Stop Thunderbird from Deleting Emails - Top 7 Ways

Thunderbird is the go-to email client for most of the users. This program is great for managing your personal emails as well as professionals. It is considered one of the most popular email applications due to its amazing features like multi-account support, offline access, etc.

In terms of email management, Thunderbird is a number one choice. Although it provides great services, the complex settings can lead to many issues like emails in Thunderbird mysteriously disappearing or getting deleted. Therefore, in this article, we will guide you to various solutions and easily explain this method.

Why Thunderbird Deletes Emails?

Thunderbird is prone to many issues like Thunderbird running slow, etc. so Thunderbird removing your data without your permission is not a common problem and there are many reasons behind this issue which we have explained below.

• You have accidentally deleted your data. This is the most common factor of the program.
• In Thunderbird, you have set up cleanup settings and the auto-delete option.
• The folders of the Thunderbird are set up due to the retention policy.
• Your Thunderbird profile or mailbox is corrupted.
• Sometimes, IMAP synchronization settings can also cause the deletion from the server.

Many factors cause the problems. If you want to stop Thunderbird from deleting emails, there are many ways to do that. We will explain it below one by one. These solutions are found on the internet and advised by experts. Here are the solutions to prevent Thunderbird from data loss.

Change Thunderbird Retention Settings

The retention settings of Thunderbird tell us how long we can store the emails. If the settings are misconfigured there are chances of your deletion of emails.

1. Open Thunderbird and go to Tools and Account Settings.
2. Choose the account that you want to configure. Click on Synchronization & Storage.
3. In the Disk Space uncheck the Don’t download messages larger than… and Delete messages more than [X] days old.
4. After that click on the OK button to save the changes.

Set Folder Retention Settings

If the retention policy is applied to a particular folder this can also make your emails deleted. So here are the steps that you can use to stop Thunderbird from deleting emails.

1. In the Thunderbird, right-click on the folder in which you want to change the settings.
2. Choose the Properties option. Navigate to the Retention Policy tab.
3. Select Use my account settings or Don’t delete any messages.
4. After that click OK.

Disable Message Filters

Message filters help you organize your emails however they can also delete emails if configured not properly.

1. Go to the Tools option in the Thunderbird and click on Message Filters.
2. Find any filters that are used for Delete Message or Move to Trash.
3. Disable them, and click on the OK button.

Set IMAP Synchronization

If you use IMAP accounts in Thunderbird to configure your emails with the server and delete them from the server, your Thunderbird emails will be deleted.

1. Click on Tools and Account Settings from the Thunderbird.
2. Choose your account and click Leave messages on the server from the Server Settings for POP accounts.
3. For IMAP accounts, don’t click on Clean up (Expunge) Inbox on Exit.
4. Press the OK button at last.

Disable Add-Ons to Prevent Thunderbird Data Loss

There are some Thunderbird Add-ons that can interfere with your mailbox settings. Disabling these extensions can stop Thunderbird from deleting emails.

1. Again go to the Tools and press Add-ons and Themes options.
2. Review your installed extensions. Then disable the one which can cause the problem.
3. Restart the Thunderbird and check if the issue still exists.

Avoid Accidental Deletions

Users can avoid accidental deletions by enabling a dialog before they delete them. For this follow the steps below.

1. In your Thunderbird, click on the Tools option.
2. Select the Options and then the General button.
3. Enable the Confirm before deleting messages. Hit the OK button.

Backup Emails Regularly

Backing up your emails is very beneficial not only in this case but also in safely storing your data. This is the best way to prevent your data from losing as well if you need to access the data in the future. When it comes to saving your data, it is best to use a way that can completely download the emails without affecting the original data.

For this, the Corbett Thunderbird Backup Tool would be a great option. This software helps you download your complete Thunderbird profiles in zero downtime.

Steps to Stop Thunderbird from Deleting Emails

1. Download the software and click on the Open button.
2. Select the Desktop Email Clients, and choose Thunderbird email client.
3. Click on Configure Thunderbird account. After that, your data will be present in front of you.
4. Preview your emails and then click on the Export button.
5. Select any export option and browse the location of the file. Then, click on the Save button.

Conclusion

If you want to stop Thunderbird from preventing emails, this guide provides various solutions. Here, we have explained the reasons that cause the problem and seven solutions. You can see that there are multiple methods to solve them. However, it is best to backup your data to prevent them from losing the data in the future.