Cannot delete emails from Webmail Sent Folder

[#1]

Hi

When I go into Webmail there are a large number of emails in the Sent Folder.  I cannot get rid of them.

If I try deleting them (individually or in bulk) they disappear, turn up in the Deleted Items Folder and then soon after they reappear in the Sent folder (greyed out but still there).

I have tried using delete in the Deleted Items folder as soon as they get there, but that doesn't help, they still bounce back into the Sent Folder.

Grateful for any ideas.

V

[#2]

Hi @millerv !

Thanks for reaching out over the forums, hope you're keeping well  

Just so I'm accurate, are you seeing this issue on Webmail or on a email client? (E.g outlook, mailbird, thunderbird, eM Client etc). 

[#3]

Hi Curtis

I first noticed the problem in the email client.

Then I went into Webmail and could not delete from the Sent folder there either.

Thanks.

[#4]

Culling mailbox contents

If you need to clean out your mailbox, may be because it is over quota, then as well as tidying up the inbox, you need to also look at the SENT ITEMS folder and then afterwards clear out the TRASH folder. However some times webmail performance can make this process very tedious, particularly if the delete action (actually a move to the trash folder) fails.

If you primarily want to delete emails, you can mitigate delete performance issues by doing an "immediate" delete (rather than a move to trash for deletion later) by holding down the SHIFT key when pressing the DEL key. This works in both webmail and most PC based email clients. WARNING SHIFT+DEL is not recoverable so be certain absolutely, that you do not need the email before pressing the buttons!

Alternatively, in webmail (Round Cube) Settings -> Server Settings there are some options worth exploring controlling how deletes are performed...

1. Flag the message for deletion instead of delete
2. If moving messages to "Deleted Items" fails, permanently delete them
3. Compact Inbox on logout

Setting these options and using them together will avoid the over heads of moving items to the trash folder when you wish to delete them. They will simply be greyed out and remain in the inbox list. After logging out of webmail, they will then be removed from the mailbox.

Whilst this might be highly proficient, it needs to be used with care, for when they are gone, they are gone. Note also that Plusnet house-keeping clears out the trash folder weekly.

[#5]

Hi Townman

The folder where I cannot get rid of old emails is the Sent Folder.  I have no problems with deleting items in the Inbox or with emptying Trash.

Following your suggestions, I tried using SHIFT+DEL with no success.  I also changed the three Server Settings as suggested (flagged for deletion, etc), marked up the emails etc, then logged out and back in, but as before all the old emails that I tried to delete have reappeared in the Sent Folder.

Any other ideas?

Thanks.

[#6]

Are needing specific ones deleted or just the whole sent box? 

If its the latter than I'll be able to our Network Operations Team to take a look and delete what's in the inbox. 

[#7]

It is all the old emails that are sitting in the Sent Folder.

But even if they are removed, would that stop it happening again?

[#8]

The delete / reappear characteristic arises from server time outs. The client removes the deleted items from the folder display and then directs the server to move / delete the items. If that times out, the client redisplays the actual folder content.

[#9]

On Thunderbird do you have the setting set to IMAP or POP3?

[#10]

Hi Sammy

This problem started last July.  At the time I was using eM Client for my emails, with IMAP settings.  The emails that will not delete from the Sent Folder in Webmail are a large number of emails from last July up until this weekend using eM Client with IMAP.

To see if it helped, on Saturday I removed the account with IMAP settings on eM Client and set up the account again using POP settings.  I still could not get rid of the old emails in the Webmail Sent Folder.

Then I set up a new account using Thunderbird with POP settings.  I have sent test emails using POP and they don't seem to appear in the Webmail Sent Folder at all.

The emails that won't budge from the Webmail Sent Folder are all ones from using IMAP. 

Thanks

[#11]

Forgive me, I'm relying to get to the bottom of this for you so if I have missed this in your replies, I'm sorry. 

Have you logged into webmail from the site and deleted the emails in the sent folder? Do they stay disappeared? 

[#12]

Yes I have logged into Webmail and tried to delete them from there (many times now). 

If you try to delete them through Webmail they disappear into Delete then reappear in the Sent Folder moments later. 

I have tried changing the Webmail settings as advised elsewhere but the emails still do not disappear.

[#13]

---

@millerv wrote:

Then I set up a new account using Thunderbird with POP settings.  I have sent test emails using POP and they don't seem to appear in the Webmail Sent Folder at all.

The emails that won't budge from the Webmail Sent Folder are all ones from using IMAP. 

---

The use of a POP3 email client will create utter confusion.

POP3 sent items are only stored locally (if at all), not on the IMAP mail server.  Mixing POP3 and IMAP operation invariably causes more confusion and problems than are fixed.

Can you delete sent items individually using webmail?  There have been some recent performance issues ... and multiple deletes can be challenging at the best of times.  Using immediate deletes (rather than move to recycle bin) can be helpful.

[#14]

This has been happening since last July, with IMAP settings (there was no problem before that time).  I have only just set up a POP account to see what would happen.  And having done so I got rid of the IMAP account.   So there is not a mix of IMAP and POP accounts.

Yes, I have tried both deleting individually and in bulk.  Neither works.

[#15]

The mix up is here - "I have sent test emails using POP and they don't seem to appear in the Webmail Sent Folder at all" - which infers and expectation that items sent using a POP3 client will get put in the IMAP server's sent items folder ... which is what Webmail accesses.

Using POP3 where a mailbox is accessed by more than one email client at best causes confusion, at worst results in a disjointed sent mail history and the risk that received mail is not visible where required.

The IMAP "account" is simply the configuration on the client - the email server file store content remains and IIRC notably, the sent folder is not typically visible to a POP3 client.