Email account deletion options
Hi I have several email accounts running successfully in Thunderbird and for some of them historically I set up both and IMAP and a POP version, probably to do with device capabilities as they were many years ago. The POP messages were set to save on server and the IMAP msgs were set to fully download. This means that I see duplicate messages, particuarly if I wander about the email account names, but not in the unified inbox, so it's not been a problem. My email host has now decided to limit the space avaialble per mailbox by a considerable reduction, so some of the duplicated addresses are storing both the POP and IMAP emails, bringing the box volume over the limit. Intially I thought that if I saw that all the emails were equally present in both POP and IMAP boxes (which wasn't exactly the case, there was quite a size difference, but I proceeded rashly anyway) that I could empty all the POP emails from the Thunderbird account and just leave all the IMAP emails, now well below the mailbox quota. This had the effect of pretty instantly also emptying the IMAP folder - everything in the inbox gone. I was able to use a host-supplied Restore routine to bring the messages back to the server and after that the Thunderbird IMAP and POP messages were back. I then changed the host password for the email, so that the POP box does not receive any mail (and sending etc on startup is disabled). Then I adjusted the IMAP password to match the server, that is active, fine. So, now I have copied the eml files from the POP box and in fact placed them into another empty account where they are visible but dormant. I plan to check the thousands of POP messages vs those in the IMAP box to be able to reinstate any missing from the active IMAP box. But, I still have the mail stored on both IMAP and POP, so there is still a server space issue. When I go to the Thunderbird mail account actions for the POP box, delete account offers to either remove the account, but not the messages, from Thunderbird (I don't know where they would then be seen) or it offers to delete the POP box and the messages from my Thunderbird - but a note states that some IMAP messages may persist. Of course, I want ALL the IMAP messages to persist. I don't need the POP messages, they can go, I have the copies as and when needed, but I do not want the messages disappearing at all from IMAP - I want them all there and with the account active. So, I do not undestand the delete account options and a further information page comes up empty. What to do?
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You could just delete the POP account. Tools>accountsettings, highlight POP account, scroll further down to 'Account Actions, select 'delete account.'
Thanks David, it isn't a case of just deleting the account. I have to consider and asked for help 're which of the two account deletion options (which I described) is apprpriate,so that I retain my IMAP messages after the POP account is gone.
I believe deleting the messages is ok, as this is not removing from server; it's just removing from hard drive. However, I'm curious on your problem. The fact that the email host is limiting space has no impact the space on your computer. That is, you see duplicates on your PC, but they are not duplicates on the server. I cannot see how removing the POP account manages the server restrictions, since you plan to keep all messages online. What am I not understanding?
Thanks David. My host (one.com) had a combined box limit of 50 GB, no individual box limit and I have many boxes for the aspects of my life, being an organised fellow. The 50GB persists but indivdual mail accounts can no longer exceeed 3GB. So, it was reported to me by the host that one box called rick was occupying 4.3GB and I should reduce to below 3GB to avoid paying a lot extra. Looking at my Thunderbird email accounts for rick I saw the 4.3 GB was the sum of my local rick IMAP and POP folders. So, I reckoned the server was storing the messages separately and after my reckless incomplete view of the message similarities, I could see that IMAP was my principally chosen account, i.e. used both to send and to delete some unwanted mail I had also been arranging the if I happened to use POP, the sent messges would be also sent back to me, for completeness. All too complex to make sense as all my devices became IMAP compatible. So, faced with the oversize account I chose all the POP inbox messages on PC Thunderbird and deleted them. Empty POP inbox. The IMAP inbox followed suit, deleting all its msgs too within just a few minutes. Empty IMAP inbox. Recovery of the account led to the POP and IMAP boxes re-filling. So, I deleted as many redundant messages as possible, to just beow the 3GB. So, now all the POP inbox messages are copied using Thunserbird export msgs as eml to another (new) static accoint - old-rick. Using the host-provided mail control panel I have reset the rick mail password, but only changed it in Thunderbird IMAP to match, while POP can't logon with its old password and is told not to try. The operation pending is the deletion of the POPaccount, but I fear that if I delete the msgs, which is the point of the operation, it will again empty the IMAP box. I know you cannot see this would happen, but what I did before was pretty much the same, wasn't it (?) via a different route. For the record, my rick POP account is reported by Thunderbird as 1159 msgs occupying now 1.6GB and my IMAP is 811 msgs, occupying 1.2GB. So a total of 2.8GB. My host via webmail (which reports usage stats 1 - 2 days later than real time) says the account is using 2.54GB. I can see these figures via an overal accounts control panel, whilst logging on live directly to my webmail shows the 811 message count. So, only the count of IMAP messages is in my inbox. Have I said anything to explain what I had failed to let you know? Maybe I should do a POP send and receive without the messages set to be saved on server??
Interesting. Thanks for sharing. I never heard of that. I do believe that, if you close the POP account, Thunderbird will prompt you to save the messages, and I think that's what you want.
Thanks David.
I acted as you thought would be appropriate, i.e. I deleted the POP account whilst telling the routine not to delete the messages. It seemed the most likely option, I agree.
So, now, I still have the IMAP messages and their number in my Thunberbird matches the webmail. That volume remains at 1.2GB on Thunderbird. Good. But the webmail server, one day after the deletion and so with time to refresh, still sees 2.54GB. So, it is still somewhere seeing the POP messages, which I can no longer see or access. I will prematurely exceed my mailbox quote unless this is resolved.
I have a similar situation re when I much earlier saved the messages locally to a different empty account and then permanently deleted them. They still show on webmail as a volume used, but webmail and Thunderbird have no messages there (including in deleted etc).
Do you (or anyone) know where Thunderbird places retained POP messages from a deleted POP account?
Of course, I will again tackle my host on all this, but they don't seem to have tech aware ppl answering questions so far, just stock answers,
Thanks for your help.
I think your saved POP messages will be in Local Folders.
Thanks David, the saved POP messages are there. I am waiting a reponse from my hosting support re why their servers are still reporting usage relating to messages no longer present. I will advise the outcome.