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i delete emails. when i open to check my email later, they returned to my in box and are in my trash as well why they come back?

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  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

emails keep reappearing in my in box after i delete them. They are also in my trash folder. I delete them again. I then have 2 of the same emails in my trash. Why do they keep coming back to my in box?

emails keep reappearing in my in box after i delete them. They are also in my trash folder. I delete them again. I then have 2 of the same emails in my trash. Why do they keep coming back to my in box?

All Replies (3)

Pop or IMAP mail account?

If IMAP is it gmail?

This could be occuring because either the Inbox folder is corrupted or the popstate.dat file is corrupted.

Before you do anything, make a backup of your Profile.

How to create a backup:

Download MozBackup tool (all info at following link) and use it to create a backup of your Profile.

If the reappearing email has been downloaded again from the server Inbox, then it is the popstate.dat file.

How to locate and delete the popstate.dat file:

The 'popstate.dat' file keeps a record of what has been downloaded. You need to access the Profile folder and delete this file. The Profile folder is a hidden file.

make hidden files visible:

Profile folder extra info:

In Thunderbird

  • Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • click on 'Show Folder' button
  • a new window opens showing your Profile folder
  • Close Thunderbird now
  • click on 'Mail' folder
  • click on the 'mail account name'
  • scroll down and locate 'popstate.dat' a DAT File.
  • Delete 'popstate.dat'
  • close the window - top right X

Open Thunderbird

Thunderbird will create a new 'popstate.dat' file and start to download everything that is in the server Inbox to the thunderbird mail account Inbox.


If it is a corrupted Inbox:

  • Move all emails out of the Inbox into another suitable folder.
  • when Inbox is empty, right click on Inbox and select 'compact'.
  • right click on 'Deleted' folder and select 'Empty folder'
  • right click on 'Deleted' folder and select 'compact'