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Thunderbird 91 compact folders

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by Wayne Mery

speedprj2
speedprj2
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How do I prevent Thunderbird 91 compact from removing my sent emails? I want to store them for legal and other reference reasons, so want to circumvent compact deleting them, but otherwise do a compact.

What is the time period that makes Thunderbird 91 emails expired, thus seeing them removed by compact? I ask this because the explanation given does not mention a period, which is unhelpful, but necessary. Is there a setting for that would enable the user to set the expiry period?

Speedprj2

How do I prevent Thunderbird 91 compact from removing my sent emails? I want to store them for legal and other reference reasons, so want to circumvent compact deleting them, but otherwise do a compact. What is the time period that makes Thunderbird 91 emails expired, thus seeing them removed by compact? I ask this because the explanation given does not mention a period, which is unhelpful, but necessary. Is there a setting for that would enable the user to set the expiry period? Speedprj2

All Replies (2)

speedprj2
speedprj2 Question owner
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Just for clarification of the above questions, I was reading the following, which says:

How does compact work? Thunderbird opens the MBOX file on the disk (for example, the Inbox), and based on the rules for the MBOX mail format it reads the file one message at a time:

If the message is still current, it is copied to a new temporary MBOX file, called Nstmp. If the message was marked as deleted or moved, that message is skipped and not moved to the mtemporary MBOX file. This repeats until the end of the file is reached. Then the original storage file is deleted, the new one replaces it, and a new index for this message file is created (for example Inbox.msf). The end result is the gaps (the dirt) are gone.

Therefore, when I said above "emails expired" I was referring to "still current" or its opposite i.e. not current. The other question is referring to moved messages being skipped in the process, therefore not retained - I believe that explains my loss of Sent messages, or that the Sent folder was skipped.

Speedprj2

Wayne Mery
Wayne Mery
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Why do you think Compact would touch undeleted messages in Sent?

Compact doesn't even touch messages in trash unless the trash has been emptied.

Please see https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/compacting-folders