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Is there an option to leave copies of all my emails on the server and download the originals (in Thunderbird) using POP3 during "Thunderbird" set up ?

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  • Last reply by Tuffyspi

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I am switching email programs from "Windows Live Mail" to "Thunderbird" but it is unclear during the Thunderbird set-up as to whether I have the option to keep copies of my emails on the server (Outlook.com) and download them on my hard drive using Thunderbird. I am using POP3 (my preference) instead of IMAP. "Windows Live Mail" has a "Check box" in the settings which allows me to "Leave a copy of messages on server” (permanently - until I decide to manually delete them via the web mail).

The reason I am switching email clients is that I will no longer be able to send or receive email sent to my Outlook.com account in “Windows Live Mail 2012” because of upgrades being carried out on “Outlook.com”. This will take effect from 30 June 2016.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I am switching email programs from "Windows Live Mail" to "Thunderbird" but it is unclear during the Thunderbird set-up as to whether I have the option to keep copies of my emails on the server (Outlook.com) and download them on my hard drive using Thunderbird. I am using POP3 (my preference) instead of IMAP. "Windows Live Mail" has a "Check box" in the settings which allows me to "Leave a copy of messages on server” (permanently - until I decide to manually delete them via the web mail). The reason I am switching email clients is that I will no longer be able to send or receive email sent to my Outlook.com account in “Windows Live Mail 2012” because of upgrades being carried out on “Outlook.com”. This will take effect from 30 June 2016. Any advice would be appreciated.

Chosen solution

Yes, there is a similar checkbox in Thunderbird.

The gotcha is that it will be unchecked by default and so Thunderbird will start downloading and deleting messages when it is run and connects for the first time.

Set the account up offline, find and correct this setting under Tools|Account Settings and only then allow it to connect.

Sheesh. You must have a huge online mailbox of unsorted messages. That doesn't sound very efficient.

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Chosen Solution

Yes, there is a similar checkbox in Thunderbird.

The gotcha is that it will be unchecked by default and so Thunderbird will start downloading and deleting messages when it is run and connects for the first time.

Set the account up offline, find and correct this setting under Tools|Account Settings and only then allow it to connect.

Sheesh. You must have a huge online mailbox of unsorted messages. That doesn't sound very efficient.

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Thank you,

I have thousands of emails accumulated over a long period (emails that contain historical information I still need access to) and have created countless personal folders in my email program to sort them. Leaving copies in the “in box” on the server (as a backup) has saved me on occasions when some of my emails in my email program have gone missing for whatever reason.

There is limited storage space on the server, and I am not sure, when using IMAP, whether I have an option to permanently store emails locally in their personal folders on my pc and how this would still affect my allocated storage space on the server when my email program is constantly synchronising with the folders and emails on the server.

Again, thank you for your help.