC
     NSS Util
     3.16.2.3
     3.16.2.3
     NSS SSL
     3.16.2.3 Basic ECC
     3.16.2.3 Basic ECC
     NSS S/MIME
     3.16.2.3 Basic ECC
     3.16.2.3 Basic ECC
more options

Did it work? go offline and compact your boxes go online to see whats happend. Use webmail to check whats in your boxes.

Modified by Gnospen

more options

It didnt work.. im not sure what you mean by 'boxes' and 'webmail'

more options

My confusion, Tbird stores the email in whats called a mbox = your folders. Also folders are sometimes named "outbox" or "inbox" etc. Webmail: You can login to your gmail-account using Firefox or IE or Crome or ?? and check whats in your INBOX

more options

My current inbox in gmail and in Tbird is up to date.. i am not missing any emails in inbox and outbox or any other folders yet it is still downloading... (see image of previous post)

more options
more options

Doesn't help.. see screen shot :(

more options

Have you checked the INBOX at the server (GMAIL.COM) using webmail???

more options

Apparently you are keeping messages on the server.

Now im talking about server-side:
Are there many  in INBOX? Is trash empty?

what should happen when you delete and empty trash? Are they still kept in "all files"? Make a new folder on gmail and move all your inbox files there. start Tbird. If it doesn't download compact your inbox. If it still does go offline repair your inbox try again go online. If all well, subscribe to your new folder.

IF YOU'R NOT keeping them on seerver (account-settings / syncro.... / marked "keep messages for ......." then move all from your inbox on Tbird to a local folder (while offline)

Modified by Gnospen

more options

Not sure what you mean.. but still freezing up my computer and not working

more options

Keep Tbird not running. Login with webmail (using Firefox or IE) to gmail.com (thats the server) This is when you are logged in: Do you have many emails in that inbox? Empty the junk- and trash- folders? Make a new folder (still on server) Move (not copy) all emails in your inbox to that folder. Zipp thru the content and delete as much as you can. Empty trash log out from Gmail.

Start Tbird Is it still trying to download? If good then right click on your account and subscribe to that folder you made earlier.

OH and do not subscribe to All Mail (maybe that was the trouble from the beginning)

Modified by Gnospen