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Moving emails from "Inbox" or "Sent" to other subfolders ~ does not work

  • 5 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by jgamble2

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For the past couple of weeks, when I attempt to move an email message from my "Inbox," to another subfolder under "Local Folders," the message moves initially to the created subfolder. But then when I go back to "Inbox," the message I initially removes appears there again. This also happens with the "Sent" category. When I attempt to move a message from "Sent" emails to a subfolder under "Local Folders," the email moves initially, but then a few seconds later, it still shows as remaining in the "Sent" folder, as if I'd never moved it from one area to another. I have logged off and logged back in, restarted, .... no change. It did not used to happen!! Has only been the past couple of weeks that the problem has been going on. Any suggestions, anyone? Thanks.

For the past couple of weeks, when I attempt to move an email message from my "Inbox," to another subfolder under "Local Folders," the message moves initially to the created subfolder. But then when I go back to "Inbox," the message I initially removes appears there again. This also happens with the "Sent" category. When I attempt to move a message from "Sent" emails to a subfolder under "Local Folders," the email moves initially, but then a few seconds later, it still shows as remaining in the "Sent" folder, as if I'd never moved it from one area to another. I have logged off and logged back in, restarted, .... no change. It did not used to happen!! Has only been the past couple of weeks that the problem has been going on. Any suggestions, anyone? Thanks.

All Replies (5)

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re : when I attempt to move an email message

Are you talking about an imap or pop account?

If imap then do this:

  • Right click on email and choose 'Copy to' and choose a folder in 'Local Folders'.

I'm assuming you are downloading full copies of emails, so that copies in Local Folders are not just headers. Please report on whether that copy stayed in Local Folders mail account.

I'm trying to find out if Local Folders has somehow got folders with attribute 'Read Only'. So please test the Copy method above for me.

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Thanks for your response. I tried your suggestion, and this is the result: When I go to my "Sent" folder of emails, I can click on an email, then click "Move To" and then select the subfolder I want to move it to. It moves successfully, and it temporarily "disappears" from the "Sent" listing. However, when I shut down Thunderbird, and then reopen it, the same email still appears in my "Sent" folder of emails. So it "moves" but it doesn't disappear permanently from the "Sent" folder~~which I assumed was the intent of that function.

So when I tried your suggestion tonight....instead of choosing the "Move To" task, I clicked on the "Copy To" command....then selected the subfolder I wanted the email to be copied to. The email then appears in the new subfolder and apparently REMAINS GONE from the "Sent" folder. I closed down Thunderbird and reopened it...and apparently, THIS works. So I guess the difference is the "Move To" function as opposed to the "Copy To" function.....maybe it's me. I just assumed that if I "moved" an email from one folder to another, the point was that it would disappear from the original folder and then remain housed in the new subfolder. But apparently that is not the case when using the "Move To" command. It only works with the "Copy To" function....which seems entirely backward to me....but guess I'll now use the "Copy To" command to perform this task from now on.

Thanks for your comment and response. I truly assumed that "Move To" was the correct task for this....that it would literally move from one area to another. But apparently that only works with the "Copy To" function. Again, seems contradictory to me.....but will continue to try to work with this function in this "new way."

Thx again.

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I knew I'd mess this up.....forgot to add....when you use the "Copy To" function.....you have to go back to the SENT folder, of course, and delete those emails from the SENT folder. They don't disappear obviously.

Sorry...anyway. Thanks.

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You would expect the 'Move to' to move the email into the selected Local Folders folder and the action would auto delete email off server as email had been removed from the account.

In your case, it removed email from imap folder, but it did not move/delete email off the server, so when imap folder synched with server folder it reappeared.

When you used the 'Move to' - did the email in 'Local Folders' subfolder remain in that folder?

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Hi ~ Experimented again. FROM 'INBOX' - SELECTING 'MOVE TO' TO A LOCAL FOLDERS SUBFOLDER ~ selected email disappears from Inbox and appears in selected subfolder.

FROM 'SENT' ~ SELECTING 'MOVE TO' TO A LOCAL FOLDERS SUBFOLDER ~ selected email disappears from Sent and appears in selected subfolder.

After doing both of above, I closed Thunderbird, and reopened. The email which I moved from "SENT" WAS NOT THERE, AND IT STILL APPEARED IN THE SELECTED SUBFOLDER I MOVED IT TO.

So it appears all is back to normal now???? It was not doing this for several days earlier.....actually was frustrating because when I did move an email from the "Sent" folder to a subfolder, it moved....but then reappeared. And then I made several attempts at the same thing again.....so with each attempt, the same email accumulated several times in the subfolder but kept reappearing in the "Sent" folder. This was only happening when trying to use the "Move To" function from the SENT folder.

So again...all worked as it was supposed to. Not sure why it's now OK? But all appears to be!

Thank you for your help.