Why Thunderbird Not Showing All Folders?

Jackson Strong | December 21st, 2023 | Data Backup

Mozilla Thunderbird is a versatile email client. It is the most widely used application due to its flexibility and functionality. Sometimes, users encounter an issue when Thunderbird fails to display their folders. This unexpected issue can be frustrating especially when you need to access important emails or data and disrupt efficient email management. So, in this write-up, we are going to discuss why Thunderbird not showing all folders. Here, we will provide some methods to resolve this issue.

Why is Thunderbird Not Showing All Folders?

There are various reasons behind this issue which are given below-

  • Outdated Thunderbird: An outdated Thunderbird application may also cause for not showing folders properly.
  • Corrupted Profile: Profile corruption is a common reason behind Thunderbird issues including missing folders. A profile can be corrupted due to unexpected shutdowns, software glitches, or conflicts with other applications.
  • IMAP Synchronization Issues: Thunderbird relies on IMAP to synchronize folders with the email server. If there are synchronization issues such as a slow or unstable internet connection, it may not show all folders correctly.
  • Folder Subscription Settings: Thunderbird allows users to subscribe to specific folders on the email server. If any folder is not subscribed to, Thunderbird not display it.
  • Filter Settings: Thunderbird provides a filtering facility to its users to organize their emails. If filters are applied they might cause to hide folders.

Methods to Fix Thunderbird Not Showing All Folders Issue

Here, we will discuss some solutions that help you to show all folders in Thunderbird.

  • IMAP Synchronization Troubleshooting: First of all, ensure that your internet connection is stable and working properly because IMAP synchronization requires a reliable connection to fetch updates from the email server. Confirm that your Thunderbird account is configured with the correct IMAP settings. For that, go to Account Settings and select Server Settings to verify the incoming server is set to the correct IMAP server address, port, and security settings.
  • Refresh Folder: Sometimes, Thunderbird may not automatically refresh the folder list. So, right-click on your email account in the left side panel and select Refresh. Simply refreshing the folder list or restarting Thunderbird can resolve synchronization issues.
  • Review Folder Subscription: Check the subscription status of folders. Right-click on IMAP mail account name in Folder Pane and select Settings. Now, select Server Settings and click on the Advanced button. Then, uncheck the Checkbox Show only Subcribed folders. After that Tick the checkbox Server supports folders that contain subfolders and messages. Finally, click on Ok and close the Thunderbird application. Wait some time to complete the background processes and then restart Thunderbird and check whether all folders are showing or not.
  • Create a New Profile: Creating a new Thunderbird profile can help you to solve your not displaying issue. So, create a new profile and import emails from the old one. Remember to back up essential data before creating a new profile.
  • Adjust Filter Settings: Check Thunderbird filter settings to ensure that no filters are hiding the folders. Disable filters and check whether hidden folders are displayed or not.
  • Update Thunderbird: Keeping Thunderbird up to date is crucial to solve Thunderbird issues. So, update regularly and reinstall them to ensure that any software-related issues causing missing folders are addressed.
  • Switch to a Different Email Client: If after applying all possible solutions, Thunderbird is not able to show all folders then shifting to a new email client is beneficial for you. For that, use a professional tool like Advik Thunderbird Converter on your system and export Thunderbird mailbox data in your desired formats.

Conclusion

When Thunderbird does not display all folders, it can be frustrating. So, in this post, we have discussed why Thunderbird not showing all folders. Here, we have provided some possible solutions to solve this issue. You can try them and solve this error. I hope this article is helpful for you.