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won't import email folders and their contents except inbox.

  • 1 reply
  • 2 have this problem
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  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

catprof
catprof
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I want to import all email folders with their contents from my current professional email account into Thunderbird. I was able to do this successfully 4 years ago from a different professional email account and can view them offline.

When I tried importing, the only folder that imported was the current inbox, not the thousands in my subfolders even though I set up the account not to restrict the number of emails it imports. It is set to synchronize all messages regardless of age.

From the drop down list, when I click on tools--> import, I noticed that I also do not have access to click on import everything. That also only imports local mail, not from a different server. When I click on File--> offline-->download/sync now, nothing happens.

I am changing jobs soon and need to save all correspondence from my current position. Please assist.

I want to import all email folders with their contents from my current professional email account into Thunderbird. I was able to do this successfully 4 years ago from a different professional email account and can view them offline. When I tried importing, the only folder that imported was the current inbox, not the thousands in my subfolders even though I set up the account not to restrict the number of emails it imports. It is set to synchronize all messages regardless of age. From the drop down list, when I click on tools--> import, I noticed that I also do not have access to click on import everything. That also only imports local mail, not from a different server. When I click on File--> offline-->download/sync now, nothing happens. I am changing jobs soon and need to save all correspondence from my current position. Please assist.

All Replies (1)

Toad-Hall
Toad-Hall
  • Top 25 Contributor
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This sounds like you have created a Pop mail account. Pop mail accounts can only connect with the server Inbox and download from that Inbox to your Thunderbird mail account Inbox. They cannot see any other folder. This is not a Thunderbird quirk, this is how all pop mail accounts work no matter what email client is used.

Options. You can create an IMAP mail account if that option is available to you. IMAP mail accounts can connect see all folders on server. You would be remotely connecting to server, so all emails will be stored on the server.

Or you could perform a once off workaround. Create the folders in your pop mail account in Thunderbird. Then log on to your webmail account using a browser and move all emails from one folder into the Inbox. Then in Thunderbird run the GetMail to download those emails, then move them into the appropriate folder. Repeat for each folder.

Once you have all those emails downloaded into Thunderbird pop mail account, all future incoming emails to server Inbox will be downloaded to Thunderbird Inbox. Make sure there are no filters running in the webmail account.