Email management with POP (I think)

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by Stifflersmom, Aug 12, 2013.

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  1. Stifflersmom

    Stifflersmom Registered Member

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    Can you guys help me with my email strategy.

    Basically, I want to be able to view my email via web or phone/tablet but only download it all to one computer that has Thunderbird. With POP, all messages should stay on the server until I actually load up the Thunderbird app on that computer, right?
     
  2. PaulyDefran

    PaulyDefran Registered Member

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    Yes, kind of :D

    Using Gmail as an example, you would allow POP downloading in the settings and *I Think* the option "Remove from server". You would enable the same option in Thunderbird "Remove from server" (you might only have to enable it on either end, not sure, but it can't hurt).

    The problem in Gmail's case however, is that they will remove it from your inbox when the POP download occurs...and promptly put it in GMail trash! It's like they send a copy down, via POP, and then delete from the inbox and send it to trash. You have to manually clear out the trash if 30 days is too long for you to have it sitting there (it is!).

    You might try seeing if Gmail allows IMAP access, and then set TBird to place that email in "Inbox on Local Folders". Then see if Gmail still has a copy in trash. Don't know, never tried it.

    If you aren't using Gmail, just make sure whoever you're using, completely deletes the email after a POP download.

    PD
     
  3. frank7

    frank7 Registered Member

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    Viewing your emails via web should leave them on the web server unless you delete them.

    Viewing your emails on your phone/tablet and having them stay on the server must be indicated by choosing IMAP for your email account on the phone/tablet. This will leave the emails on the server unless you delete them.

    Viewing your emails on that one computer with Thunderbird and POP will only download the emails from the sever if you untick "leave emails on server" and have ticked "automatically download new messages" under the server settings for the account settings of that email account. Note that if you leave your place in the morning to go to work and have that one computer running and Thunderbird running, it will actually download the emails from the server as they come in and they then won't be available on the server, so to speak, you won't be able to see them on the webmail or your phone/tablet. So only open Thunderbird at the end of the day when you want to download the emails to your one computer to store them there.

    This also means that this would be the sequence in which you check your email, meaning, during the day use webmail and/or phone/tablet and at the end of the day download them with Thunderbird.

    Note, once downloaded, the emails will only be available on that one computer, so if on the next day you need to check what someone wrote a week ago you cannot do so, unless you go home and check on your one computer there as the messages will only be visible there.

    If this is not correct please some of the more knowledgeable user here correct me, but I think this would do what you are trying to achieve.
     
  4. Carver

    Carver Registered Member

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    I have MailWasher It allows me to check my emails on the mail server, see them and decide the are to be downloaded or deleted. After I am finished downloading my email I cam delete the copy on the mail server. Now there must be other similar utility's out there.
     
  5. Stifflersmom

    Stifflersmom Registered Member

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    Thanks everyone for the replies..very helpful.
    frank7, your answer is exactly what I was looking for.
     
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