This is not what you're being asked for. Learn and understand what compacting (or purging - it is the same thing) is all about. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/compacting-folders

Compacting/purging is not about deleting existing messages or empty the trash. It's about removing those parts from the Thunderbird mail file(s) belonging to messages which have already been moved or deleted.

Having said that, it's always recommended to create a full backup of the Thunderbird profile folder on a regular basis. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_backing-up-a-profile

Hello

have managed to stop the irritating prompt :

"The messages you have deleted can be purged from disk"

by turning the message option "mail.purge.ask" off in Tools/general/Config Editor

Thanks.

Barrie.

Your brilliant move will

• let the Inbox mail file (and potentially others) grow in size indefinitely,
• slow Thunderbird down, and
• increase the risk of corruption, and hence data loss.

Good luck.

1. I backup my mail files regularly to off-line and they are NOT kept on the C-drive as per default. 2. I duplicate the files to a desktop PC where the files are also backed up to another physical drive.

 Neither set of which also NOT kept on the OS C drive.

3. I clear the BIN folder myself every few months and compact all the folders more regularly than that.

Still think I'm headed for disaster? So far, 12 years and still no crisis - just the recent message irritation.

Thank you again.

Compact does not remove messages from the Trash (BIN) folder.

Where do you get the impression the trash folder is affected?