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My email cleans out my trash bin automatically and gets rid of messages. I need them to stay there until I delete them. How do I change that.

  • 8 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by christ1

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When I send an email to trash, I need them to stay there incase I need to retrieve them. When I go to check the trash bin, they are all gone. It only leaves few of the newer ones. I would like to be able to clean out the trash bin myself.

When I send an email to trash, I need them to stay there incase I need to retrieve them. When I go to check the trash bin, they are all gone. It only leaves few of the newer ones. I would like to be able to clean out the trash bin myself.

All Replies (8)

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What is your account type, POP or IMAP?

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It is IMAP

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Login to your account via webmail and check your account settings, particularly any retention settings for Trash on the server.

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I know nothing about computers, I wouldn't have the slightest clue what to look for.

Can't anyone call and walk me through it

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Talk to your email provider. There is no phone support for Thunderbird.

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I've called them, they insist it is a thunderbird setting

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The point is to verify a setting on their server, not Thunderbird. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1098732#answer-817071

In case it isn't obvious, webmail means to login to your account with a web browser.

Regardless of that, IMV using Trash as a message archive is bad practice. Consider using a different folder for messages still to be processed or kept.

Modified by christ1

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Also check the local retention policy for Trash: In the folder panel on the left right-click Trash - Properties - Retention Policy tab. Set the desired policy.

There should be a similar policy for the server side. As said before, you'd need to access that via webmail.

Modified by christ1