topic Re: Where are my deleted Emails? in Email

Where are my deleted Emails?

Noiseboy — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:09:50 GMT

Sorry to hijack this post, I can't see how/where to start a post. It's been a while.

My issue is that if I delete an email although it says that it's gone to my deleted foldeer, there is nothing in there. Is there an issue at the moment with somr mail boxes.

I have a legacy email from Freenetname, so have no Plusnet account as such.

Please help, Thanks in advance

Simon

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Baldrick1 — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:11:25 GMT

Moderator's note:
Post moved to its own topic and re-titled

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Baldrick1 — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:16:30 GMT

@Noiseboy

To start a new topic go to the top of the appropriate board and select the pink Start a Topic field.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Townman — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:25:49 GMT

How are you looking at your email and when did you look at the deleted items folder?

If using webmail the deleted items folder is emptied on exiting. So if using webmail you deleted an item, logged out, then went to look at the deleted items folder, it would be gone.

@plusnettony

Has this blanket change in webmail functionality been raised with Greenby?

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Noiseboy — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 03:43:52 GMT

I didn’t know anything about Greenby til just now. I had no notification about any changes.
My account is a Freenetname one.

So my issues at the moment are I seem to be able to send an email. I haven’t received any emails for approx 2 days.
If I delete a message on my iPhone it will either disappear or when refreshing will reappear in the mailbox I’m trying to delete it from.

I’m expecting a couple of important emails so this is worrying

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

plusnettony — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 08:37:54 GMT

Sorry to see of the problems, i don't think this is anything to do with Greenby.

I just wanted to check if your mailbox was full? Have you tried to email it from another address to see if it bounces?

On your phone, I presume you're using imap and a mail clients? If so, it seems not to be syncing. Can you delete as expected in webmail?

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Townman — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:56:50 GMT

@plusnettony

Ah - good call - if the mailbox is full there will not be room to move the deleted item to the deleted items folder. It item should though remain in the inbox, a detail the OP did not indicate.

The Greenby consideration here is that the webmail service on their platform has empty deleted items on exit set, which to the best of my recollection was not the setting on the PlusNet platform. Thereby on logging out of a webmail session, the deleted items folder is now expunged automatically. That could give rise to the description of the 'problem' given by the OP.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

plusnettony — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:25:26 GMT

I think that was sorted.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Townman — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:59:19 GMT

@plusnettony

A webmail spot check on various mailboxes, for which I do not recall setting "empty trash on exit" previously, do now have it set.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

plusnettony — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:03:06 GMT

It is set like that for me too, but I cannot remember if that was always the default or not. I'm presuming it must have been, as it's an odd single change for anyone to make.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

jab1 — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:05:27 GMT

@plusnettony I can assure you it wasn't.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

plusnettony — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:28:48 GMT

I've raised to ask that the default option be unticked.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Townman — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:50:57 GMT

@plusnettony

Thank you...

@plusnettony wrote:

It is set like that for me too, but I cannot remember if that was always the default or not. I'm presuming it must have been, as it's an odd single change for anyone to make.

I am certain that the default was not set (is it possible to still access the old service?) as setting it was part of my clean up your mailbox boiler-plate-guide in the days of ropey webmail performance...

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...

Flag the message for deletion instead of delete
If moving messages to "Deleted Items" fails, permanently delete them
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.

OK to be pedantic, the guide references compact on log out which was not the default setting.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Noiseboy — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:26:45 GMT

My problem is not fixed.

So my mailbox is not full

I received nothing from Plusnet or anyone about anything happening.

I can delete messages on my webmail, but they don't go to my deleted folder. I've lost all deleted messages on my iphone

I can send emails from my iPhone and they are received

I do not appear to receive any emails.

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

plusnettony — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:43:13 GMT

@Townman - I don't have access to old system, but I've asked that the default be changed.

@Noiseboy - I've sent you a test message with a link to this thread. Can you check if this comes? It's not bounced (yet, but they are a bit slow). Have you emailed yourself from a different address to see what happens?

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Townman — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:54:09 GMT

@Noiseboy wrote:

So my mailbox is not full

How have you determined that? The 250MB capacity includes the inbox, sent items, deleted items and any other folders you might have created. On webmail check your folder subscription status - see the cog bottom left hand corner and select manage folders. Ensure that all listed folders are ticked.

@Noiseboy wrote:

I can delete messages on my webmail, but they don't go to my deleted folder. I've lost all deleted messages on my iphone

Check the preference settings on webmail - server settings. Is do not move to deleted items folder ticked?

Note that webmail's current default action is to empty the deleted items folder on exit - that will clear the deleted items folder as seen on all IMAP clients - for example your phone.

@Noiseboy wrote:

I can send emails from my iPhone and they are received

I do not appear to receive any emails.

That is sent to and received by someone else, not your mailbox? Have you tried sending to yourself?

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Noiseboy — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:59:01 GMT

I've now spoken to Plusnet, and it's resolved.

Thank you to everyone that has reached out. I think that it may have been a full mailbox, as it looks like someone sent a huge file attachment, which I was unaware of.

I have managed to sort this myself before. There used to be somewhere where you could see how full your mailbox was. Is it still there?

Still no migration email, but it should come soon, I think

Re: Where are my deleted Emails?

Townman — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:09:10 GMT

Mailbox size can be found in some clients by various means.

There is nothing I am aware of on iPhones.

Outlook will give you some indication by right clicking on the account -> properties -> folder size.

Webmail -> manage folders -> Select folder -> Information -> Click to get folder size -- do each in turn and add them up.

@Noiseboy wrote:

I think that it may have been a full mailbox, as it looks like someone sent a huge file attachment, which I was unaware of.

Indeed, using email which is a messaging service as a courier service for sharing content can be very unfriendly.

Good to know that you found the solution which was that suspected at the start.