File-Subscribe

Unsubscribe to folder that you do not want to see.

That doesn't help, because the "Subscribe" option/link is not highlighted, so I can't click on it, and can't unsubscribe from anything.

how about you select your yahoo account first. That way Thunderbird might stand a chance of working out what you want to unsubscribe from.

POP accounts for instance have no open to unsubscribe, that is because they only download mail from the inbox. But the menu item is still there.

No matter what e-mail service or what file I highlight in Thunderbird, the "Subscribe" button will not light up. Specifically, if I highlight Yahoo.com and select File, the Subscribe button is greyed out. And the statement, "they only download mail from the inbox" is not accurate, because these Thunderbird is downloading these spam e-mail from the Spam folder on my e-mail account on the Yahoo server. How do I stop this from happening? Thunderbird is downloading e-mails from both the Inbox and the Spam folders on the Yahoo server, but I only want it to download the Inbox, NOT the junk in the spam folder. How do I make this happen? Please help. Thank you.

How about stating if you are using IMAP or POP so we can stop guessing.

Sorry, I'm using POP. I thought that was implied when I stated that I was "downloading" e-mails to my personal computer.

Thanks for your attempts to help.

With pop Thunderbird downloads messages that are in your inbox. If Yahoo places spam in your inbox on the server it gets downloaded. Check the Spam options at Yahoo. Most providers place spam in a spam folder.

That doesn't solve the problem, because as I stated in my first post: "e-mails in my spam folder on the Yahoo Mail server are downloaded by Thunderbird to my home computer." That is to say, Thunderbird is downloading e-mails in the Yahoo In Box AND the SPAM folder. I don't want the spam downloaded. How do I stop Thunderbird from downloading e-mails that Yahoo has already determined are spam?

Thank you.

As stated already any email client using pop protocol only downloads messages from the inbox. That is why I asked you if you were using pop or IMAP. What you are claiming does not add up. Of course we are talking about Yahoo. When you log into your account at the Yahoo web mail page are these spam messages displayed in both the inbox and the spam folder?

Well, I would agree that it doesn't make sense, but that's what's happening. The spam messages are found only in my Yahoo Spam folder, not in the Inbox. Thunderbird downloads the messages from both the Inbox and the Spam folder. Obviously this is a malfunction. I guess the question is: How do I make Thunderbird operate properly with Yahoo Mail, and only download messages from the Yahoo Inbox?

My only suggestion is get a mail provider that works. Maybe someone else will have an idea. Google pop email and see how it works.

So you're blaming this problem on Yahoo?

Pop downloads only from the server Inbox. I do not know how I can explain it any better.

I am blaming this on your lack of understanding of mail protocols, not on Yahoo, Thunderbird or anything else. Your expectations and reality differ.

The POP mail protocol has only the concept of an inbox. The protocol has no concept of folders, spam or anything else. If mail is addressed to you it is placed in the inbox for download. Basically your choice of mail protocol is what is leaving you with a problem. Given the protocol has seen no significant change in the past 20 years, I doubt it will be changing much into the near future.

Should you choose to use IMAP, then the concept of folders exists and you can selectively subscribe to the folders you want to see.

As an aside, but I think relevant, I have fielded questions very recently from folk who are doing battle with the Yahoo spam filter. In one case all mail from the woman's mother was classified as SPAM by Yahoo, and attempt to change the classification were prompt "corrected" by the yahoo IMAP server. So I think the message is the spam filter they employ is a very troubled concept that is fraught with difficulties with it's implementation.

You are right that I don't understand the entire system(s); If I did I would solve the problem myself and not seek help. I do know this: Yahoo does (usually) correctly classify spam e-mail that I receive and puts it into a spam folder. Thunderbird downloads e-mail from the Yahoo spam folder and often doesn't even label it as spam (although it sometimes does. I've received responses to my problem that have stated that Thunderbird only down loads e-mail from the Inbox. That is NOT true, it is clearly downloading e-mail that is NOT in the Yahoo inbox, but in the Spam box (or folder). This is a problem with Thunderbird, NOT Yahoo, because Yahoo has correctly quarantined the spam. If Thunderbird can't tell the difference between e-mails in a Yahoo Inbox and Spam folder, that's a deficiency in Thunderbird that needs to be rectified.

If Yahoo put all supposed spam into a folder, you'd never see it in a POP-connected account in a mail client. Therefore you would not see any good messages that had been incorrectly classified as spam. They are doing you a favour by not removing these from the POP download so you still have the opportunity to see them. Otherwise you'd have to periodically go to the email account via your web browser to check on what's in the Spam folder. Doing so would negate the whole reason for using an email client.

IMAP, which Yahoo do provide, would avoid all this, because you would be able to all the folders ion the server, including Inbox, Spam and Bulk Mail.

However you would be a fool not to subscribe the Spam and Bulk Mail folders since their cr@ppy system clearly classifies some good messages as spam or bulk.

Are the spammy messages identified in any way? Do they add anything to the subject?

gdbateman said

You are right that I don't understand the entire system(s); If I did I would solve the problem myself and not seek help. I do know this: Yahoo does (usually) correctly classify spam e-mail that I receive and puts it into a spam folder. Thunderbird downloads e-mail from the Yahoo spam folder and often doesn't even label it as spam (although it sometimes does. I've received responses to my problem that have stated that Thunderbird only down loads e-mail from the Inbox. That is NOT true, it is clearly downloading e-mail that is NOT in the Yahoo inbox, but in the Spam box (or folder). This is a problem with Thunderbird, NOT Yahoo, because Yahoo has correctly quarantined the spam. If Thunderbird can't tell the difference between e-mails in a Yahoo Inbox and Spam folder, that's a deficiency in Thunderbird that needs to be rectified.

You do not understand, but you also are not learning. Regardless of what you see in your web page with Yahoo. The pop mail protocol does not see that. It sees an inbox. If you get mail you do not want to in that inbox take it up with Yahoo. There is nothing anyone here can do to change how POP works.

I'm learning, but primarily what I'm learning are the limitations and deficiencies. YOU are not listening to me. My contention is that if any e-mail server has already classified e-mail as spam, Thunderbird should have an option for the recipient to NOT download the spam.

Since you seem unwilling to help solve this defect in Thunderbird, please don't respond to this e-mail string.

I will make this as simple as I can.

I am listening and I understand what your saying. But your contention simply will not work because none of the things you rely on exist.

In POP. There is no spam filtering. There are no folders and most of all there is only new mail addressed to your mail address waiting to downloaded. There is nothing else.

Once you accept that is is that limited you will get over the pointless repetition of what the server has done. As far as pop is concerned it has done nothing because all the things your contention relies on simply do not exist in the pop universe.

Expect anything more that to download all new mail addressed to your email address and you will be sorely disappointed.

Previously I gave you a link to the RFC that defines the POP protocol. here it is again. https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1939 This is the protocol that all mail client must adhere to. So unless you can find something in there that says spam filtering should not be downloaded, or that it even exists, there is no defect, only an unfortunate difference between the reality of email and your expectation.

If you think I am unwilling to help solve the issue. That is because aefect does not exist. It may well be a limitation. But there is nothing that will change that it exists. You have been provided with information on how to do what you want (use IMAP) your choice not to do that is yours to make. But I will not be wasting any further time on this topic. It is a total waste of my time trying to explain to you the facts of how email works as you are simply not interested in anything but your own baseless contention.