Is this an IMAP account? What mail provider? what mail retention policies have they got?

Most of these issues are IMAP accounts where the mail provider forces their retention policies. Hence all the questions.

EastTenn said

Thanks so much, Matt! I'll ask our computer guy these questions. The weird thing is that we've used Thunderbird at this same location with the same ISP for six years. I do not know about the IMAP thing. However, there is one thing that did happen. I somehow deleted all our messages when unplugging for a storm. Fortunately, I had learned how to back up and our computer guy was able to restore all our ten years (!) worth of messages with my backup. Thunderbird has acted funny every since, but we still can use it. I'll bet the one week deletion dates from that near disaster instead of a new version of Thunderbird.

How did I mess up Thunderbird? I was rushing to unplug due to lightning and went ahead and pulled the plug during Windows updates! I'll never do that again!

what of "funny". describe your experience. Perhaps with enough information I can accidentally fall on the right answer.

Our computer guy tried to set the retention to 2000 messages yesterday. I see today that this did not work. I figured it might not as he used the same retention screen in Thunderbird that I had used.

Since our disaster and restoration of all our stuff, Thunderbird has trouble saving to sent. It almost always gives me the message that the save to sent failed. When I click retry, it always works. It never used to do this.

I am not sure how that would make a different in retention of trash. I guess we can get used to the trash always deleting. We'll just have to make firmer decisions on what to trash as there is no retrieval after seven days.

I can email computer guy again maybe.

I am surprised that others have not experienced this. We have changed absolutely nothing from what we had before, except we used the backup flash drive to restore all our Thunderbird messages and settings.

I am having this problem, too and it started a few days ago. So frustrating - I have no idea what is going on!!

I am also having this problem. I go into the trash folder and I can watch the messages being deleted and I did not hit anything. Any ideas? It is IMAP.

I see two others have exactly the same problem as we have. No one has yet devised a solution for this. Setting retention time or number of messages has no effect at all. Messages simply delete automatically from trash after one week. We are used to it now, but we still wish it were not happening.

I had similar problem but it was being caused by my Iphone. The Iphone default for email is to clear out any deleted messages after 7 days. If you have an Iphone, check this: settings, mail/contacts/calendars, (select your email account), click on 'account' and it will bring up a screen with account information. Click 'advanced' and check the setting under "deleted messages' and make sure the line that says 'remove' is set to 'never'.

Thanks, Queenmab. Sadly, we do not own a smart phone. I do appreciate the interesting info though. If I ever have a smart phone, I'll remember this.

EastTenn said ... with the same ISP for six years. I do not know about the IMAP thing.

Q: What is the name of your ISP? We also need to know if you are talking about an IMAP or POP mail account. If you do not know...do this: Right click on mail account name in Folder Pane and select: 'Settings' then select 'Server Settings' for the mail account Top right it will say 'Server Type' : Q: What 'Server Type' does it say?

Dear Toad Hall: I was going to say that you lost me at Folder Pane as I'd never heard of that. However, I opened troubleshooting on Thunderbird and found two references to IMAP. Our ISP is Windstream.net. After I went back to your message, I looked again. I can find no reference to server at all in the troubleshooting screen. The IMAP is for mail and news accounts. If you can explain where the folder pane is, maybe I can find something else.

Window layout; http://kb.mozillazine.org/Window_layout_-_Thunderbird scroll down to section 'Layouts'.

Basically, the 'Folder Pane' is where you see your mail account names with all the Folders that contain emails.

IMAP server Thank you. I've learned something. Now what?

Settings to check in Thunderbird: right click on mail account in Folder Pane and select 'Settings' select 'Server settings' for the imap mail account Under 'Message storage' Is 'empty 'Deleted folder on exit' selected?

click on 'Synchronization & Storage' for the imap mail account Is 'Don't delete any messages' selected ?

clickon OK to save and close Account settings.

check the 'Deleted' folder: Right click on the 'Deleted Items' (or what ever it called for the imap mail account) and select 'Properties' On 'Retention Policy' tab either select 'use the account settings' or uncheck that option and select 'Don't delete any messages' click on OK

If you have set the Settings in Thunderbird not to delete, then it is likely another source is involved.

Servers do have their own auto empty trash, hence why this is often seen in imap accounts. Many seem to do it after about 30 days, but they do vary.

check what settings in your webmail account, which you access via a browser. Find out what is the time period for the 'auto emptying of trash' which the server enforces.

Note: Not just iphone (queenmab100 thanks for posting) - The Default setting on the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone, auto settings will remove messages after just one week.

Some people might be using eg:OutLook and Thunderbird email clients, so check settings in Outlook as well.

If a MAC user and you use 'Mail' sometimes, then also check those settings.

General info for windstream which I found but could not locate info on their auto empty of Deleted items. Windstream's mail servers automatically remove e-mails stored in your Inbox, Drafts and Sent Mail folders after 180 days from the received date. E-mails stored in folders created by users in the Webmail interface are not removed. If you want to keep e-mails messages for more than 180 days, you will need to create personal folders in Webmail and move the messages that you want to keep.

Now ' I suggest you contact windstream and ask them if their IMAP server auto ages deleted mail and after a week removes it.

IMAP is Synchronized. IF your mail server has a policy to do something then nothing you set in Thunderbird will over ride that.. I think we see more than a reasonable number of Windstrwam customers relative to their numbers in total on this forum with similar issues. No one has ever reported back, but I think it is a Server side policy that is poorly explained by windstream and impacting in THunderbird.