Windows 10 Mail - Syncing IMAP folders with Plusnet Webmail Server
Hi all, having spent the last 2 weeks trying to figure out why some mail folders synced with Plusnet servers whilst others didn't I thought I'd write a tutorial to explain the various methods which do get your folders syncing correctly.
Firstly there seems to be two methods of creating new folders and syncing them. I carried out the following 2 tests which have the same result.
Method One (creating a new folder in Windows Mail App)
Test 1 – Create a new folder in the Mail app & check if it syncs with the Plusnet Webmail Server?
- In Windows Mail – Create a new folder, lets call it 'TEST FOLDER 1' this folder must be a subfolder of the Inbox , you can create this by right clicking on the Inbox in the 'All Folders' list and choose 'Create new subfolder' (we’ll now check if it also appears on the server) ?
- Go to Plusnet Webmail (Basic Version) and log in and click the 'check mail' link to refresh your emails – Now select the 'folders' tab just to the right of the Plusnet Logo. At the bottom of the folders window you will see an area where you can subscribe or unsubscribe to folders. You will now see your new 'TEST FOLDER 1' showing in the unsubscribed box.
- Left click on your 'TEST FOLDER 1' to select it and then click subscribe just below. Click on 'Check mail' once again to refresh the server.
- Go back to Windows Mail and move an old message into your new 'TEST FOLDER 1', (any old message will do)
- Refresh mails and now see if the message syncs with the new folder on the Webmail server (basic version)? If it does you should see the same message on both.
If you followed the steps above correctly your 'TEST FOLDER 1' will now be syncing between Windows Mail and the server successfully.
Method Two (creating a new folder on the Webmail Server)
Test 2 – Repeat test but his time create new folder on Webmail server instead & check if it syncs with Mail?
- On the Webmail server (basic version) go back to the 'Folders' tab to the right of the Plusnet logo & create a new folder as a subfolder of INBOX – again we'll call this 'TEST FOLDER 1' - then click create
- New folder now appears below in ‘Subscribed’ section
- Refresh Folders List at the top – newly subscribed 'TEST FOLDER 1' now appears under the left hand Inbox folder tree
- In Windows Mail app refresh emails – 'TEST FOLDER 1' should now appear somewhere under your Inbox (might be hidden in the more tab just below your other folders)
- Move an old message into 'TEST FOLDER 1'
- Go back to Webmail (basic Version) and refresh server messages and look inside 'TEST FOLDER 1' - message should appear on both.
- Success!!! 'TEST FOLDER 1' is now syncing back to the Mail app and message appears in 'TEST FOLDER 1' on both 😊
Verdict – Both the methods of creating a new folder in Windows Mail OR on the Server work but only if you follow the rule about creating the folder as a sub folder of the Inbox! Which method you find easiest is down to personal preference however 'Method Two' requires the least amount of steps.
The below image might explain this more clearly and why some folders won't sync. Study the image carefully, the red area shows the right way to do it, the blue shows the wrong way.
Windows Mail app view
Webmail Server view
As you can see in my above example I also created a folder called 'TEST FOLDER 2' outside of the 'Inbox - Subfolders' this folder won't be able to sync with the Plusnet Webmail Server.
I also I mention above in the bright green text that 'Special Folders' have a different set of rules, as yet I'm still experimenting with these but please feel free to chip in if you can help, I'd be really grateful for any shared wisdom on this subject. 
If only Plusnet could simplify this procedure! 
Many thanks for those links
An interesting read for sure however these might be more useful for someone who is using the Windows mail app for the very first time as the PC Mag article really only covers what you quickly learn in the first few hours. Interestingly the readers comments below that article touch on more of the 'real world' problems with this app. It seems Microsoft have yet to provide certain features and some are missing altogether. This has been my own experience and which is why I wrote the above advice for those still struggling to make sense of it all.
From what I have discovered after 2 weeks research is that part of the issues with syncing and duplicate folders in Mail is that when first activated Mail sets up it's own folder system but then when adding an account it often then pulls down extra folders from the server, hence duplication occurs. Hopefully this is something that Microsoft will address eventually but given this issue has migrated from Windows Live Mail & Outlook it's doubtful.
I notice you also provided the links for Broadband connection/troubleshooting but this isn't a fault of either. As already mentioned part of the problem is down to Microsoft but the other larger part is down to the Plusnet Webmail Server being non-functional. Once that's up and running again I might gain better control over folders and specifically subscribing to folders to allow syncing. To be fair I can already do some minor stuff using the basic version of webmail but again it doesn't help with the more advanced setup.
Cheers! 