Archives
When I copy an email from my In Box to store it in Archives it disappears from BOTH folders when I delete from the In Box
Isisombululo esikhethiwe
General info regarding 'All Mail' folder and 'labels'. Gmail keeps all your emails, that means all incoming, all outgoing, archived - the lot - everything in the 'All Mail' folder.
However, gmail understands this is not a desirable way to easily locate emails, so gmail uses a method which it calls 'Labels' which operate like a filter tag on an email stored in 'All Mail'.
The 'Label' appears in the form of a traditional Folder eg: 'Inbox' and offers a virtual display of the email which has that 'Inbox' filter tag label. This means everything appears in a more traditional easy to use Folder style.
When you delete an email, it will be put into the gmail Trash folder. This is normal. When you (or gmail) empty the Trash folder, that email is deleted from 'All Mail' folder, so it can no longer display in any folder/label regardless of how many various labels were applied.
If you delete the email and do NOT put it into the gmail Trash folder, then only the label is deleted and the original copy in the 'All Mail' remains in the 'All Mail' as an archived email.
re :I copy an email from my In Box to store it in Archives
Gmail consider the 'All Mail' folder as the default archive folder, so I presume you have created an 'Archives' folder for your own purposes as you do not subscribe to 'All Mail.
From gmails point of view both 'Inbox' and 'Archives' are just labels applied to the stored email which is in the 'All Mail' folder.
When you created a copy and put it in 'Archives', from gmails point of view this means, the email stored in the 'All Mail' folder now has two 'labels' one called 'Inbox' and one called 'Archives', so the one email can display in two folders. It is not two separate emails.
Thinderbird has no concept of 'labels', it accesses/synchronises server 'Inbox' and all other subscribed folders and downloads to it's own text mbox files. So from Thundrebird point of view, when you create a copy, it does put a real copy into the 'Archives' file.
re :but it disappears from BOTH folders when I delete from the InBox
When you deleted the email from the Inbox - I'm presuming you used the 'Delete' button and the email from Inbox went into the gmail Trash. This is the normal correct action for a standard delete.
If email is put into gmail Trash, then when gmail Trash is emptied, that email is deleted from the gmail 'All Mail' folder. As email no longer exists, it cannot display, so you are not going to see it any folder on server. As you use an imap account, this synchronises all the imap account folders with all the gmail 'labels'/folders. So it will not display in the imap account.
So what should you do when you want to put an email into your 'Archives' folder? You have two options and I would use option 1 as it is less confusing.
Option 1. Do not use Copy. You need to Move the email from 'Inbox' folder to 'Archives' folder. You can achieve this via: Either: right click on email and select 'Move to' - select gmail account and select 'Archives' folder. OR: you can drag and drop method - left click on email in Inbox and hold down to grab then drag from 'Inbox' and when hovering over 'Archives' folder drop it /release to put into that folder.
From gmails point of view, you have instructed gmail to remove the 'Inbox' label and apply the 'Archives' label. Email is still stored in the 'All Mail' folder on server and now appears in the server 'Archives' label/folder. Meaning when Thunderbird synchronises with server, it will also display email in imap 'Archives' folder.
Option 2. When you create the copy and put it in the 'Archives' folder, gmail understands this 'copy' action means the email stored in the 'All Mail' folder now has two 'labels' one called 'Inbox' and one called 'Archives'.
If you want the copy in 'Archives' to stay in that folder, but delete the copy in the 'Inbox', you need to instruct gmail that you want to remove the 'Inbox' label but keep the 'Archives' label.
To achieve this, you need to use a delete method that by-passes the gmail Trash, so that only the 'Inbox' label is removed. Use the keyboard - Delete message bypassing trash (no Undo!) Shift + Del Meaning : Hold down 'Shift' key and press 'Delete' key. More shortcut info : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/keyboard-shortcuts-thunderbird
I did say this is more complicated and you have to remember which delete action to use and when. It is just as quick to move the email as copy the email and then you do not need to delete anything.
