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I deleted all files in optus webmail and they all disappeared in thunderbird

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  • Last reply by christ1

ThunderbirdSurprise
ThunderbirdSurprise
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Hi - I have an email account with Optus. When I open Thunderbird it downloads emails from the Optus Server. I received an email from Optus saying "Mail Quota Warning" so I did as I did before I started using Thunderbird (when I used Outlook) and went into Optus Webmail and deleted all emails in all folders eg. In, Out, Sent, Trash etc. But when I then opened Thunderbird ALL my emails were gone! This did not happen when I was using Outlook. Is the problem with my Thunderbird settings or my Optus Webmail settings (unlikely since I have not changed them). If the problem is with my Thunderbird settings eg. Preferences, then which Preferences? Thanks Geoff Lee. PS. I think Thunderbird is at fault because it uses IMAP by default instead of using POP3 which is supposed to stop the problem of losing all your emails. But how can I change to POP3?

Hi - I have an email account with Optus. When I open Thunderbird it downloads emails from the Optus Server. I received an email from Optus saying "Mail Quota Warning" so I did as I did before I started using Thunderbird (when I used Outlook) and went into Optus Webmail and deleted all emails in all folders eg. In, Out, Sent, Trash etc. But when I then opened Thunderbird ALL my emails were gone! This did not happen when I was using Outlook. Is the problem with my Thunderbird settings or my Optus Webmail settings (unlikely since I have not changed them). If the problem is with my Thunderbird settings eg. Preferences, then which Preferences? Thanks Geoff Lee. PS. I think Thunderbird is at fault because it uses IMAP by default instead of using POP3 which is supposed to stop the problem of losing all your emails. But how can I change to POP3?

Modified by ThunderbirdSurprise

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christ1
christ1
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But when I then opened Thunderbird ALL my emails were gone! This did not happen when I was using Outlook.

Presumably you didn't use IMAP with Outlook.

Is the problem with my Thunderbird settings or my Optus Webmail settings

This isn't a matter of wrong settings, it's simply the way how IMAP works.

I think Thunderbird is at fault because it uses IMAP by default instead of using POP3 which is supposed to stop the problem of losing all your emails.

My best guess is Thunderbird defaults to IMAP because it's the more modern protocol primarily used by email providers. That default may not be desirable for you, but it certainly is for others. You could have changed the default to POP upon initial account setup, which you evidently did not.

In order to change from IMAP to POP see https://support.mozilla.org/kb/faq-changing-imap-pop