Would you please post a screenshot of your folder pane?

What is a “home account”? What is a “regular e-mail section”?

Sorry Scooter, I'm an 85 year old strokie,my mobile is a 20 year old Nokia,used for emergencies only.My wife has a modern phone,she takes photos of things ,then sends them to me as an email,that I can then forward to anyone.However,I've no idea of how the information that you need could be sent on this platform.The best I can do at this stage is describe the column on the lefthand side of my Thunderbird page - at the top is what I describe as my regular email section (where Inbox,Sent,Saved etc.) are displayed.Below that is the Local Folders below that is a sign Home Account.Both of the latter two have Deleted Folders and Trash Boxes where nothing ever appears to go!In fact there is never anything going on in these two sections As you may imagine,my computer skills are very basic.

Thanks for describing your folder pane.

I need a little more information.

First, let's find out where deleted messages are set to go now.

1. Right-click on the name of the account above the local folders.
2. Click on "Settings ..." in the drop-down menu.
3. In the tab that appears next, click on "Server Settings" under the name of the account that is missing its "Deleted" folder.
4. Find the option "When I delete a message:". Is "Move it to this folder:" selected? Which folder is selected? Is it the folder where you want deleted messages to go?

Would you please click on the "View" menu, then on "Folders", and tell me which items have check marks?

You seem to have an account above the local folders and an account (Home Account) below the local folders. Are they the same account or different accounts? What is the name of the account above your local folders?

I am guessing that they are different accounts. So try this:

1. Right-click on the name of the account above the local folders.
2. Click on "Subscribe ..." in the drop-down menu.
3. In the window that appears next, click on the "Refresh" button and wait a few seconds for the list of folders to be refreshed.
4. Do you see a folder named "Trash" or "Deleted" or "Deleted Items" in the list? If you do, check the box next to it and click on the "OK" button. There should now be a "Deleted" folder where you expect it to be.

If the accounts above and below the local folders are the same accounts, then we will do something else.

Please report on your progress and results.

Hello Scooter, Many thanks for your help.I don't want to waste your time. At stage 4,in the first set of instructions,I eventually found a button for "When I delete a message and the only offer was for Inbox.

There are no names above the Local Folders and Home Account. I'm hoping that my computer literate son will be coming up during the Easter break and he may be able to sort things out.Either he or I will let you know how we get on.My son set up both my web-sites. Very best wishes, Rod Willmott.

Well, at least you know where your deleted messages are going: back to your in-box. When you accidentally delete a message, you can look for them there. You just won't be able really to delete them until we solve this problem.

I would still like to know your folder settings. Would you please click on the "View" menu, then on "Folders", and tell me which items have check marks?

And I would still like to know your accounts. You have "Local Folders" and "Home Account", but apparently something else too. What is it?

Is there really no account name above the local folders? Above the inbox, sent, and saved folders in your "regular e-mail section"? Is there some bold text that says "Favorite folders" or "All Folders" or similar?

If you feel ambitious, you might try these instructions for taking a screenshot of your folder pane: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-to-make-screenshots

A screenshot of your accounts in account settings would be helpful too. Right-click on an account name. Take a screenshot of the left pane in the window that appears.

Or I will wait for your son and try to help later.

Hello Scooter, I should have said that the only option was Inbox,but I did not select it,so where deleted messagas go is still a mystery. Sadly,I couldn't find a "View" menu,so could not investigate the Folders. Clicking on the screenshot link it didn't seem worth spending time on trying to understsnd the process when I didn't have the page you want to see. Your time is precious,so the best plan it seems is to wait for Ben my son to help me.He is certain to make sense of the information you've kindly sent,so I'll use the forum to report how we get on. When I worked in the theatre I could play the guitar and lute,sing and act.I had to have a cholestestoma removed from my left ear in the 1980s,was told that the right ear was likely to go the same way (It didn't!).I learnt to make and repair guitars and violins,which I did until I had a stroke at 70 in 2010.Just now I roasted some Old Brown Java coffee and I bake sourdough bread.But I'm out of depth with computers,just the wrong generation alas. Very best wishes, Rod Willmott.

Hello again Scooter, I was about to to upstairs to play around on my guitar,did a last check on my emails and this time discovered the whereabouts of View.so although I found Folders,clicking on it did nothing.However I accidently did something and a Deleted box has appeared in my email column.It's empty of course,still I'll try deleting an email to see if it goes there. Again many thanks for your patience.If there's anythink to report,I'll be in touch Best wishes, Rod Willmott.