RE: but I don't have access to old email messages that are suppose to be stored on the server (IMAP).

But, you do not explain why do you not have access?

Can you log on to the webmail account? Have you logged on to the webmail account and selected IMAP forwarding? Have you created an IMAP mail account in Thunderbird to access the server? Is the webmail account no longer in use?

Please offer some more info to explain the situation.

It is an email account under my employers domain name. It is showing as IMAP Mail Server in the Server Settings section of Thunderbird (Port: 143, Default: 143).

I am just not sure, what I am suppose to do, step by step, to download all the email messages from the past two years.

This is my topic too: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=2878043

Thank you!

So you have created an IMAP mail account and you have obviously received emails in the Inbox.

To see any folder on an IMAP server ou need to 'subscribe' to see it. You subscribe a folder by right-clicking on the remote Inbox, selecting "Subscribe", expanding the Inbox tree in the window, and subscribing whatever folders you want. You can configure it to show all folders by unchecking the checkmark at Tools > Account Settings ->Server Settings -> Advanced -> IMAP -> Show only subscribed folders.

Then you need to 'synchronise' the folder to get a copy downloaded to your Thunderbird profile folder. check that you do not a limit on what is downloaded under: Tools > account Settings > Synchronisation &Storage You want to synchronise all messages regardless of age. This link discusses all this in more detail with images to assist:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/imap-synchronization#

Once folder have been synchronised and emails dowloaded. Then go onto 'offline' mode to stop futher synchronising etc. Click on two blue screen icon located bottom left in Task Bar. Two black screen icon means you are offline. Clicking on this icon toggles this mode online/offline.

Then right click on selected/highlighted emails and choose to get a copy of emails into suitable folders in Local Folders. Then these emails are not effected by the server - these copies will be on your computer regardless of whether you have the IMAP mail account or not.

Then go back into online mode to continue as usual.

Thank you. I tried to follow the above steps several times, but I am not downloading any messages, older than October 2013. I am missing around a year and a half of emails. I am not sure, is it possible that they are no longer on the server then?

The only way to definately know if they are on the server would be to logon to the webmail account using a browser.

They may have been moved to an Archive folder. You would need to see what folders you can subscribe to see. Perhaps there is an Archive folder on the server, but unsure what name the company (your employers domain) would have named the folder.