re :'' emails I delete come back after a few days'' Reappearance of deleted emails could mean you have a corrupted Inbox. This could have occured by a number of reasons but a lack of compacting on a regular basis is a common factor. Do the following: * Move all wanted good emails out of Inbox into another folder for organising and storage. * Delete all remaining Inbox unwanted emails. * Right click on empty 'Inbox' folder and select 'Compact'. * Right click on 'Junk' (or 'Spam' if using imap folder) and select 'Empty Junk'. * Right click on Junk and select 'Compact' * Right click on 'Deleted' ('Trash') folder and select 'Empty Deleted' * right click on 'Deleted' and select 'Compact' Good info on compacting, what it does and why it is important: * http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_:_Tips_:_Compacting_Folders Note: Normally, you do not need to empty the Inbox before compacting, but if you suspect corruption, then it is advised. It is also advised that you use the Inbox for incoming mail and move emails into other folders for storage, so keeping the Inbox low in email numbers.