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Compacting

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by Wayne Mery

andrew-benn
andrew-benn
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How can I compact my mail without purging any messages?

Prior to a recent update I'd get a message to compact, I'd compact and all was well and none of my messages were purged/deleted.

After the update (I'm on version 75.5.0), I get "The messages you have deleted can be purged from disk. This operation will save about 84.7 MB of disk space. Select the option below to let Thunderbird do this automatically without asking you."

I've read the few other threads on this and it's still not clear to me. Can I compact without deleting anything?

Thanks.

How can I compact my mail without purging any messages? Prior to a recent update I'd get a message to compact, I'd compact and all was well and none of my messages were purged/deleted. After the update (I'm on version 75.5.0), I get "The messages you have deleted can be purged from disk. This operation will save about 84.7 MB of disk space. Select the option below to let Thunderbird do this automatically without asking you." I've read the few other threads on this and it's still not clear to me. Can I compact without deleting anything? Thanks.

All Replies (2)

christ1
christ1
  • Top 25 Contributor
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After the update (I'm on version 75.5.0), I get "The messages you have deleted can be purged from disk.

Compacting and purging is the exact same thing. Nothing has changed in TB78 except the wording (for whatever reason).

Can I compact without deleting anything?

Yes, compacting or purging does not delete any existing messages. It just removes messages from mail files which you have deleted already. See https://thunderbirdtweaks.blogspot.com/2011/07/compacting-what-is-it-and-why-must-i-do.html

Wayne Mery
Wayne Mery
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Version 91 comes out in several weeks, in which the language of the compact dialog has been greatly improved. When you install version 91, if compact causes problems, please create a new support topic.