Right click the folder and select settings. In the Junk settings set the junk "destination and retention" to move new junk messages to and specify the bulk mail folder as this is Yahoo speak for SPAM/Junk folder.

Ohh and then install this add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/thunderbird/addon/folderflags/ and set the "flag" for the bulk mail folder to junk so it shows the flame icon.

That did it, thanks, I can now empty the folder with a simple right click and "Empty Junk" option, thanks very much!

Lastly. you could delete the junk folder as it is no longer going to be used. I am a neat freak on some things.. a slob on others.

WindfallFarms said

Suddenly, my junk mail is NOT being moved to the junk mail folder, it's being marked junk, but it remains in the Bulk Mail folder. It has always worked before, this started about 2 weeks ago. I reviewed all the setting, clicked retrain and all of that. I even uninstalled and re-installed it to no avail. Three images attached to show settings, etc.

I have this problem also. I have the settings correct as described in this thread. I haven't installed the suggested add-on. Is that a hint that moving mail in the (Yahoo) Bulk folder that's marke as junk to the Thunderbird Junk folder doesn't really work?

I can open the Bulk Mail folder and from the Tools menu select Run Junk Controls on Folder and all of the messages which Thunderbird has marked as junk (which is usuall of them in the folder) then move to the Junk folder.

It used to do this all by itself but now only works manually.

The Yahoo Bulk mail folder IS the junk folder for the account. Thunderbird should no have one marked as junk.

So you perform the actions to make the bulk folder the designated junk folder for the account in Account settings > Junk and delete the existing junk Folder.

Matt said

The Yahoo Bulk mail folder IS the junk folder for the account. Thunderbird should no have one marked as junk.

I tried it and it appears to be working. I was hesitant because I enjoyed the convenienc of the single click "Empty Junk" that was unique to the folder named Junk. I was pleased to find that apparently that function goes with the designated junk folder rather than the folder named Junk.

But I'm curious as to why what had been working for a couple of years had changed. Did something in Yahoo change? I've always had a Bulk Mail and Junk folder in Thunderbird. Many things that came in from the Yahoo Bulk Mail folder went to the Thunderbird Junk folder, marked as junk. A few things went into the Thunderbird Junk folder, usually ones that filters I had set up on the Inbox sent there. But what changed a couple of months ago was that what went into the T-Bird Bulk folder stayed there until I deleted it or (as I recently discovered) ran the Junk Controls on it, which moved all of the messages marked as junk in the Bulk Mail folder to the Junk folder.

Did something change in Yahoo? Or was there a change in Thunderbird? If I set up the current version of Thunderbird from scratch now, would it recognize that Yahoo's Bulk Mail folder should be the Junk folder and set it up as such? Or maybe I'm just too old to not leave Yahoo mail like others seem to have done.

Mike, I really don't know. What I do know is Yahoo are always fiddling with their service and as far as I know no one has done anything with the junk filters in Thunderbird for years. But that is really just assumption on my part

Matt said

Right click the folder and select settings. In the Junk settings set the junk "destination and retention" to move new junk messages to and specify the bulk mail folder as this is Yahoo speak for SPAM/Junk folder.

Clarification: Start with the account, then click Settings. Don't start with the INBOX folder or the JUNK folder.

Alternate method: Go to Tools menu, then choose Accounts Settings and Junk Settings from the left hand side.

Tip: I learned to create a Junk folder first.