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

3 folders disapeared, Drafts, Sent, and inbox archive, how come?

  • 10 replies
  • 10 have this problem
  • 13 views
  • Last reply by machinsky

more options

I had a drafts, sent and inbox archive with saved emails in the folders in Thunderbird email program, but they have suddenly disappeared. I have an inbox and trash and inbox archive folder left, but can any one help me to locate where the lost folders have gone ?

I had a drafts, sent and inbox archive with saved emails in the folders in Thunderbird email program, but they have suddenly disappeared. I have an inbox and trash and inbox archive folder left, but can any one help me to locate where the lost folders have gone ?

All Replies (10)

more options

Who is the email provider for this account?

more options

Hi, Onetel.net,, which I think is a Talk Talk concern.

more options

There was a rash of lost folders issues with outlook.com accounts recently, but this won't be your problem.

Do you not see these folders in the narrow left hand folders pane?

Are you sure Thunderbird is set to show all folders? There are several views in Thunderbird that will show only specific folders, such as unread.

View|Folders|All Make sure the QuickFilter Bar isn't set to "Unread"

Do you still see your missing folders if you go to your provider's webmail site in your browser?

more options

Hi Zenos, My sent folder has returned when I sent some emails and my drafts folder has returned when I saved an email to drafts. The only folder still missing is my inbox archive now. All these folders were in the left hand pane when they disappeared.

Thunderbird was set to show all folders.

If I go through the 'copy to' hierarchy only my 'sent archive' folder is visible as it is on the left hand pane.

I have looked at the folders section on my providers webmail site and can see my 'inbox archive' but I am not sure how I return it and the contents to my Thunderbird email program. Please advise . Many thanks

more options

If you right click your account in the folder pane and select subscribe (If it is not there this is not an IMAP account, forget the rest)

IS the folder there and ticked as subscribed?

more options

Hi Matt, I can see all my folders in the area you suggest, including my disappeared 'inbox Archive'. None of these folders has a tick in the box alongside it. Will ticking the box for these folders create permanent folders in the left hand pane as before?

more options

Tick them... IMAP is fully synchronized, including folders so unless your subscribed to a folder it usually does not appear.

If for some reason you go offline and Thunderbird tried to synchronize, things just disappear until you are online again, so the word permanent is never really so with IMAP mail

more options

I have ticked all the folders I had on my left hand pane from before the dis appearance act, in the subscribe box, clicked subscribe, and then 'ok' but it does not put Drafts, Sent and Inbox archive back in the left hand pane. When I come back to the subscribe box for a second, third go etc. those ticks are no longer there?

more options

Restart the operating system in safe mode with Networking. This loads only the very basics needed to start your computer while enabling an Internet connection. Click on your operating system for instructions on how to start in safe mode: Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, OSX

If safe mode for the operating system fixes the issue, there's other software in your computer that's causing problems. Possibilities include but not limited to: AV scanning, virus/malware, background downloads such as program updates.
more options

Hi Matt, I have restarted Windows 10 in safe mode with Networking and it did fix the issue, all my folders were there in the left hand panel as they were before upgrading to Windows 10. Someone has mentioned system restore, but would that solve the problem, as it would only go back to a time when my Thunderbird malfunctions started?