Thunderbird has no facility to block anything. It downloads messages that make it into your Inbox on your providers server. I would log into your account at the providers web mail page and look in other folders for the missing mail. Are the messages being returned to the sender as non-deliverable?

Thanks for the reply Airmail! Messages are not being returned to sender as non-deliverable. I think I can find the missing mail in other folders but Thunderbird is my daily mail folder and I would like to make sure I am receiving all mails sent. I found the address that I am missing mail from in a 'filters' setting. I deleted it from its box and fingers crossed that the problem had gone away! No such luck I am afraid. I am sure there is a simple answer as this has only just started to occur within the last couple of weeks.

What does daily mail folder mean? Thunderbird is an email client.

Where were you doing this filtering at? in Thunderbird or at the providers server?

Like I stated earlier Thunderbird downloads messages from your providers server that make it into your Inbox there. By default it places them in your inbox folder visible in Thunderbird. If you created a filter in Thunderbird to move them to another folder then that is on you.

I am sorry to say that my level of understanding of all things 'interwebby' is low and is obviously far less than yours so I appreciate your taking the time to assist. I haven't deliberately 'created' a filter but today I found in Thunderbird from the 'Message Filters' in a drop down menu, a box with the address that I have been having the trouble with. Reference to providers server is somewhat alien to me I am afraid!!!

You have an email provider. They provide email addresses and email service. It might be gmail, Yahoo or from your Internet provider. That is reflected in the part of your email address following the @ sign. xxxx@gmail.com would be a gmail address The email provider has servers. You send and receive email via those servers. Most, if not all, providers have a web mail page where you can go with a normal Internet browser to send and receive your mail. On that server your account will have all the normal folders and maybe more than you see in Thunderbird. Thunderbird is email client software. Email clients are a way to manage one or more email account from your computer or mobile devices like phones or tablets. Any message that you send from Thunderbird makes contact with your providers SMTP server, the outgoing server, which sends the message to the address in the email and it is delivered to incoming server for the recipient of the email. They either use the providers web mail page to read the message or use a client, like Thunderbird to download the message and read it there. For messages sent to you the process is reversed. Before you see any message in Thunderbird it HAS to arrive in your Inbox on the providers server. Thunderbird contacts that server periodically and gets those messages.

There are two different types of incoming email service. There is POP and IMAP. POP is the older protocol and is great when only checking your mail from a single computer. IMAP is designed to todays email user that checks their mail with their computer, their phone and their tablet. This is a little off subject but good to know in case one protocol works better for you than another. Google POP vs IMAP if you want to know more about that.

Your generosity in providing this information is much appreciated. I think I understand what you are saying. Many thanks. I have tried to adjust my message filter..I have yet to put what I have tried to the test!

Where is this filter box? how do you access it?

Top right of my screen is 'display Thunderbird Menu' in this drop down menu is 'Message filters'

Do you use POP or IMAP? Have you logged onto the webmail server via a browser and checked to see if the emails from that sender are actually on the server - they might be in 'Spam' folder or another folder on the server?

Is it a gmail account ?

When the person wants to send you an email, are they using 'reply' and thus using the email address you sent via? OR are they writing a new emai? in which case are you sure they have the correct email address?

Do you have more than one email address? If yes, are you sure you are sending using the correct smtp server? I ask this because if you had a gmail account, you might have sent using X email address, but sent via gmail smtp, so any reply may be sent back to gmail and not your expected account. This may mean the email in not in the account you expect and so your x account Message Filter may not work because those emails are not on the x account server in the first place.

Not sure of POP or IMAP!! Messages are correctly received when sent from ipad. But not received when sent from PC. I only have one email address. I will check if 'reply' is being used or not. I will also double check that my correct address is being used. Very many thanks for your contribution.

re :Messages are correctly received when sent from ipad. But not received when sent from PC.

