The number of unread emails on the server decreases but it should not
The number of unread emails on the server decreases but the same messages remain unread in TB and on the server
I installed TB for the first time (version 45.0) and I used POP 3 to connect it to an email account I've had since more than 10 years. While monitoring the download of those thousands of messages,I realised that the number of unread emails on the server decreased as the download was progressing.
I stopped the download, then ticked the "Leave message on server" checkbox and unticked the "until I delete them" checkbox and clicked on OK. I stopped TB, then restarted the computer.
Once the computer had been rebooted, I started TB again, checked that the 2 options were still configured as I wished and restarted the syncronisation: again, as the donwload was progressing, the number of unread emails on the server decreased.
I wanted to check what was happening (was the system simply marking the emails on the server as “unread” as soon as it copied them? was it deleting some emails from the server?) but unfortuntately having more than 14.000 email messages did not make it simple to check.
I found 3 email messages which had already been downloaded in TB (newletters I had not opened), and I checked on the server: the messagers were still there (they had not been deleted), and they were still unread. So, TB does not appear to be deleting the email messages, and it does not marl them as unread. At least, not with the 3 email messages I checked.
Then how is the number of “unread” emails still decreasing on the server?
Thank you in advance for your help
Kind Regards
פתרון נבחר
re :I stopped the download, then ticked the "Leave message on server" checkbox
Pop by default, downloads from server and deletes off server. So, I would assume, in the beginning, the server was deleting them. Hence reduction in number of messages and also the reduction in unread mail. After selecting "Leave message on server" it would download and leave a copy on the server.
I use BT and a pop mail account. I leave copies on server until I delete them. When I logon to see webmail, all messages I have downloaded will be deemed by the server as 'read' because I have downloaded them. If you see 'unread' mail that has been downloaded then maybe you need to refresh the webpage.
If some emails were filtered by the server and put into eg: server 'Spam' folder then they will not get downloaded and you would need to check them via webmail. These emails will remain as 'unread' until you read them via webmail so will be included in the 'unread' count until read or deleted. The server may have a policy of emptying the Spam and Trash periodically, which will also suddenly reduce the 'unread' count.
If you are viewing the webmail account via a browser and select an email on server then it will be recorded as read, so reducing the count of unread mail on server.
As you have a pop mail account, whether you read or unread mail in Thunderbird this will have no effect on changing status on the server as there is no synchronization with server folders.
re :unticked the "until I delete them" checkbox As you unchecked this at the time of selecting "Leave message on server", it means you can delete messages in Thunderbird and they will not be deleted off the server. Many people want to keep copies on server, but not those they have deleted because the server may end up reaching it quota and then no emails can be received by server.
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פתרון נבחר
re :I stopped the download, then ticked the "Leave message on server" checkbox
Pop by default, downloads from server and deletes off server. So, I would assume, in the beginning, the server was deleting them. Hence reduction in number of messages and also the reduction in unread mail. After selecting "Leave message on server" it would download and leave a copy on the server.
I use BT and a pop mail account. I leave copies on server until I delete them. When I logon to see webmail, all messages I have downloaded will be deemed by the server as 'read' because I have downloaded them. If you see 'unread' mail that has been downloaded then maybe you need to refresh the webpage.
If some emails were filtered by the server and put into eg: server 'Spam' folder then they will not get downloaded and you would need to check them via webmail. These emails will remain as 'unread' until you read them via webmail so will be included in the 'unread' count until read or deleted. The server may have a policy of emptying the Spam and Trash periodically, which will also suddenly reduce the 'unread' count.
If you are viewing the webmail account via a browser and select an email on server then it will be recorded as read, so reducing the count of unread mail on server.
As you have a pop mail account, whether you read or unread mail in Thunderbird this will have no effect on changing status on the server as there is no synchronization with server folders.
re :unticked the "until I delete them" checkbox As you unchecked this at the time of selecting "Leave message on server", it means you can delete messages in Thunderbird and they will not be deleted off the server. Many people want to keep copies on server, but not those they have deleted because the server may end up reaching it quota and then no emails can be received by server.