Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

junk folder/spam folder missing .

  • 6 cavab
  • 1 has this problem
  • 16 views
  • Last reply by Matt

more options

Can someone help me? About the time when we received the last update on Thunderbird, a month or so ago, the spam or junk folders (not sure what it was called) disappeared from the list of folders, a new folder called bulk showed up at some point. I started to have issues with my junk mail selections when I would select one email in my Inbox I wanted to classify at junk or spam. When I use to click on the junk status tear drop it would turn orange, and move the junk folder. Now when I click on the teardrop it turns orange for a few seconds and turns back to clear (no color) and the selected junk mail does not move to the bulk mail folder. When I lost the spam folder or junk folder and saw the bulk folder had most of my junk mail showing up in it, I went to Thunderbird account settings and said to move my junk emails to this bulk folder. Nothing seems to work anymore to classify my junk mail and move it from my inbox. I think the tear drop needs to stay orange so the filters will know I have selected that email from this sender it to be filtered on the next inbox showings. I have reinstalled Thunderbird in case something was corrupted when it was auto updated, but it did not change this issue. I have AOL email with IMAP setup with Thunderbird. The folders that show up in Thunderbird are they all created on AOL servers due to IMAP sync or are some of the folders created by the Thunderbird APP? see below photo, I never understood what side creates these folders and their where the names come from. I do know that the folders in list called ARCHIVES were on the original AOL APP many years ago when I had a paid account with AOL, I know those folders are from AOL email servers and are showing up from the IMAP syncs. Did the Thunderbird software group change the operations of our junk folders or filter systems on the last update? I don't see anything in the notes on the last update that would affect the spam filters. Does anyone have any thoughts? Eric S.

Can someone help me? About the time when we received the last update on Thunderbird, a month or so ago, the spam or junk folders (not sure what it was called) disappeared from the list of folders, a new folder called bulk showed up at some point. I started to have issues with my junk mail selections when I would select one email in my Inbox I wanted to classify at junk or spam. When I use to click on the junk status tear drop it would turn orange, and move the junk folder. Now when I click on the teardrop it turns orange for a few seconds and turns back to clear (no color) and the selected junk mail does not move to the bulk mail folder. When I lost the spam folder or junk folder and saw the bulk folder had most of my junk mail showing up in it, I went to Thunderbird account settings and said to move my junk emails to this bulk folder. Nothing seems to work anymore to classify my junk mail and move it from my inbox. I think the tear drop needs to stay orange so the filters will know I have selected that email from this sender it to be filtered on the next inbox showings. I have reinstalled Thunderbird in case something was corrupted when it was auto updated, but it did not change this issue. I have AOL email with IMAP setup with Thunderbird. The folders that show up in Thunderbird are they all created on AOL servers due to IMAP sync or are some of the folders created by the Thunderbird APP? see below photo, I never understood what side creates these folders and their where the names come from. I do know that the folders in list called ARCHIVES were on the original AOL APP many years ago when I had a paid account with AOL, I know those folders are from AOL email servers and are showing up from the IMAP syncs. Did the Thunderbird software group change the operations of our junk folders or filter systems on the last update? I don't see anything in the notes on the last update that would affect the spam filters. Does anyone have any thoughts? Eric S.
Attached screenshots

All Replies (6)

more options

Imap mail accounts' folders are those used by the server. You subscribe to see folders - a sort of virtual view of what is on server. Some folders are auto subscribed as server expects you want to see eg: Inbox, Drafts, Sent, etc

It sounds like the AOL yahoo server has renamed the 'Spam' folder to be called 'Bulk Mail'. I've discovered that AOL recently changed some aspects of spam according to this link: https://aol.uservoice.com/forums/912886-aol-mail/suggestions/35216434-spam?page=8&per_page=20

Try this: Make sure you are properly subscribed to see it.

  • Right click on imap mail account and select 'Subscribe'
  • this will list your subscribed folders.
  • select 'Bulk Mail' folder and click on 'Subscribe'
  • click on 'OK'

In the Account Settings >Junk Settings

  • Select 'Move new Junk messages to'
  • select 'Other' and choose the 'Bulk Mail' folder on the account.
  • click on 'OK'

Exit and restart Thunderbird.

more options

Logon to webmail account to see what folders are listed on the server.

more options

No this did not work.

Lets go this way. When I click on the teardrop next to the time/date, and it turns orange for a few seconds then turns back to white/clear, what can cause this? I use to be able to click on this symbol and label that email as junk/spam, this no longer works. Thought's Eric S.

more options

Well, that is interesting, when I looked at my AOL account over the web online there is a "SPAM" folder in my AOL account still!

Then why would there not a folder called SPAM in my Thunderbird account anymore to match? I had emails in my spam folder on AOL too! So this seems to be a Thunderbird issue now. When I look at the subscribed list SPAM folder does not show up. So why would IMAP not bring across that folder anymore?

more options

UPDATE, the "bulk" mail folder that showed up on the last update with Thunderbird is a folder only on Thunderbird, not AOL!

The emails in my Spam folder in AOL and those showing up in the Bulk Mail folder match. So why would the folder names not match with imap and why would the list of Subscribed under my account in Thunderbird NOT show spam folder anymore? Thanks for having me check the folders in my AOL account online, forgot I could do that online without a paid account to AOL. This might help us all to find out where the issue lives.

more options

The folder bulk is a Yahoo specific thing, they use is for SPAM. Given Yahoo, AOL and Verizon are all in the same circus now, I assume that AOL are using the Yahoo mail system and simply renaming the folder in their web interface to SPAM.