[Users] Mail disappeared

[Dustin Miller]

On Mon, 18 Sep 2023 17:23:17 -0700
John Jason Jordan <johnxj at gmx.com> wrote:

> I am in the process of moving from Xubuntu 22.04.3 to Debian 12, still
> in a dual boot until I get everything configured in Debian, and that
> includes Claws Mail. In Debian I have my old Xubuntu home folder
> mounted, making it simple to move config files. Claws Mail is in the
> Debian repositories, of course, so I quickly installed it, and then,
> before ever launching it I copied the .claws-mail folder from the
> Xubuntu folder to the Debian folder. When I launched Claws Mail I was
> thrilled to watch as it processed all the stored mail and the folders
> all displayed the number of emails they contained. Then I clicked on
> the Inbox, whereupon all folders went to zero.
> 
> What the heck happened? The original .claws-mail folder still exists
> intact on the Xubuntu machine, and if I log in there Claws Mail still
> functions as it always did. Can I fix this in the Debian install?
> 
DM: Hi, John. Am I correct in assuming that the emails you're missing
are related to one or more POP3 accounts (i.e. not IMAP)? (That's what
your problem suggests to me.) If so, then the emails ('message store')
are normally stored in a location outside of the .claws-mail config
directory. There is a default location for these, but the user can also
change their location. One way to check their location on the Xubuntu
system is to open the 'folderlist.xml' file found in the config
directory and look at any lines that begin with something like "
<folder type="mh" path= ...". In those lines you should be able to find
the path(s) to where your emails are stored. Then you just need to
decide where you want them stored on the new system and then copy from
the old to the new. In Claws you may also then need to go to the folder
list pane, Right-Click on one of the top-level mailbox folders there
and choose 'Rebuild folder tree', so that Claws can be 'aware' that the
messages are present now. (This step could possibly be avoided if you
just re-copy (from old to new systems) the config directory. HTH,
---Dustin