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How can I recover deleted emails from the server on a mac (el captain)

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  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

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I have accidentally deleted all my emails in thunderbird, I am using a Mac El Captain. How can I recover them from the server they were not compacted. Please help. Thanks in advance.

I have accidentally deleted all my emails in thunderbird, I am using a Mac El Captain. How can I recover them from the server they were not compacted. Please help. Thanks in advance.

Chosen solution

In thunderbird Help > TRoublshooting Information click on 'show folder' a new window opens showing profile folder name

Close Thunderbird now - this is important

you should see 'Mail' and 'ImapMail' folders

If pop: click on Mail then click on pop mail account name If Imap: click on 'ImapMail' folder click on imap mail account name

You should see the eg: 'Inbox' mbox file - it has no extension.

If imap and there is no Inbox (no extension) only an inbox.msf then the following is of no use because the folders were never synchronised for offline use.

Otherwise: Open the 'Inbox' file using Notepad Each email will start with these lines: this is an example

  • From - Sun Dec 28 18:14:40 2014
  • X-Mozilla-Status: 0001
  • X-Mozilla-Status2: 00800000

Use 'Edit' > 'Find' Starting at the top use the look for this line: X-Mozilla-Status: 0001

Make sure each X-Mozilla-Status: has the number 0001

  • edit the number as required working down through the document.
  • Save the file.
  • delete the 'Inbox.msf' file. A new one will be auto created.

repeat with other files as required.

Restart Thunderbird.

that should get emails back in Thunderbird Inbox.

If imap then TB should connect to server. see if that puts the emails back onto the server.

If it fails to put back on server and seems to delete them again. Go through the same process again - making sure TB is closed/exited first. Do the correction again eg; X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 Then save file as eg: OldInbox then put the 'OldInbox' file in 'Local Folders' account which is under 'Mail' folder not 'ImapMail'. Restart Thunderbird.

This time you should see all those emails in a new folder called 'OldInbox' in the 'Local Folders' account. Test one email first: Use the right click on email 'copy to' and select the imap mail account Inbox. Allow some time for computer and server to synchronise and then check to see if the email is on the server Inbox via webmail. If yes, then copy more emails over. You can then use the 'OldInbox' as one of your backups, but you should backup the entire Profile. You can do that manually by copying the Profile folder name usually called xxxxxxxx.default. Where the x's are letters and numbers. Make sure TB is closed before copying that folder. Store it on external usb or disk drive.

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it depends why you setted your email account in the server. If it is gmail, you can always go to the www.gmail.com and login there. Go to preferences and ask to download all your messages and not only the last one after the setting command. If there is another host, you must see with the host how to restore emails.

All emails in thunderbird are only copies from the emails stored in host. Unless you setted the program to delete the messages in host after downloaded by imap or pop3, there would be easy to get them again.

Otherwise, host has backup. You must contact them.

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Thank yu !!1

)
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Chosen Solution

In thunderbird Help > TRoublshooting Information click on 'show folder' a new window opens showing profile folder name

Close Thunderbird now - this is important

you should see 'Mail' and 'ImapMail' folders

If pop: click on Mail then click on pop mail account name If Imap: click on 'ImapMail' folder click on imap mail account name

You should see the eg: 'Inbox' mbox file - it has no extension.

If imap and there is no Inbox (no extension) only an inbox.msf then the following is of no use because the folders were never synchronised for offline use.

Otherwise: Open the 'Inbox' file using Notepad Each email will start with these lines: this is an example

  • From - Sun Dec 28 18:14:40 2014
  • X-Mozilla-Status: 0001
  • X-Mozilla-Status2: 00800000

Use 'Edit' > 'Find' Starting at the top use the look for this line: X-Mozilla-Status: 0001

Make sure each X-Mozilla-Status: has the number 0001

  • edit the number as required working down through the document.
  • Save the file.
  • delete the 'Inbox.msf' file. A new one will be auto created.

repeat with other files as required.

Restart Thunderbird.

that should get emails back in Thunderbird Inbox.

If imap then TB should connect to server. see if that puts the emails back onto the server.

If it fails to put back on server and seems to delete them again. Go through the same process again - making sure TB is closed/exited first. Do the correction again eg; X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 Then save file as eg: OldInbox then put the 'OldInbox' file in 'Local Folders' account which is under 'Mail' folder not 'ImapMail'. Restart Thunderbird.

This time you should see all those emails in a new folder called 'OldInbox' in the 'Local Folders' account. Test one email first: Use the right click on email 'copy to' and select the imap mail account Inbox. Allow some time for computer and server to synchronise and then check to see if the email is on the server Inbox via webmail. If yes, then copy more emails over. You can then use the 'OldInbox' as one of your backups, but you should backup the entire Profile. You can do that manually by copying the Profile folder name usually called xxxxxxxx.default. Where the x's are letters and numbers. Make sure TB is closed before copying that folder. Store it on external usb or disk drive.

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Thank You Toad-Hall a beautifully explained helpful and effective solution, you are amazing. Much appreciated. :)) Kindest regards Conor

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You're welcome :) Good to hear all is now ok.