Funda le mpendulo ngokuhambisana nalesi sihloko 👍 0All Replies (2)
Isisombululo Esikhethiwe
General info regarding 'All Mail' folder and 'labels'. Gmail keeps all your emails, that means all incoming, all outgoing, archived - the lot - everything in the 'All Mail' folder.
However, gmail understands this is not a desirable way to easily locate emails, so gmail uses a method which it calls 'Labels' which operate like a filter tag on an email stored in 'All Mail'.
The 'Label' appears in the form of a traditional Folder eg: 'Inbox' and offers a virtual display of the email which has that 'Inbox' filter tag label. This means everything appears in a more traditional easy to use Folder style.
When you delete an email, it will be put into the gmail Trash folder. This is normal. When you (or gmail) empty the Trash folder, that email is deleted from 'All Mail' folder, so it can no longer display in any folder/label regardless of how many various labels were applied.
If you delete the email and do NOT put it into the gmail Trash folder, then only the label is deleted and the original copy in the 'All Mail' remains in the 'All Mail' as an archived email.
re :I copy an email from my In Box to store it in Archives
Gmail consider the 'All Mail' folder as the default archive folder, so I presume you have created an 'Archives' folder for your own purposes as you do not subscribe to 'All Mail.
From gmails point of view both 'Inbox' and 'Archives' are just labels applied to the stored email which is in the 'All Mail' folder.
When you created a copy and put it in 'Archives', from gmails point of view this means, the email stored in the 'All Mail' folder now has two 'labels' one called 'Inbox' and one called 'Archives', so the one email can display in two folders. It is not two separate emails.
Thinderbird has no concept of 'labels', it accesses/synchronises server 'Inbox' and all other subscribed folders and downloads to it's own text mbox files. So from Thundrebird point of view, when you create a copy, it does put a real copy into the 'Archives' file.
re :but it disappears from BOTH folders when I delete from the InBox
When you deleted the email from the Inbox - I'm presuming you used the 'Delete' button and the email from Inbox went into the gmail Trash. This is the normal correct action for a standard delete.
If email is put into gmail Trash, then when gmail Trash is emptied, that email is deleted from the gmail 'All Mail' folder. As email no longer exists, it cannot display, so you are not going to see it any folder on server. As you use an imap account, this synchronises all the imap account folders with all the gmail 'labels'/folders. So it will not display in the imap account.
So what should you do when you want to put an email into your 'Archives' folder? You have two options and I would use option 1 as it is less confusing.
Option 1. Do not use Copy. You need to Move the email from 'Inbox' folder to 'Archives' folder. You can achieve this via: Either: right click on email and select 'Move to' - select gmail account and select 'Archives' folder. OR: you can drag and drop method - left click on email in Inbox and hold down to grab then drag from 'Inbox' and when hovering over 'Archives' folder drop it /release to put into that folder.
From gmails point of view, you have instructed gmail to remove the 'Inbox' label and apply the 'Archives' label. Email is still stored in the 'All Mail' folder on server and now appears in the server 'Archives' label/folder. Meaning when Thunderbird synchronises with server, it will also display email in imap 'Archives' folder.
Option 2. When you create the copy and put it in the 'Archives' folder, gmail understands this 'copy' action means the email stored in the 'All Mail' folder now has two 'labels' one called 'Inbox' and one called 'Archives'.
If you want the copy in 'Archives' to stay in that folder, but delete the copy in the 'Inbox', you need to instruct gmail that you want to remove the 'Inbox' label but keep the 'Archives' label.
To achieve this, you need to use a delete method that by-passes the gmail Trash, so that only the 'Inbox' label is removed. Use the keyboard - Delete message bypassing trash (no Undo!) Shift + Del Meaning : Hold down 'Shift' key and press 'Delete' key. More shortcut info : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/keyboard-shortcuts-thunderbird
I did say this is more complicated and you have to remember which delete action to use and when. It is just as quick to move the email as copy the email and then you do not need to delete anything.
Many thanks for such a comprehensive reply. Problem solved.