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

Cannot Delete from one Inbox. Not trash folder

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 10 views
  • Last reply by lawrence8

more options

My father's Mozilla currently has an inbox on latest Thunderbird where he cannot delete from that inbox. He cannot see the Deleted trash folder.

I have tried: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cannot-delete-messages See attached profile folder picture.

There still was no Trash/Deleted folder. When I try create a folder called Trash it says that one exists already. As per on of the attached pictures.

I have also tried to resubscribe and find the folder, using the refresh button, but I cannot see the Trash folder. As per the other attached picture.

Is there anything I should be trying next? At a bit of a loss, and it's rapidly filling up with junk mail for now :(

Thanks Lawrence

My father's Mozilla currently has an inbox on latest Thunderbird where he cannot delete from that inbox. He cannot see the Deleted trash folder. I have tried: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cannot-delete-messages See attached profile folder picture. There still was no Trash/Deleted folder. When I try create a folder called Trash it says that one exists already. As per on of the attached pictures. I have also tried to resubscribe and find the folder, using the refresh button, but I cannot see the Trash folder. As per the other attached picture. Is there anything I should be trying next? At a bit of a loss, and it's rapidly filling up with junk mail for now :( Thanks Lawrence
Attached screenshots

All Replies (2)

more options

The first image - Account ijn profile - shows last files as Templates, is the 'Trash' file below the Templates or not ? It is not clear from the image whether it exists or not.

You cannot create a folder called 'Trash' because you are not using a pop account and the server already has a folder of that name.


Check: View > Folders > select 'All'

Check: Right click on imap account name in Folder Pane and select 'Settings Select 'Server Settings' click on 'Advanced' uncheck 'Show only subscribed folder' - to see if we can force it to appear. select: Allow server to override these namespaces' Click on OK

If you cannot see it.... Access the profile name folder. Exit Thunderbird. Delete these files:

  • folderTree.json
  • panacea.dat file
  • session.json
  • xulstore.json

Start Thunderbird.


Right click on imap account name in Folder Pane and select 'Subscribe' click on 'Refresh' Select 'Trash' or whatever the server folder calls that folder eg: Bin, Deleted Items etc click on 'Subscribe' click on OK.

then make sure you have selected to use that folder in the Account Settings > Server Settings select 'Move it to this folder' and select the server trash folder on account.

Please report back on results.

more options

Hi, I didnt get a notification email about this, so unfortunately I cannot say whether this method would have worked. I did however just recreate the email account this afternoon before checking back here on my father's machine because something else had happened. So removed it, re-added, and all was well.

Likely your method would have worked if it was reseting some of that config that displayed his mailbox, but certainly the nuclear delete account and re-add worked.

Thanks Lawrence