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Thunderbird IMAP account not showing all folders on email server

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by sfhowes

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I have only one account defined in Thunderbird. It is defined as Server Type: IMAP Mail Server. When I defined this account over a year ago and several Thunderbird versions ago, Thunderbird correctly displayed the exact folder structure defined on the email server: Inbox, Drafts, Sent objects, Spam, and Trash.

During a system update several days ago, Thunderbird 52.1.1 (64-bit) was installed. After the installation the new Thunderbird version correctly showed the exact folder structure defined on the email server (no change). Then two things occurred:

 1) After reading Help > "What's New" I selected menu item View > Toolbars > Folder Pane Toolbars. Decided I did not need it, then unselected it. 
 2) Selected menu item File > Compact Folders.

After these two actions, Thunderbird only displayed the Inbox folder. I did not notice which of these two actions caused the other folders to not appear in Thunderbird. I logged onto the email server using their web portal to confirm the other folders were still defined.

Today the Spam folder appeared with 10 new spam messages. Is there something I need to do, or undo, to make Thunderbird display the folder structure that exists on the email server?

I have only one account defined in Thunderbird. It is defined as Server Type: IMAP Mail Server. When I defined this account over a year ago and several Thunderbird versions ago, Thunderbird correctly displayed the exact folder structure defined on the email server: Inbox, Drafts, Sent objects, Spam, and Trash. During a system update several days ago, Thunderbird 52.1.1 (64-bit) was installed. After the installation the new Thunderbird version correctly showed the exact folder structure defined on the email server (no change). Then two things occurred: 1) After reading Help > "What's New" I selected menu item View > Toolbars > Folder Pane Toolbars. Decided I did not need it, then unselected it. 2) Selected menu item File > Compact Folders. After these two actions, Thunderbird only displayed the Inbox folder. I did not notice which of these two actions caused the other folders to not appear in Thunderbird. I logged onto the email server using their web portal to confirm the other folders were still defined. Today the Spam folder appeared with 10 new spam messages. Is there something I need to do, or undo, to make Thunderbird display the folder structure that exists on the email server?

All Replies (5)

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IMAP accounts loose their folders following failed attempts to get mail and confirm folder names. Try disabling your anti virus to see your mail work like it should.

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If you right-click the account in the folder pane, Subscribe, then Refresh, do the IMAP folders appear? There have been some recent fixes to do with crashes after compacting IMAP folders.

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Matt,

In my original post I forgot to mention that I am running on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (updated daily).

I use ClamAV which I only update manually and only scan manually (no automatic update or automatic scan). So except when I am manually updating and manually scanning, there are no ClamAV processes executing. And during these normal periods the folders are not appearing.

Today I took several hours to write an email. Now, Thunderbird shows folders Inbox and Drafts. The Spam folder has disappeared.

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sfhowes,

> If you right-click the account in the folder pane, Subscribe, then Refresh, do the IMAP folders appear?

The folders all appeared in the Subscribe dialog, and the Subscribe dialog also showed an additional Archives folder that does not exist on the email server. With all folders selected, I clicked the Subscribe button and then clicked the Refresh button.

The Thunderbird folder pane still just displays folders Inbox, and Drafts.

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If you select Help/Troubleshooting Information, click Open Folder, close TB, then backup or delete foldertree.json, then restart TB, does anything happen to the folder pane?

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Empty_folder_pane