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Can't bulk erase emails from my inbox sometimes

Thunderbird Email and messaging
Toad-Hall replied
JimFerrante
JimFerrante

Hello, Sometimes, when I select multiple emails to be deleted, the system only deletes one, and I have to manually delete each remaining message. I have emptied trash, but that doesn't solve the problem. rebooting the computer fixes the problem some times.

FYI - the messages go from displaying in bold to displaying as read messages; but them are still displayed. This is a major pain in the butt!!! What is the solution to fix this. I am using a Lenovo ThinkCenter desktop computer, running Windows 7

Jimmy

Hello, Sometimes, when I select multiple emails to be deleted, the system only deletes one, and I have to manually delete each remaining message. I have emptied trash, but that doesn't solve the problem. rebooting the computer fixes the problem some times. FYI - the messages go from displaying in bold to displaying as read messages; but them are still displayed. This is a major pain in the butt!!! What is the solution to fix this. I am using a Lenovo ThinkCenter desktop computer, running Windows 7 Jimmy

All Replies (1)

Toad-Hall
Toad-Hall
  • Top 25 Contributor

If you are running Windows 7 then you are probably using a very old version of Thunderbird.

The last version of Thunderbird that can run on Windows 7 is version 115.18.0esr Q: What version are you using ? Q: Are you talking about an Imap or Pop mail account?

When you delete or move emails from eg: Inbox - they get 'marked as deleted' and hidden from view. They may reappear in the Trash or whatever folder they were moved to. However, the Inbox still has the original in the mbox file and that file needs to be tidied up/basic housekeeping maintenance to fully remove those emails.

Q: do you compact the folder after doing a load of deleting etc ? The three folders that proboably need to be compacted on a more regular basis especially after doing a load of deleting are Inbox, Drafts, Junk/Spam

  • Right click on folder and select Compact.

Whilst compacting is occuring do not select to use that folder and do not exit thunderbird.

re :the messages go from displaying in bold to displaying as read messages; but them are still displayed.

Displayed where ? Are they still displaying in the Inbox - do they have a strikethrough or displaying in the Trash ? When you delete it should go to the server Trash folder.

  • In Account Settings > Server Settings' for the account
  • 'When I delete a message' - What have you got selected ?

IMAP account - select 'Move it to this folder' and select the server Trash folder on account.

Q: Is the imap Trash folder set up to get updated?

  • Right click on imap Trash folder and select 'Properties'
  • Is this checkbox selected ? 'When getting new messages for this account, always check this folder'

If no, then select it.


'Q:What Anti-Virus product do you use ? Is it allowed to scan every file that gets opened or upload to and from server? That can be a pain and cause all kinds of interference issues. When you eg: delete an email, the mbox file that contains it is accessed, so the file where it's going to be put eg: Trash, in addition there is a load of communication with the server as files get updated to the server. Have you acessed the Anti-Virus product and set up your Thunderbird profile folders as an exception to not scan ? Doing this can improve performance. eg: C://Users/username/Appdata/Roaming/Thunderbird folder