Many hundreds of my messages have disappeared
I got a warning e-mail from my e-mail provider that I was running out of space. I'm not sure why this was happening, because all previous e-mail programs that I used did not leave them on the server like Thunderbird always does. So, I used my web browser (NOT Thunderbird) to log onto my e-mail server and directly deleted a large number of messages from the server (which I shouldn't have had to do in the first place). A few hours later, the next time I opened Thunderbird, when it was downloading new headers, it apparently deleted all messages from the memory of my computer that I had deleted on the server. I never told Thunderbird to delete these messages, and I know that they were in my computer's memory because I often looked at them when I was not online. This is outrageous. I need those messages back.
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Sounds like you are using IMAP and not POP protocol. That is how IMAP works.
Is IMAP supposed to delete messages from my computer just because they are no longer on the server of my Internet provider? That sounds crazy. Please tell me that there is a way to get the messages back.
It may sound crazy to someone that does not know the difference between POP and IMAP. IMAP is server based. You remotely view messages on the server with the email client on you computer or phone. I suggest you Google IMAP vs POP and learn how they work. As for getting them back most providers move deleted message into a Trash file. Have you looked there. You can contact your provider as ask what you Options not ght be.
Is IMAP supposed to delete messages from my computer just because they are no longer on the server of my Internet provider?Yes. IMAP shows you what is on the server. So anything deleted on the server also deletes in the client, and vice versa. What you have been browsing when offline is a temporary local cache of the messages on your server.
Given that you're happy with POP, I suggest you take care in future to select it. Thunderbird defaults to IMAP unless the user overrides this. IMAP is a good match to the prevailing expectation that email will be managed via multiple devices, such as tablets and smartphones alongside traditional computers and laptops. And, whilst Thunderbird may have caught you out here with its default choice of IMAP, it does at least allow you to use the alternative POP, unlike some modern email clients.
The trick for removing messages from the server and storing them locally in an IMAP-connected account is to copy or move them to a folder outside the account. Local Folders is provided for this particular purpose, amongst others.
Responsible email providers who offer IMAP should also offer sufficient storage space to make it worth using. Yours has let you down.
Please tell me that there is a way to get the messages back.Go to your webmail right now and see if any of the lost messages are still in the deleted folder.
There is a possibility that your messages are still stored within the mailstore folders in Thunderbird. The system simply hides messages when they are deleted and doesn't remove them outright until the message store is compacted.
Thanks for the information. The idea that deleting messages from one device causes it to be automatically deleted without warning from another device is completely counterintuitive. I can see that it would be useful in some cases, but setting something that can do this much damage as the default without any reasonable warning is extremely bad practice, in my opinion.
I downloaded and ran the "recover deleted messages" add-on, but the messages are still all gone. Any other ideas?
Pop and IMAP are email standards that have been around forever. Educating yourself on how they work and selecting the protocol that works for you is the thing to do. You seem to want to blame Thunderbird for confirming to Industry standards.