[X Newbies] Delete mail from server?

[T. Patrick Henebry]

On 7/24/03 6:38 AM, "Stephen Foster" <foster at pop.ca.inter.net> wrote:

> Eudora has a "Delete mail from server when emptying trash" option for
> mail management. I can't find this for the Mail app on my wife's
> iBook, 10.1.5. Does such an option exist? Thanks, Stephen

Stephen,

**I'm running 10.2.6; but things should be similar under 10.1.5.** This will
at least give you an idea where to look.

For POP3 e-mail accounts the following applies:

Open Mail 
Go to Preferences/Accounts
Select the account you want to modify
Click Edit
Click Advanced
Make sure there is a check mark in the box labeled "Remove copy from server
after retrieving message"
Then choose one of the following: "Right away", "After one day", "After one
week", "After one month", "When moved from Inbox" (There is no choice for
when mail quits.)

Next set when Mail's Trash folder gets emptied by doing the following:

Click Special Mailboxes
Make sure there is a checkmark in the box labeled "Move deleted messages to
separate folder"
Choose Quitting Mail from the options

If Mail is set to remove messages from the server when they are moved from
the Inbox then as soon as they are moved to the trash they will be deleted
from the server. Having Trash set to empty on quit will them remove any
local copies present in Mail's Trash folder when it exits.

This method has drawbacks if you have already created filters that  move
mail from the Inbox to other folders **those messages will be deleted from
the server too** with the settings in the above paragraph.

If you want to keep messages on the server for a period of time you are
better off choosing to have them deleted automatically one day, week, or
month after you have retrieved them. You can still have Mail delete the
local copies you have placed in its Trash folder on exit if you desire.

*****

IMAP accounts work a bit differently. With IMAP accounts the assumption is
made that all mail resides on the server and you are just using Mail to view
what is on the server.

For an IMAP account do the following:

Open Mail
Go to Preferences/Accounts
Select the account you want to modify
Click Edit
Click Special Mailboxes
(NOTE: I have an IMAP account that is set up with a separate "mailbox" for
deleted messages. What follows may differ slightly if you do not.)
Make sure there is a check mark in the box labeled "Move deleted messages to
the Trash mailbox"
Make sure there is a check mark in the box labeled "Store deleted messages
on the server"
Under "Permanently erase deleted messages when:" choose "Quitting Mail"

Once you are done making the changes to an account click OK.
-- 
T. Patrick Henebry
tphenebry at comcast.net