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archive

This article explains how the "archive" feature of Thunderbird works.

Thunderbird provides the ability to archive messages - that is, to move them from the default folders to archive folders without deleting the messages altogether. This makes it easy to organize archives or move them to a backup device, and keep the Inbox clean. '''Messages can only be archived manually, not automatically.''' Archived messages are indexed by Thunderbird's search. =How do I archive my messages?= To archive one or more messages, select the desired messages and then click on the {button Archive} button, or simply press {key A} on your [[Keyboard Shortcuts TB|keyboard]]. It is recommended that you not select more than 2,000 messages at a time. [[Image:archive button]] =How do I configure archiving?= ==Configure archive location== The location of archived messages can be configured individually for each email account. In '''{for win,mac}Tools{/for}{for linux}Edit{/for} > Account Settings''', select the desired email account in the left panel, and then select the '''Copies & Folders''' setting. In the '''Message Archives''' section, use the settings in '''Keep message archives in''' to set the desired location. {for tb5}[[Image:Archive Account Settings]]{/for} ==Configure archive folder structure== You can define the structure of the archive folder by clicking the {button Archive options...} button. Then you can choose if you want to use a single folder for all your archives, or define some sub-folders, as indicated in the animation below: [[Image:archive options]] ==Multiple identities per account== If you have set up additional [[Using Identities|identities]] for an email account, the archiving location and folder structure can be configured separately for each [[Using Identities|identity]]. =How do I delete the message archives on the server but keep them locally on Thunderbird?= If you are about to reach your server quota but want to keep your archives, you may want to move your messages locally. To do so, search for {menu Local folders} and right click to create a new folder named against your e-mail address. Then, drag-and-drop the archive folder from the server (e.g. {menu 2019}) as a sub-folder of the local e-mail address folder previously created. Thunderbird copies the archive locally. Wait for the procedure to end by checking the status bar at the bottom, and then safely delete the archive from the server. As a consequence, space will be freed on the server but Thunderbird will still be able to search into your old messages.