"The folder inbox is full" message often indicates some sort of corruption.

Did you accumulate messages in Inbox? If so, this can certainly contribute to it.

What is your account type - POP or IMAP? As long as messages are still on the server it should be possible to bring them back into Thunderbird.

For the time being, rebuild the index file for Inbox. Right-click Inbox - Properties - Repair Folder

Note, this won't bring back your messages, but ensures the index file is repaired.

Thank you for your reply. I did accumulate. I have POP. I followed your instructions and clicked on "Rebuild Index." Still get same error message.

rteach1

P.S.- Does this question appear on the forum? I didn't see it there.

Next step: Right-click Inbox - Compact

Do you still see the 'Inbox is full' error?

Nothing seems to happen when I click on "Compact." I seem to recall that there used to be an advancing line (similar to what appears during a download) when compacting. Still get error message.

Check View menu > folders is set to all right click (Command click) the folder, select properties... what is the size on disk?

Thank you for your reply, but when i followed your suggestions (right clicks on inbox, folder,properties), it just showed me what I can do to clear space (delete old e-mails, etc.) I don't see any indication of how much disc space is left.

By the way, my old e-mails have returned to my inbox, but I still can't get new e-mails from June 18th to the present. The recent e-mails are on my server, as I'm able to get them via my server's webmail.

I'd also like to point out that I do get my e-mails on my iPad; just not in the TB account on my iMac desktop.

rteach1

In the 'General Information' tab, look for 'Size on disk'.

There is no "Size on disc" in the General Information tab. There is only "Name," "Location," "Default Character Encoding," and "Rebuild Index."

rteach1

what version of Thunderbird are you using?

3.0.11

Please update to a version that can handle most of the issues your having. The current version is 24 and has many fixes for compacting and inbox is full. In version 3 compacting simply fails on an inbox that is full.

Just updated . Now I see "size on disc." It is 3.7 mb. I still get the error message. I clicked on "Repair folder," but that didn't solve the problem.

rteach1

Try the 'Real Fix'. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Compacting_folders#Compacting_does_not_seem_to_work

Try compacting, right click the folder and select compact.

Thank you all for your replies. When I updated to the newest edition of TB, I was able to compact the inbox. This combination fixed the problem.

I do still have too many messages in my inbox. Can you please now advise me as to how to get rid of non-essential messages without deleting one at a time? Let's say, for example, that I have 100 unimportant messages in between every messages tagged as important.

Finally, I have separate folders from 2011 and 2012. If i deleted those entire folders, would the cleared disc space make a difference in the capacity of my current inbox?

rteach1

Technically the limit of 4Gb per folder should have been removed in a recent patch. Personally I an unconvinced as the developers have said so twice before and something else arose to bite people at 4Gb. So the limit probably does not exist anymore and moving mail and compacting will fix it without data loss if it occurs as recent issues have been about displaying mail after the 4Gb point, not storing it.

Use the Ctrl and Shift keys in conjunction with your mouse to make multiple selections.

click followed by Shift+ Click selects everything between the two clicks, including the items clicked.

Holding the Ctrl key while clicking allows you to select or deselect mail to either fine turn the list from shift clicking or to make one of your own.

Ctrl +A selects everything in the list from the current selection to the end.

One option is create an important folder and move your important stuff to it then ctrl +A the whole remaining inbox.