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Sent mail folder in Webmail does not show up in Thunderbird's Sent folder, and vice versa.

  • 6 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 27 views
  • Last reply by wampa

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I just installed Thunderbird to manage mail from a Webmail service using Outlook Web App. I noticed that Thunderbird didn't import everything from Webmail's sent folder, even if it did create one, so I think everything began anew. So I did some testing. When I send email using Thunderbird, the sent mail shows up in Thunderbird's Sent folder, but not in Webmail's sent folder. Same thing happens when I send an email using Webmail. It only shows up in Webmail's sent folder, but not in Thunderbird's sent folder. How do I configure Thunderbird so it mirrors exactly what I do using Webmail? Thank you.

I just installed Thunderbird to manage mail from a Webmail service using Outlook Web App. I noticed that Thunderbird didn't import everything from Webmail's sent folder, even if it did create one, so I think everything began anew. So I did some testing. When I send email using Thunderbird, the sent mail shows up in Thunderbird's Sent folder, but not in Webmail's sent folder. Same thing happens when I send an email using Webmail. It only shows up in Webmail's sent folder, but not in Thunderbird's sent folder. How do I configure Thunderbird so it mirrors exactly what I do using Webmail? Thank you.

Chosen solution

Go to File-Subscribe and see if you have subscribed to the server Sent folder.

Go to Account Settings-Copies and Folders and see where you have set Thunderbird to save Sent messages. Is it the local sent folder or the one on the providers server?

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All Replies (6)

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At first glance, the behavior you're describing is consistent with having the account set up as a POP account rather than as an IMAP account. The POP protocol just grabs messages from your online inbox, and optionally deletes messages from your online inbox, there is no other synchronization. The IMAP protocol creates a local mirror copy of your online folders, and you can manage which folders are synchronized.

If you need to re-do your setup, please see this article for suggestions, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a backup: Switch from POP to IMAP account.

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Thanks for the reply, my setup is already in IMAP :(

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Post your troubleshooting info from the Thunderbird help menu.

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Application Basics

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Chosen Solution

Go to File-Subscribe and see if you have subscribed to the server Sent folder.

Go to Account Settings-Copies and Folders and see where you have set Thunderbird to save Sent messages. Is it the local sent folder or the one on the providers server?

more options

Thank you Airmail it worked! I really had no idea how Thunderbird worked. Thank you for pointing out the subscribe feature. It turns out my Webmail has "Sent Items" folder but no "Sent" folder. Weird huh?