This does sound like the sender has the correct email address on ipad, but not quite correct on their pc. It could be only a minor typo, but it would stop you getting emails.

re: IMAP and POP right clickon mail account name in the Fodler pane and select: settings' then select 'Server settings' for the mail account. top right will say 'Server Type:' and either POP or IMAP Useful to know when you have an issue.

Many thanks. I will be in touch with sender shortly. Not sure what you mean with 'Fodler pane'

re :Not sure what you mean with 'Folder pane'

oops slight typo Fodler = Folder

The Pane on the left side which holds you mail account name and below is listed your folders eg: Inbox. Sent etc.

Window layout:

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Window_layout_-_Thunderbird

see first image below

Also included an image showing the Account Settings window where you would see 'Imap or Pop. Although this would be useful for you to know as often it will be asked if there is any problem, I think you may find the sender has not got the email address correctly spelt on Pc.

Brilliant! Learning curve is starting to level out...although it has been a number of years!!! POP is apparently what I am!! I have not heard back from my sender yet. I have to be at a meeting shortly but will be back at the desk mid-morning tomorrow.

Have now heard from sender who confirms that my address is correctly spelt on both of his devices. I am tempted back each time to the messages filter which had only one address in it and that was the one that I was having the trouble receiving the mail from!

If you have POP then Thunderbird can only download emails that are received and in the server 'Inbox'. So, if emails arrived and the server filters, for unknown reason, put the email into the server Spam folder, then Thunderbird would not be able to download them. Can you confirm that you have logged onto webmail and checked the server folders?

Is it a gmail account, if yes then check other folders such as 'Important' etc. as I mislaid some emails only to discover gmail filters were moving emails without my knowledge?

As yet we need to confirm that the emails are actually arriving on the server and are not lost in some other folder.

Ask friend to send email from pc to you and you check to see if it gets onto the server by watching your webmail account.

re: The Message filter in thunderbird. 'Tools' > 'Message Filters' OR 'Menu icon' > 'Message Filters' select the filter and click on 'Edit' Please post an image of this window showing details of the filter. Close the filter window. click on 'Filter log'

At the top is 'Enable filter log' selected ? If yes, read down through the various filter actions and see if you locate the name of the filter and what it did. The newest will be at the bottom. If not selected then please select the checkbox and click on Close.

When you see the received email in the webmail Inbox: In Thunderbird, Click on 'Get Messages'. Allow a little time for download and then check the 'Filter Log'. What did it say regarding the applied filter message filter name?

Now I am really struggling!! How do I log on to webmail? gmail? is mine btinternet? posting an image sounds a bit daunting! You appreciate, now, that you are talking to an ignoramus!!

If your email address was supplied by your Internet service provider (ISP), then it will have something after the '@' which specifically is used by that server. I notice you mention btinternet. Does BT supply your broadband ? Do you have an email address which ends like this '@btinternet.com' ?

If yes, then you would go to bt.com : http://home.bt.com/ Click on 'Email' (near the top on the far right) and then logon using your full email address and password you use in Thunderbird to get messages downloaded. This is called your webmail account accessed via a browser.

RE: Posting an image

This is how I do it: Open the Message Filter and select the Filter and click on 'Edit' to see actual filter in a small window.

Start > Programs > Accessories > click on 'Paint' the 'Pant' window will open.

reselect the 'filter' window to get focus. Press 'Alt' key and keep pressed whilst you press 'prt scr' key. Select the 'Paint' window Then press 'Ctrl' key and the 'V' key OR right click in the Paint area and select 'Paste' Then save the image as a jpg image on the desktop or other suitable folder (not in thunderbird).

In this forum question, type some text in a 'Post a Reply text box eg: here is image and press return to go to new line. click on the 'Browse' button - just below the text box locate the save jpg file and click on Open. The image will appear as a small thumbnail. click on 'Post reply' button.

additional help: Here is a link to the Help Article on Posting image in this forum.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-create-screenshot-my-problem

Many thanks for your help and assistance. I believe the problem is noe resolved