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Gmail issue using Thunderbird

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Hello: I seem to have made an error when setting up my Gmail account in Thunderbird. Thunderbird shows all of my Gmail correctly, but when I log into Gmail on my phone and iPad, all of the mail is gone. Can you help a newbie fix this mistake? I'd like to setup Gmail and Thunderbird so that they are both in synch. Thank you!!

Hello: I seem to have made an error when setting up my Gmail account in Thunderbird. Thunderbird shows all of my Gmail correctly, but when I log into Gmail on my phone and iPad, all of the mail is gone. Can you help a newbie fix this mistake? I'd like to setup Gmail and Thunderbird so that they are both in synch. Thank you!!

Chosen solution

Have you created a pop mail account in Thunderbird? If yes, then the pop account in Thunderbird would only be able to access the server Inbox and download emails stored in that Inbox server folder into the Pop account Inbox folder. It would not be able to have any access to any other gmail folder. In the Pop mail account, if you have also not selected the option to leave messages on server, then gmail would have auto deleted them. That means no other access using imap or pop would see anything because it does not exist on server.

This is where you set up 'leave messages on server':

  • Menu icon > Account Settings
  • Select 'Server Settings' for the pop mail account name
  • select checkbox: 'leave messages on server'

Logon to the gmail webmail account and see if anything archived in the 'All Mail' folder in which case you reset them to have an 'Inbox' label or in the 'Trash' folder and rescue them.

Check the pop settings you have set up in gmail webmail account:

If you have nothing in the webmail 'All Mail' folder then there is nothing on the server. All your emails are currently stored in the Pop mail account on your computer.

If you do not want to use Pop or you did create an IMAP mail account in Thunderbird then check the gmail webmail account to see if Imap is enabled and also if labels are selected to show in imap.

  • In gmail webmail account Settings > See more settings >
  • Under 'Forwarding and POP/Imap'
  • Is Imap enabled ?
  • Under 'Labels'
  • Check to see if the labels have the 'Show in imap' selected.
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All Replies (3)

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I should have mentioned that Thunderbird is running on my Windows 10 pc. Thanks.

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Chosen Solution

Have you created a pop mail account in Thunderbird? If yes, then the pop account in Thunderbird would only be able to access the server Inbox and download emails stored in that Inbox server folder into the Pop account Inbox folder. It would not be able to have any access to any other gmail folder. In the Pop mail account, if you have also not selected the option to leave messages on server, then gmail would have auto deleted them. That means no other access using imap or pop would see anything because it does not exist on server.

This is where you set up 'leave messages on server':

  • Menu icon > Account Settings
  • Select 'Server Settings' for the pop mail account name
  • select checkbox: 'leave messages on server'

Logon to the gmail webmail account and see if anything archived in the 'All Mail' folder in which case you reset them to have an 'Inbox' label or in the 'Trash' folder and rescue them.

Check the pop settings you have set up in gmail webmail account:

If you have nothing in the webmail 'All Mail' folder then there is nothing on the server. All your emails are currently stored in the Pop mail account on your computer.

If you do not want to use Pop or you did create an IMAP mail account in Thunderbird then check the gmail webmail account to see if Imap is enabled and also if labels are selected to show in imap.

  • In gmail webmail account Settings > See more settings >
  • Under 'Forwarding and POP/Imap'
  • Is Imap enabled ?
  • Under 'Labels'
  • Check to see if the labels have the 'Show in imap' selected.
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Thank you very much! We re back in business!!