Deleting Emails (IMAP)

**Spazo** · 06/08/2009, 04:21 PM

Ok, I'm fairly new to IMAP (I usually use POP3) but, TMK, when my phone retrieves email off the server and downloads it onto the phone, it actually stays on the server (whereas my POP3 downloads it to the computer).

But when I delete the email off my phone (and confirm it or delete the next message) the email REMAINS on the server. When I get home and POP my account, all emails, including those I erased and those I didn't, are all still there. I don't want the emails which I erase from my phone to still be on the server (or at least in the Inbox) when I get home and POP my account.

Solutions? Thx in advance!

**dave75** · 06/08/2009, 04:30 PM

If you delete an email in an IMAP account on the Pre, it will be sent to the Trash folder. On the server, it will be in the Trash or Deleted Items folder. In Outlook it will appear with a line through it. If this isn't happening, verify your account setting is actually IMAP, not POP3.

**Spazo** · 06/08/2009, 04:42 PM

hmm.. I think I understand what you are talking. When you say "In Outlook it will appear with a line through it," it only looks like that when I check my email via the web.

On my main computer, I use Outlook 07 with POP3. When I download the messages onto my main computer, all the messages are still there, even the deleted ones without a line through them.

Am I confused? (most likely!)

**frantid** · 06/08/2009, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by Spazo

hmm.. I think I understand what you are talking. When you say "In Outlook it will appear with a line through it," it only looks like that when I check my email via the web.

On my main computer, I use Outlook 07 with POP3. When I download the messages onto my main computer, all the messages are still there, even the deleted ones without a line through them.

Am I confused? (most likely!)

You need to set up outlook to use imap, if you want everything to appear as it does on the web version.

**Spazo** · 06/08/2009, 06:26 PM

Yeah, I don't want it to look like the online version of Outlook. I want emails that I delete from my phone to be deleted from the server so when I download the emails to my home computer, I don't see the deleted emails.

When I access online Outlook via the server, I can use a feature called "Purge Deleted" which helps clean out the inbox of deleted emails. Any such feature on the Pre?

**hnorman41** · 06/08/2009, 11:29 PM

Spazo, I'm having that problem too. If I delete an email in my IMAP account on the Pre, it does not delete on the server. My server is an Exchange 2000 server; what is yours?

Because it's Exchange 2000 and not 2003 or later, Exchange ActiveSync is not available so I have to run IMAP. And if you google "Exchange IMAP delete" you'll find that it's a known problem with Exchange and IMAP.

I haven't had time to delve into a search for a solution. Anyone else have an idea?

(Please don't suggest upgrading to Exchange 2003 or later. That's out of my hands.)

**dave75** · 06/08/2009, 11:35 PM

Are you sure you set up your account on the Pre as IMAP? Go into Preferences and Accounts, select the account, Change Login Settings and see if it says IMAP or POP3 at the top. If it says POP3 you need to remove the account and start over.

**Spazo** · 06/08/2009, 11:44 PM

I'm pretty sure it is not Outlook '03 or later, but I'm not sure of it's actual version. I know it takes an extra step but I think I was able to to fully delete emails by (after deleting them from the inbox, thus they are now in the trash can) going into the trash can and deleting them there. I'll experiment with this option more tomorrow but would rather the problem fixed than just a work around...

Yes, the email account is setup via IMAP.

**rposa** · 06/09/2009, 12:15 AM

It's not the Exchange or Outlook.

I use IMAP mail with a server running Plesk (which means I'm running QMail as the SMTP Daemon and Courier-IMAP (I believe) as the IMAP server..

Same thing on mine, as what you're seeing.

**Spazo** · 06/09/2009, 12:26 AM

Well I just got my 20+ email digests of today's happenings on PreCentral so I decided to really try out what I talked about earlier. (You know, deleting from inbox then deleting again from Trash.)

It worked. It's a longer process than I'd like or prefer but it's a temp fix until someone smarter than I (wait, I see a monkey over there!) can fix it or come up with a different solution...

**Laxidasical** · 06/09/2009, 03:34 AM

Is there a way to bulk delete the trash box on the Pre rather than one by one???

**ADGrant** · 06/09/2009, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by Spazo

Yes, the email account is setup via IMAP.

On both the Pre and Outlook?

**ADGrant** · 06/09/2009, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by Spazo

Yeah, I don't want it to look like the online version of Outlook. I want emails that I delete from my phone to be deleted from the server so when I download the emails to my home computer, I don't see the deleted emails.

When I access online Outlook via the server, I can use a feature called "Purge Deleted" which helps clean out the inbox of deleted emails. Any such feature on the Pre?

You can also use "Purge Deleted" on the desktop version of Outlook if you have set it up correctly (i.e. using IMAP instead of POP3).

**Spazo** · 06/09/2009, 02:42 PM

IMAP on the Pre.

POP3 on my home desktop.

**fitzla** · 06/09/2009, 02:46 PM

Interesting. When I delete on my phone or my computer, it deletes on the other right away. I even tested it to see how long it took and it was instant. I guess it depends on what email you are using.

**ADGrant** · 06/09/2009, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by Spazo

IMAP on the Pre.

POP3 on my home desktop.

That's your mistake. You should be using IMAP everywhere otherwise you may as well not use it at all.

**Spazo** · 06/09/2009, 04:46 PM

lol... Thanks for telling me that my way is "wrong" and your way is "right." Helpful.

Any who, I had my web login page open as I checked my account from my phone (using IMAP). When I deleted a message via the phone and updated the web page, it did have the line through it. I then went into my phone's Trash Bin and deleted it there. It didn't, however, delete on my web page; still showed the email message with the line through it.

I've got emails out to all my tech guys. I'll post if I find something interesting/helpful.

**ADGrant** · 06/09/2009, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by Spazo

lol... Thanks for telling me that my way is "wrong" and your way is "right." Helpful.

Any who, I had my web login page open as I checked my account from my phone (using IMAP). When I deleted a message via the phone and updated the web page, it did have the line through it. I then went into my phone's Trash Bin and deleted it there. It didn't, however, delete on my web page; still showed the email message with the line through it.

I've got emails out to all my tech guys. I'll post if I find something interesting/helpful.

You clearly don't understand how IMAP works. If you did, you wouldn't be using POP3 access on your desktop Outlook, POP and IMAP do not work well together on the same account. I have been using it for years and know exactly what your problem is.

**DaveInFL** · 06/09/2009, 06:09 PM

ADGrant is correct. On your desktop reset up your email account using IMAP, in a similar fashion that you did for the Pre. That should solve your issue and all places should be synced.

**DaveInFL** · 06/09/2009, 06:10 PM

ADGrant is correct. On your desktop reset up your email account using IMAP, in a similar fashion that you did for the Pre. That should solve your issue and all places should be synced.

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