Deleting Emails

[#1]

HELP!

Got the usual email regarding the size of my inbox, I'm stopping using this email address where I can, but there are still that have slipped through the net!

Anyway, I've also completed this mass deletion through my apple mail, delete what I need to then delete again from trash, however; this time after 5 minutes all my emails start restoring back to my inbox!!  Its so frustrating especially when you've just blitzed 3k emails.

Is there a setting somewhere to change this outcome? I'm assuming they're downloading again from the server, but this never happened in the past, so I'm not sure why its happening now?

[#2]

On many email clients, instead of pressing <Delete> (which just moves messages to [Trash]) ,  instead try holding <Shift> and then press and release <Delete> - this usually permanently deletes highlighted messages WITHOUT moving them to [Trash].

This is more likely to be successful if you've hit your email quota.

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[#3]

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@NickyS wrote:

Is there a setting somewhere to change this outcome? I'm assuming they're downloading again from the server, but this never happened in the past, so I'm not sure why its happening now?

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Deleting a large number or large items can sometimes cause performance issues, with the consequence that the 'delete' (actually a move to the trash folder) fails and the items 'reappear' in the inbox.  On many email clients these moves can be optimised by lengthening the server time out settings.  Apple's email clients do not facilitate changing the server timeout.

Unfortunately the SHIFT+DELETE approach mentioned above cannot be performed on a touch interface device ... which leaves a few challenges.

iOS IMAP mail allows you to determine where items are stored - either on the server or on the device.  You might explore changing the location of the trash folder to "bin on the phone".  Then try some deletes (check that they do not reappear) then empty the trash folder (which is now on your phone).  If this works, remember to change the settings back afterwards.

Here is my general advice for optimising a big clear out...

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...

1. Flag the message for deletion instead of delete
2. If moving messages to "Deleted Items" fails, permanently delete them
3. 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.

[#4]

This is actually slower for me to delete this way on my MacBook, plus they still keep reappearing 🤔

[#5]

I'm deleting on my macBook, not my iPhone.  They're being deleted then I'm emptying trash.  I'm trying to avoid doing it on webmail as its incredible slow, much quicker deleting on MacBook but I'm frustrated that they keep coming back 😣

[#6]

Does the MACBook email app have an option to change the server timeout?

SHIFT+DELETE should do an instant delete (not via the trash folder).

[#7]

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@NickyS wrote:

...  They're being deleted then I'm emptying trash. ... ... ... I'm frustrated that they keep coming back 😣

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The messages are coming back, because when you have exceeded your account quota, there is no room on the server's copy of [Trash] to copy the deleted the files in to.  So despite what your MacBook screen says, the remote server won't have done anything with the messages from it's copy of [Inbox], therefore when the mail application later synchronises, it all goes back to how it was.

You need to delete the unwanted messages WITHOUT sending them to [Trash] or [Archive] until your account usage is well under the quota - at which point the normal method of deleting will start working again.

Alternatively, if you can get to work @Townman 's suggestion of using a mail folder or alternative [Trash] which isn't within your main email folder structure, then moving the unwanted messages to that, you will start to free up some available quota.

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[#8]

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@outcast wrote:

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The messages are coming back, because when you have exceeded your account quota, there is no room on the server's copy of [Trash] to copy the deleted the files in to.

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That is indeed a potential cause for the mailboxes which have hard quotas, but that should not apply to a Plusnet or Force9 branded email account.  The 1GB usage across the account is not quota controlled.  You can exceed the quota without impediment, though you will get caught by the next utilisation check script run.  Get three strikes and the archive service kicks in.

[#9]

I haven't exceeded my email quota, I'm just dealing with it as I get to 75%, also the shift + delete doesn't delete the email, it still sends it to the bin.

After a bit of digging Option + Delete saves them going to the Bin but after deleting 100 or so emails the whole of my inbox empties and uploads all of the emails again.  Back to square one...

[#10]

How many emails are you trying to delete at a time - as in a single DELETE action?

I would suspect that this is a timing issue between the Mac and the email server.  There are other causes too - see My deleted emails keep coming back as new… - Apple Community

Whilst digging deeper on this, I learnt that MACmail has a maibbox behaviours tab on the account configuration: therein is an option to move deleted items to the trash mailbox (folder).  Unticking this will result in emails being marked for deletion (actually to be expunged) on logout.  Give that a try.

If that fails, consider doing bulk deletes via Webmail ... with the optimisations mentioned above.