I switched from IMAP to POP3. I now have two accounts in the Thunderbird email client.
Hello!
I'm using Thunderbird ver. 78 and a clean Win10 installation. The incoming server setting until recently was IMAP, until I changed it to POP3 a week ago. Both accounts are currently visible in the directory structure in the Thunderbird setup. I wish to remove the IMAP account but as the contents of the "sent" folder in the new POP3 folder is not the same as in the IMAP "sent" folder, I'm not sure how to proceed and hope a kind person will be able to help with good advice? Might I be able to cut and paste from the IMAP "sent" folder the POP3 "sent" folder and will I be able to keep the data after I delete the IMAP??
Thank you very much in anticipation.
John
Keazen oplossing
The imap account folders only show what is on server, so when you 'remove' the imap account via 'Account Settings' you will not see anything that was previously in any imap folder. The exception would be the Inbox because the pop account can get access to the server Inbox and download whatever is in the server Inbox and it will show up in the pop account Inbox folder.
You mention getting a copy of whatever is currently in the imap 'Sent' folder. But the instructions would apply to any imap folder just in case you have other imap folders containing sorted emails.
First you need to ensure you have downloaded a full copy of all emails.
- Right click on imap account name in Folder Pane and select 'Settings'
The 'Account Settings' opens in a new tab
- Select 'Synchronisation & storage'
- select 'keep messages in all folders for this account......'
- click on 'Advanced..' button
- select the checkboxes for all the folders (and sub folders) you need to download full copies
- eg: 'Sent'
- click on OK
- close 'Account Settings' tab
- 'Menu icon' > 'File' > 'Offline' > select 'Download/sync now'
- Select 'Mail Messages'
- Select 'work offline once download and/or synchronisation is complete'
- click on 'OK'
Once in offline mode... Check...can you read emails in the 'Sent' folder. If yes, then you have full copies downloaded. In offline mode no imap folders will synchronise with server, so this allows you to get copies of 'sent' emails into the pop account 'Sent' folder.
see Note below before continuing with next section as it may apply to you. 'Note' :If you have a lot of emails and perhaps several folders worth of emails you want to move, it might be easier and quicker to get copies by copying the mbox files from the imap account into the pop mail account. In which case follow method 2 below. But if otherwise do the following in method 1.
Method 1.
- Select/highlight batches of emails in the 'Sent' imap folder.
- Right click on highlighted emails and select 'Copy-to' and choose the pop account 'Sent' folder.
I say use 'Copy-to' because if something goes wrong then you have not lost the originals.
- Check you can read emails in the pop account Sent folder.
- Repeat until you have copies of all emails in pop account.
When all is done, you can go back to online mode.
- Click on the far left icon in the bottom 'Status Bar' to return to online mode.
Now you can 'unsubscribe' from seeing folders in the imap account and then finally remove the imap account via 'Account Settings' > 'Account Actions'.
Method 2. In Thunderbird.
- Help > Troubleshooting Information
- Click on 'Open Folder'
A new window opens showing contents of your profile name folder. You will see a 'Mail' folder which contains the pop account and also an 'ImapMail' folder which contains the imap account.
- Exit Thunderbird now - this is important.
- Click on 'Mail' folder
- Right click on 'pop mail account name' folder and select: 'open in new window'.
- Click on 'ImapMail' folder
- click on imap mail account name folder to see contents
- Select 'View' tab and select 'Details' and 'file name extensions'
mbox files do not have any extension. They contain emails and have the same name as the folder you usually see in the Folder Pane. *.msf files are just indexing files - so ignore them. Any folder with .sbd extension means you have subfolders, so these folders may contain mbox files.
- Right click on the 'Sent' mbox file and select 'Copy'
- Now select the other window which shows the contents of your pop account.
- Right click and select 'Paste'
It will ask if you want to overwrite or create same file with number, so select to keep file name with added number.
- Then you can rename that copied 'Sent' file as 'OldSent'.
- Repeat for any other mbox file you want to copy.
Once all is copied, you can restart Thunderbird, unsubscribe from seeing folders and then remove the imap account via 'Account settings' > 'Account Actions'
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Keazen oplossing
The imap account folders only show what is on server, so when you 'remove' the imap account via 'Account Settings' you will not see anything that was previously in any imap folder. The exception would be the Inbox because the pop account can get access to the server Inbox and download whatever is in the server Inbox and it will show up in the pop account Inbox folder.
You mention getting a copy of whatever is currently in the imap 'Sent' folder. But the instructions would apply to any imap folder just in case you have other imap folders containing sorted emails.
First you need to ensure you have downloaded a full copy of all emails.
- Right click on imap account name in Folder Pane and select 'Settings'
The 'Account Settings' opens in a new tab
- Select 'Synchronisation & storage'
- select 'keep messages in all folders for this account......'
- click on 'Advanced..' button
- select the checkboxes for all the folders (and sub folders) you need to download full copies
- eg: 'Sent'
- click on OK
- close 'Account Settings' tab
- 'Menu icon' > 'File' > 'Offline' > select 'Download/sync now'
- Select 'Mail Messages'
- Select 'work offline once download and/or synchronisation is complete'
- click on 'OK'
Once in offline mode... Check...can you read emails in the 'Sent' folder. If yes, then you have full copies downloaded. In offline mode no imap folders will synchronise with server, so this allows you to get copies of 'sent' emails into the pop account 'Sent' folder.
see Note below before continuing with next section as it may apply to you. 'Note' :If you have a lot of emails and perhaps several folders worth of emails you want to move, it might be easier and quicker to get copies by copying the mbox files from the imap account into the pop mail account. In which case follow method 2 below. But if otherwise do the following in method 1.
Method 1.
- Select/highlight batches of emails in the 'Sent' imap folder.
- Right click on highlighted emails and select 'Copy-to' and choose the pop account 'Sent' folder.
I say use 'Copy-to' because if something goes wrong then you have not lost the originals.
- Check you can read emails in the pop account Sent folder.
- Repeat until you have copies of all emails in pop account.
When all is done, you can go back to online mode.
- Click on the far left icon in the bottom 'Status Bar' to return to online mode.
Now you can 'unsubscribe' from seeing folders in the imap account and then finally remove the imap account via 'Account Settings' > 'Account Actions'.
Method 2. In Thunderbird.
- Help > Troubleshooting Information
- Click on 'Open Folder'
A new window opens showing contents of your profile name folder. You will see a 'Mail' folder which contains the pop account and also an 'ImapMail' folder which contains the imap account.
- Exit Thunderbird now - this is important.
- Click on 'Mail' folder
- Right click on 'pop mail account name' folder and select: 'open in new window'.
- Click on 'ImapMail' folder
- click on imap mail account name folder to see contents
- Select 'View' tab and select 'Details' and 'file name extensions'
mbox files do not have any extension. They contain emails and have the same name as the folder you usually see in the Folder Pane. *.msf files are just indexing files - so ignore them. Any folder with .sbd extension means you have subfolders, so these folders may contain mbox files.
- Right click on the 'Sent' mbox file and select 'Copy'
- Now select the other window which shows the contents of your pop account.
- Right click and select 'Paste'
It will ask if you want to overwrite or create same file with number, so select to keep file name with added number.
- Then you can rename that copied 'Sent' file as 'OldSent'.
- Repeat for any other mbox file you want to copy.
Once all is copied, you can restart Thunderbird, unsubscribe from seeing folders and then remove the imap account via 'Account settings' > 'Account Actions'