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Phantom folders on 2 machines running Thunderbird 115

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  • Last reply by Matt

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Got Thunderbird on 2 machines and both have the same issue. I did try running only one at a time and still I cannot fix it.

On a Yahoo! mail account I deleted a "Draft" folder and it was sent to Trash. If I empty the trash it's gone until I either click Subscribe... and refresh the folder list or reopen TB. Then the folder comes back into Trash. I can't get rid of it.

I logged into the account via their web-based interface and checked my folders. The folder I deleted is indeed no longer there. Not in Trash. Nowhere.

I'm not referencing it in the account either. The option to save drafts is set to the "Drafts" folder, not the "Draft" folder.

I configured the folder properties to be neither subscribed nor offline. I then went to "server settings" and checked "show only subscribed folders" and unchecked "server supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages".

I shut down TB and relaunched it. Folder still comes back. I then shut it down again and deleted any references from the profile's folderTree.json, folderCache.json and the corresponding .msf files. I start TB again, folders still come back.

Then on two AIM accounts I have again phantom "Draft" folders in each. They're unchecked from sync and offline availability. Again I go to "subscribe..." and uncheck them. They don't disappear. I have "show only subscribed folders" checked and still the folders show. I then click Refresh in the subscribe dialog to reload the folder list. They're all checked again.

How do I get rid of these folders? Particularly bewildering is the Yahoo! case where I've explicitly told TB that the account server does not support folders within folders, I don't understand how it can read anything client- or server- side and still reach the conclusion that it needs to restore a "Draft" folder in Trash.

These issues are happening exactly the same on 2 different Windows machines both running TB, affecting the same accounts.

Got Thunderbird on 2 machines and both have the same issue. I did try running only one at a time and still I cannot fix it. On a Yahoo! mail account I deleted a "Draft" folder and it was sent to Trash. If I empty the trash it's gone until I either click Subscribe... and refresh the folder list or reopen TB. Then the folder comes back into Trash. I can't get rid of it. I logged into the account via their web-based interface and checked my folders. The folder I deleted is indeed no longer there. Not in Trash. Nowhere. I'm not referencing it in the account either. The option to save drafts is set to the "Drafts" folder, not the "Draft" folder. I configured the folder properties to be neither subscribed nor offline. I then went to "server settings" and checked "show only subscribed folders" and unchecked "server supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages". I shut down TB and relaunched it. Folder still comes back. I then shut it down again and deleted any references from the profile's folderTree.json, folderCache.json and the corresponding .msf files. I start TB again, folders still come back. Then on two AIM accounts I have again phantom "Draft" folders in each. They're unchecked from sync and offline availability. Again I go to "subscribe..." and uncheck them. They don't disappear. I have "show only subscribed folders" checked and still the folders show. I then click Refresh in the subscribe dialog to reload the folder list. They're all checked again. How do I get rid of these folders? Particularly bewildering is the Yahoo! case where I've explicitly told TB that the account server does not support folders within folders, I don't understand how it can read anything client- or server- side and still reach the conclusion that it needs to restore a "Draft" folder in Trash. These issues are happening exactly the same on 2 different Windows machines both running TB, affecting the same accounts.

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Every installation requires a draft folder. You can unsubscribe from it and it will be automatically subscribed again as soon as a message is auto saved to drafts. Yours is apparently in the trash folder of your Yahoo account.

Have a look in account settings > Copies and folders. You will note you can set the folder, but not have none.

Now to extend that. Yahoo have their own rules about what folders you have to have, I would guess they also insist on a drafts folder. Just as they insist on a bulk or bulk mail folder. So I think you are tilting at windmills trying to delete them.

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