Can't delete emails from Webmail

[#1]

Why is the only way via webmail?

Any IMAP email client will do this. Which email client are you using? Do the emails in question have large attachments - for example photographs?

[#2]

@Townman Please explain exactly how to do this, as I haven't been able to work it out. I have Gmail and Thunderbird. Thunderbird is set up as POP3 and is supposed to delete emails from the server, but it doesn't.

[#3]

You need to Google Gmail and Thunderbird settings - such is not a Plusnet email setting.  The use of Gmail is not a great strategy in spite of what Gmail might suggest.  Whatever is is extremely unwise to have POP3 in the mix of multiple clients accessing the same mailbox.

If you are using POP3 settings, look at the leave on server settings.

If you are using IMAP, anything you do within Thunderbird will be reflected on the server.

Remember that deletion is not the only solution for managing full mailboxes.  Moving mail items you want to keep to local archive folders will reduce your server storage utilisation.  Also remember to clean out the sent items folders (IMAP clients - which includes Webmail) usually place their sent items in the server folder ... thereby, unlike POP3, you can have a complete view of all emails sent from all clients.

[#4]

Thanks for the information Townman: I didn't realise that Plusnet webmail isn't the only option.  Our emails often contain large attachments, even to each other. I ought to set up file sharing properly so we don't have to do this, but with a mix of IOS and Windows devices to contend with I have always lost heart and reverted to email.

With lockdown morphing into lockdown-by-another-name I will have ample time to have another go (and change our mailer to Thunderbird).

Thanks again.

[#5]

Thanks, @Townman . I've changed Thunderbird from POP3 to IMAP, and unticked leave on server,  but it doesn't seem to have made any difference. I can access basic webmail and everything is still there, but I get the Fetch error if I try to delete anything. Full webmail won't even load.

[#6]

File sharing is VERY easy between iOS and windows ... if you avoid iCloud.

I use both drop box and One Drive on 2x laptops 2x iPads and 1x iPhone the iDevices having excellent apps for both.

When offering iPhone configuration support on here, it’s very simple to take a screen shot, save it to one of the cloud stores and then pick it up on the laptop for posting to the forum.

One limitation of drop box on the iPhone is that it severely limits the number of items you can select at one time to do something with - such as move folders or share etc.

The real challenge about cloud storage / sharing is being clear about how you want to use it - what are you going to keep only local to one device vs what you NEED to be available across multiple devices / users.

Having noted a down side of drop box, I should mention a very significant upside which I think will very suit what you need. In Dropbox, when you share a folder with another user, they can use that folder just as if it were THEIR OWN folder. This makes it excellent for passing (sharing) content not using email.

A note of caution though - anything done by any sharing party in the shared folder happens for all sharers - delete it and it’s gone for all - rename it and the name changes for all - move a file from a folder and the other users lose sight of it.

It’s not difficult once you’ve got your head around it ... then you’ll wonder why you waited so long.

[#7]

Thunderbird POP3 and IMAP.

I think things are getting confused here and sight is being lost as to what you want to achieve.

Leave in server is a POP3 configuration option.

If you want to access the mailbox via more than one client (laptop/pc - phone - tablet - webmail) then life is far simpler if POP3 is totally avoided.

Except for specific issues with the Win10 mail programme most IMAP clients play nicely with each other, all using the server folders (inbox, drafts, sent and trash) the same. Thunderbird I’m not overly familiar with but where I have sought to help friends who use it, I find it as friendly as an agitated rattlesnake!

Unlike webmail, with most email clients on laptops, you can adjust the server time out period which can be beneficial when dealing with emails which have large attachments. Also when seeking to delete items with large attachments it can be more efficient to do an immediate delete - some clients support this via shift+delete or CTRL+delete - this avoids the over heads of the move to the deleted items folder.

Be cautious though there is no safety net with that delete method.

You might also consider establishing a local archive folder on one device to where you can move ancient email which you need to keep but fo not need to be accessible everywhere. Having done that fo remember to back up that device!!

[#8]

Just to clarify - I only use Thunderbird for backup and then only usually for my Gmail account. I don't normally sync it to Plusnet at all. I pick up all my Plusnet emails through Gmail and only need to access webmail to clear out old ones to stop getting the "full" message. Up to a couple of weeks ago I was able to do that without a problem (apart from it being painfully slow).

I could untick a Gmail box that currently leaves a copy on the Plusnet server but I don't really want to do that. I can't see anything in in Gmail (or Thunderbird) that will let me delete old messages from the Plusnet server, which is what I'm trying to do.

[#9]

It now seems that I have managed to clear out most of my Inbox with Thunderbird. I've just logged into webmail and I only have 60 messages left, rather than the 2500 that were there before. But it did take a while to sync.

[#10]

Townman, many thanks for the tips on file sharing.  I have Dropbox installed on my server but i've never really used it - I'll have ago at setting it up.  We currently use OneDrive, albeit infrequently; must say I'm not a great fan, but I'll give it another try.

Anyway, this is way off topic so I'll stop posting.

Thanks again,  Dave.