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

which archive folder is best to select ?

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 13 views
  • Last reply by lr

more options

I'd like to set up an archive folder to move old emails into. I still want to be able to access the folder, and have it part of the search process. When I go into the account settings, and Copies and Folders, there are 2 choices for which Archive folder to use. Under "Keep message archives in", I can select either (1) 'Archives folder on' and the mail account name. OR I can select

(2) 'Other' and the Archive folder on the mail account.  This latter choice (2)  seems to be an Archive folder that thunderbird has set up, and, in fact, no matter which option I select (1) or (2), when I subsequently Archive an email by clicking the Archive button, the email goes into the folder that I think thunderbird has automatically set up. (The 2 choices show different icons for the folders.)  

Is there a difference between these 2 choices and how they function? (I have an imap account.) I'm not sure which one to select, or what difference it makes? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I'd like to set up an archive folder to move old emails into. I still want to be able to access the folder, and have it part of the search process. When I go into the account settings, and Copies and Folders, there are 2 choices for which Archive folder to use. Under "Keep message archives in", I can select either (1) 'Archives folder on' and the mail account name. OR I can select (2) 'Other' and the Archive folder on the mail account. This latter choice (2) seems to be an Archive folder that thunderbird has set up, and, in fact, no matter which option I select (1) or (2), when I subsequently Archive an email by clicking the Archive button, the email goes into the folder that I think thunderbird has automatically set up. (The 2 choices show different icons for the folders.) Is there a difference between these 2 choices and how they function? (I have an imap account.) I'm not sure which one to select, or what difference it makes? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

All Replies (2)

more options

"Other" lets you choose any folder and that includes the Archive folder referred to in the previous option. I have never found any difference between these two offerings.

more options

thanks for the reply. I had seen in another Q&A that someone said that for Pop mail accounts, you should select 'Archives folder on' and the mail account name. And for IMAP mail accounts, you should select 'Other' and the Archive folder on the imap mail account. But I couldn't figure out what difference it might make.