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How to delete a folder

  • 8 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 96 views
  • Last reply by bashley101

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One of my TB accounts has two archive folders, one named Archive and one named Archives. The Archive folder has nothing in it while the Archives folder has several years of messages in it. How can I delete the non-functional Archive folder?

One of my TB accounts has two archive folders, one named '''Archive''' and one named '''Archive''s'''''. The '''Archive''' folder has nothing in it while the '''Archives''' folder has several years of messages in it. How can I delete the non-functional '''Archive''' folder?

Chosen solution

TB 140...1/linux. There is no DELETE option in the right-click menu. Nor could I find one anywhere else and the DELETE key and control-D don't work. I have a lot of useless folders I'd like to get rid of...

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In general, you can delete a folder by right clicking on it and choosing Delete. It will be treated according to your settings the same as if it was a message, i.e. moved to Bin/Trash, not deleted immediately, if those are your settings for deleting messages.

If this is being treated as a special folder by Thunderbird, you should make it a normal folder first, though. Do both folders have the same icon in Thunderbird?

Is this an IMAP account you access from other applications or devices? Apple Mail calls the folder Archive, whereas Thunderbird calls it Archives by default, although you may configure it to use any other folder you want for that purpose. Something like that could explain why you have both folders.

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It is an IMAP account which is accessed by other devices. But I have other IMAP accounts on the same TB application which do not have this problem. How do I turn a special folder into a normal folder? Both folders have the same icon.

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Right-click the account in the Folder Pane, Subscribe..., and uncheck (unsubscribe) the Archive folder.

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If the unwanted folder has the special Archives icon, it's because it has been flagged as such, normally as a result of having chosen it as the folder to be used for that purpose. If no account has been configured to use that folder for archives, you may remove the flag by choosing it as the folder to be used for archives, then choosing another folder for that purpose.

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Chosen Solution

TB 140...1/linux. There is no DELETE option in the right-click menu. Nor could I find one anywhere else and the DELETE key and control-D don't work. I have a lot of useless folders I'd like to get rid of...

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Sorry, 139/linux. The folder in question has a small blue blob on its icon and was once the recipient of filtered messages, although it was empty. I removed the filter. I marked the folder read. I compacted it. No idea about what else I can do to get rid of it. OTHER unblobbed folders do indeed have the DELETE option in the right-click menu.

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My extra ARCHIVE folder does not have a blob and the right-click menu does not have a DELETE option. Like bashley101, control-D and the DELETE key do not work either. However, >>Right-click the account in the Folder Pane, Subscribe..., and uncheck (unsubscribe) the Archive folder.<< did work for me and the ARCHIVE folder is now gone.

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I give up. I moved it down to the very bottom of the list of folders and it seems to have disappeared. Crude, but effective. Perhaps I should have tried to move it to Trash or Junk...