Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

IMAP emails not showing up on their own

more options

I have several email accounts / IMAP set-up. They are set to sync in 15 minutes. Regardless if I let it sit there for an hour or if I hit the "Get Messages" button on the toolbar, the number of message shown in each Inbox and Junk box does not change until I manually click on each folder. So looking at my tree of email accounts one inbox might have 10 mail total and 3 unread form earlier. It's not until I click on that folder I will then see the 10 and 3 and two second later it will sync and new ones will populate. The issue is; just looking at my email accounts and the numbers shown next to the folders I cant tell if there is new mail or not until I click on them. I have all desktop alerts turned off I prefer it this way I don't need all of that. I just want to be able to look and see new message. Even if I have an account with zero message I need to click to see the new ones there are no numbers appear. I am also running QuickFolders and its the same nothing shows up on those tabs until i physically click on them.

Any idea? Thanks.

I have several email accounts / IMAP set-up. They are set to sync in 15 minutes. Regardless if I let it sit there for an hour or if I hit the "Get Messages" button on the toolbar, the number of message shown in each Inbox and Junk box does not change until I manually click on each folder. So looking at my tree of email accounts one inbox might have 10 mail total and 3 unread form earlier. It's not until I click on that folder I will then see the 10 and 3 and two second later it will sync and new ones will populate. The issue is; just looking at my email accounts and the numbers shown next to the folders I cant tell if there is new mail or not until I click on them. I have all desktop alerts turned off I prefer it this way I don't need all of that. I just want to be able to look and see new message. Even if I have an account with zero message I need to click to see the new ones there are no numbers appear. I am also running QuickFolders and its the same nothing shows up on those tabs until i physically click on them. Any idea? Thanks.

Modified by Wayne Mery

Chosen solution

Subscribing to a folder makes it appear in the Folder Pane, but one might not always want a folder to be synced automatically if it is mainly an archive folder or one that seldom receives new mail. This limits the amount of network traffic and improves performance for syncing important folders.

Microsoft, gmail and other popular accounts should sync automatically, but if they don't, I'm inclined to think it's due to the VPN or a security/antivirus app that is scanning the TB profile folder. These are the two leading causes of poor performance due to external apps, and I would recommend running Windows in safe mode, to test the effect of startup apps, as being more instructive than simply running TB in safe mode.

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (11)

more options

When you right-click one of the folders that doesn't show new mail unless you select it, Properties, is the box 'When getting new messages... always check this folder' checked? It's usually not checked by default for IMAP to minimize network traffic.

more options

"When you right-click one of the folders that doesn't show new mail unless you select it," - I don't expect to right click to show email; I am expecting email to come thru and show in the folders as they sync with the server without me doing anything. Is that what they call push? Server pushes it down? Otherwise why even have the ability to auto-sync? If I need to click on each folder to force the sync/download from server then auto sync serves no purpose.

I don't see any "properties" I assume you mean server setting - I have all three boxes checked - Check for mail at startup / check every X minutes / allow immediate server notification when new messages arrive. That's all i see that is relevant.

I see each email server has a "subscribe" feature to check individual folders in each email account- inbox/draft/junk/etc. Not sure what this subscribe feature does maybe those are the folders you want to sync; I have all boxes checked on all email accounts.

Modified by user2451484

more options

Attached are images of my above comments;

Modified by user2451484

more options

See the attached picture which shows the context menu for a folder in the Folder Pane.

more options

Ok so my mistake the Properties option is there when right clicking folder - I was only focused on right clicking on the email address to take me to server setting I was not clicking on the actual folder. I right click a folder and Properties and it take me to attached windows. I don't see - 'When getting new messages... always check this folder'. I checked all 5 of the tabs in this window that expressions is not there. This seems bizarre the email would not populate. Not sure.

more options

The setting isn't present for folders that are automatically checked, such as Inbox. See the attached picture for the Properties window for a user-created folder.

more options

Ok.

I just want to sync Inbox.

more options

If an IMAP Inbox isn't displaying new messages as they arrive at the server, but only when the Inbox is selected, there is something wrong with the setup. Run TB in safe mode (hold Shift when you launch TB) and see if it makes any difference. Note also that when you click Get Messages, only the currently selected account is checked; click the drop-down to check a specific account or Get All New Messages (Shift+F5).

more options

Correction to my last stmt and yours regarding - "'When getting new messages... always check this folder' " and "The setting isn't present for folders that are automatically checked, such as Inbox...see user-created folder."

I do now see this box to check I went thru all server folders - Properties => and it looks like this box to be checked is an option on every server folder except the Inbox. I dont have user created folders but I imagine it will be there too as you pointed out.

Query as to what the purpose of this box is - the whole idea of syncing would be to sync server folders. Seems odd the user would need to go thru and manually select each folder to include in sync. Additionally how does the "Subscribe" feature come into play for each folder? I need to spend some time with these and see if i can understand how they interplay.

With that said - the "delayed syncing" issue that I am experiencing is happening on Inbox as well as Junk folders. So my Junk folders do not have that box checked, but the Inbox doesn't have a box to be be checked - their behavior is the same they are both not syncing, until I manually click on them to force the sync. I have half dozen mail accounts a few microsoft a gamil and some other ones and there is no difference they are all acting the same.

Regarding the Get Messages - using the drop down arrow on the right side of that button allows Get All New Messages which is what I use otherwise you are right it only pulls the account you are in.

I will try the safe starts and experiment with the buttons ans see if it improves. I am using TB for just three weeks now and I have issues daily when sending mail with no attachments the outgoing mail server will time out. Since the sync issue is universal it appears to be a global issue. Wonder if the vpn is causing an issue. It never has before using Outlook. Perhaps something in TB needs to be tweaked. I have no firewall monitors running during the day that would interfere just the vpn.

more options

Seçilmiş Həll

Subscribing to a folder makes it appear in the Folder Pane, but one might not always want a folder to be synced automatically if it is mainly an archive folder or one that seldom receives new mail. This limits the amount of network traffic and improves performance for syncing important folders.

Microsoft, gmail and other popular accounts should sync automatically, but if they don't, I'm inclined to think it's due to the VPN or a security/antivirus app that is scanning the TB profile folder. These are the two leading causes of poor performance due to external apps, and I would recommend running Windows in safe mode, to test the effect of startup apps, as being more instructive than simply running TB in safe mode.

more options

You are correct Subscribing will make the folder on the server appear in TB. Unsubscribe and the folder doesn't even show up. Checking the "get messages" in the Properties should allow to background sync and show new message even before clicking on the folder as you stated. I am not completely convinced that is working for me yet however. It may still be a vpn issue. If you go to any Inbox / Properties that "get messages" box doesn't exist since by default Inbox messages are supposed to be received regardless there is no option not to get them.

Some reference links I read thru though I don't fully understand all of what is being discussed. I have not tried the add-on yet I am going to experiment. Thanks for the help.

EDIT - the folder check add-on is for older versions of TB.

https://tinyurl.com/86tanse https://tinyurl.com/yaovscov https://tinyurl.com/ybv4hst8 https://tinyurl.com/yddmmnu5 https://tinyurl.com/ybqk3p74

Modified by user2451484