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How to make Gmail archiving work properly?

  • 8 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 459 views
  • Last reply by Steve M

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When I go to "All Mail" folder and ARCHIVE, the e-mails are downloaded, kept on a local folder, and deleted from Gmail servers. A few seconds later, however, the e-mails are revealed to not have been deleted from Gmail servers, and are downloaded again to occupy it's original place inside "All Mail". So nothing can be archived.

Needing to use the Gmail web interface to accomplish this is frustrating, because if I need to use it, then I don't need Thunderbird.

I have Thunderbird 38.

When I go to "All Mail" folder and ARCHIVE, the e-mails are downloaded, kept on a local folder, and deleted from Gmail servers. A few seconds later, however, the e-mails are revealed to not have been deleted from Gmail servers, and are downloaded again to occupy it's original place inside "All Mail". So nothing can be archived. Needing to use the Gmail web interface to accomplish this is frustrating, because if I need to use it, then I don't need Thunderbird. I have Thunderbird 38.

Chosen solution

Gmail has one single "folder" it's called All Mail in this folder every mail is tagged to where it belong INBOX, TRASH, SENT are only tags in Gmails world. So if you subscribe to both Inbox and All mail you are in practise downloaded your mails twice. If you then delete a mail in inbox it doesnt go away in All mail. It just get the trash-tag.

In my opinion you should never subscribe to All mail. You never need to see it. All you need to see are INBOX, TRASH, SENT and the folders YOU created in your gmail-account.

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All Replies (8)

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You need to understand what 'All Mail' is and what it does. https://support.google.com/mail/answer/82367

Where is your Archive folder located?

What do you need 'All Mail' for in Thunderbird anyway?

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You need to understand what 'All Mail' is and what it does. https://support.google.com/mail/answer/82367

'The All Mail folder is a folder that contains all your mail'. I don't feel enlightned after reading this.

Where is your Archive folder located?

My hard disk drive.

What do you need 'All Mail' for in Thunderbird anyway?

If I don't delete the e-mails from there, I need to use Gmail web interface to delete them.

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'The All Mail folder is a folder that contains all your mail'. I don't feel enlightned after reading this.

Read on, or just try again.

My hard disk drive.

What does this mean? Your 'Local Folders' account? Your Gmail account?

If I don't delete the e-mails from there, I need to use Gmail web interface to delete them.

You don't delete messages from 'All Mail'. 'All Mail' is a Google invention, not a Thunderbird thing. It appears many people are unable to grasp the idea about 'All Mail'. And in addition seem to be unable or unwilling to read Gmail documentation. https://support.google.com/mail/answer/78755

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I don't like how you talk like I'm an idiot... Do you know that you're not forced to reply if you don't want?

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Mister5 said

I don't like how you talk like I'm an idiot...

Well you are in a Thunderbird support forum complaining about how gmail decided to make their email work. Thunderbird has no control over gmail or its operation.

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I asked how to make it work. If I was complaining, I would not ask, I would instead accuse Thunderbird of being a bad client for not being able to work with the most used e-mail provider. I didn't do this.

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Chosen Solution

Gmail has one single "folder" it's called All Mail in this folder every mail is tagged to where it belong INBOX, TRASH, SENT are only tags in Gmails world. So if you subscribe to both Inbox and All mail you are in practise downloaded your mails twice. If you then delete a mail in inbox it doesnt go away in All mail. It just get the trash-tag.

In my opinion you should never subscribe to All mail. You never need to see it. All you need to see are INBOX, TRASH, SENT and the folders YOU created in your gmail-account.

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Archive has a different meaning inside Thunderbird than it does in G-Mail. Just drag and drop to the folder you want to move it to from your inbox (works like Move to Folder) or if you like working with labels you can Copy the mail item to whatever folder or folders you want and then click archive which will move the inbox item to a local folder for storage. If you delete files from "All Mail" you're just tagging the mail items with "Trash" However, if you then go to your Trash folder and delete those mails or have the option "Purge Deleted Items" checked inside Thunderbird the program will delete those messages from your server. I'd strongly suggest you play around with 1 or 2 e-mails you don't mind losing before you start archiving things en-masse.