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i delete emails. when i open to check my email later, they returned to my in box and are in my trash as well why they come back?

  • 3 replies
  • 14 have this problem
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  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

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emails keep reappearing in my in box after i delete them. They are also in my trash folder. I delete them again. I then have 2 of the same emails in my trash. Why do they keep coming back to my in box?

emails keep reappearing in my in box after i delete them. They are also in my trash folder. I delete them again. I then have 2 of the same emails in my trash. Why do they keep coming back to my in box?

All Replies (3)

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Pop or IMAP mail account?

If IMAP is it gmail?

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pop road runner account

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This could be occuring because either the Inbox folder is corrupted or the popstate.dat file is corrupted.

Before you do anything, make a backup of your Profile.

How to create a backup:

Download MozBackup tool (all info at following link) and use it to create a backup of your Profile.

If the reappearing email has been downloaded again from the server Inbox, then it is the popstate.dat file.

How to locate and delete the popstate.dat file:

The 'popstate.dat' file keeps a record of what has been downloaded. You need to access the Profile folder and delete this file. The Profile folder is a hidden file.

make hidden files visible:

Profile folder extra info:

In Thunderbird

  • Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • click on 'Show Folder' button
  • a new window opens showing your Profile folder
  • Close Thunderbird now
  • click on 'Mail' folder
  • click on the 'mail account name'
  • scroll down and locate 'popstate.dat' a DAT File.
  • Delete 'popstate.dat'
  • close the window - top right X

Open Thunderbird

Thunderbird will create a new 'popstate.dat' file and start to download everything that is in the server Inbox to the thunderbird mail account Inbox.


If it is a corrupted Inbox:

  • Move all emails out of the Inbox into another suitable folder.
  • when Inbox is empty, right click on Inbox and select 'compact'.
  • right click on 'Deleted' folder and select 'Empty folder'
  • right click on 'Deleted' folder and select 'compact'