do you have many joints pieces in messages ?

Hi thank you for replying -sorry I dont understand your question

Please supply information.

Do you have an IMAP or Pop mail account?

What settings do you have here? :

'Tools' > 'Account Settings' > 'Copies & Folders' for the mail account

When sending messages, automatically select 'Place a copy in'.....is this selected?

if Pop mail account: select: 'Sent' folder on 'mail account name'..........is this selected?

If IMAP mail acount: select: 'Other' and 'Sent on mail account name'.........is this selected?

Hi thank you for taking the time to message

Account is IMAP

the setting are as you say -although it was in the pop setting changed to other but the same problem

It seems to be the local sent folder that is the issue.

Can I delete it or make a new folder for sent mail? I think I had not compacted/mamaged it enough and it has got confused!

what version of Thunderbird are you using?

So your settings say: IMAP mail acount: selected: 'Place a copy in'. selected: 'Other' and 'Sent on Local Folders.'

This means that although you use an imap account you are not saving the sent items on the server with all your other emails. Instead you are saving them in Local Folders on your computer.

Try this.

• Right click on the Sent Folder in Local Folders.
• select 'Properties'
• 'General Information' tab - click on 'Repair Folder'
• click on OK
• click on the small black arrow to the left of 'Local Folders' to collapse the Local folders tree.
• Then click again to open the Local Folder tree so that you can see all the folders again.

• Select / highlight all sent emails. (Ctrl+A); they should appear as 'conversations' in the Message Pane.
• Archive those emails - click on 'Archive' button. The emails should appear in the Local Folders Archive folder. Your Sent folder should now appear empty.
• Then right click on Sent folder in Local Folders and select 'compact'.

thank you everyone for helping me and especially to Toad-Hall for the detailed suggestion and explanation which has solved my problem - will remember to archive in future..many many thanks