Why does Thunderbird IMAP folders not showing? – Fixed

Have you recently configured a Thunderbird profile or restored Thunderbird backup data, and Thunderbird IMAP folders not showing? There are several reasons behind this, such as profile corruption, Thunderbird crashes, and more. Don’t worry, read this blog as we have mentioned all the solutions to fix this query for free and also included an expert-verified Thunderbird Converter to fix this error.

Thunderbird is an open-source email client and it’s specially known for its features and functionality. It is compatible with various operating systems such as Windows Operating System, Mac and Linux Operating System. However, sometimes user faces issues Thunderbird IMAP folders not showing. So, first understand the reason why its happen:

Causes of Thunderbird not Showing all Folders

• Thunderbird may fail to sync with the email server correctly, leading to some folder not showing in Thunderbird. IMAP is designed to sync the email client and server, and any interruption can cause a missing folder.
• In IMAP Accounts, certain folders are not visible if they haven’t subscribed to Thunderbird. Due to this some folders are available on the server but do not appear in Thunderbird.
• Incorrect account configuration or misconfigured protocols can prevent Thunderbird from displaying all available folders. This includes using the wrong port number or encryption settings.
• Thunderbird provides filter options to organize emails but filters configured incorrectly then hide some emails or folders.
• Some folders will appear in offline use if you have not selected those folders for offline use; those folders will appear when the client is offline.

How to Resolve Thunderbird IMAP folders not showing?

There are several methods that may affective to fix Thunderbird not showing all folders error:

Method1. Check and Configure IMAP Configuration

1. Open “Thunderbird” and right click on your “Account”.
2. Select “Subscribe” from the menu and select the “folder” as you want to display.
3. Now, Click on “Subscribe” and press “Ok option”.

Method2. Enable Folder Synchronization

1. Go to “Tools” then click on “Account Settings”.
2. Choose “Synchronization and Storage” under your account.
3. Check the box to “keep messages for this account” on this computer.
4. Click on “Advanced” and ensure “All folders” are Selected for synchronization.

Method3. Rebuild Folder Index

1. Right click on the “Problematic folder” and select “Properties”.
2. Under the “Generation information” click on “File Repair”.
3. Press Ok and wait for “Thunderbird to restore the inbox”.

Method4. Verify Server Settings

1. Navigate to “Tools” and click on “Account Settings”.
2. Press on “Server Settings” and configure the “IMAP or SMTP” credentials.
3. Verify from your “Email service provider”.

Method5. Check for Filters and Message Rules

1. Go to “Tools” and press on “Message Filters”.
2. Review your “filters” and check if they are “Configured” correctly.
3. Adjust or disable any “filter” that may cause issues.

Method6. Update Thunderbird

1. Go to Help and click on “About Thunderbird”.
2. Click on “Check for updates” and install if any are available.

Method7. Clear Thunderbird Cache

1. Close “Thunderbird”.
2. Navigate to your “Thunderbird profile location”.
3. Delete the “Cache folder”.
4. Relaunch “Thunderbird” and allow it to resynchronize from the server.

Method8. Reconfigure your Email Account

1. Export your mailbox using “Import/Export NG Tools”.
2. Now, click on “Tools” and press on “Account Settings”.
3. Click on “Account” and press on “Remove Account”.
4. “Re-add account settings” using the correct servers.

Method9. Verify Offline Mode Settings

1. Go to “File” and click on “Offline”.
2. Now, choose “Download/Sync Now”.
3. Click on “Mail Messages” and press “OK to download emails”.

Method10. Contact your Service Provider

If the folder doesn’t appears after functioning all the solutions then “Contact your Email service provider” to ensure that folder exist on the server but not available via IMAP.

Alternative Solution: How to Resolve Thunderbird not showing all folders Quickly?

If you want to fix this query instantly then you can simply use Thunderbird to MBOX Converter as it allows to easily exhort mailbox data from Thunderbird and also can import into Thunderbird to get all folders that appear on your Thunderbird account.

Steps to fix Thunderbird IMAP folders not showing

1. First, Download and launch “Thunderbird to Mailbox Converter” on your system.
2. Then, Click on “configured Thunderbird Mailboxes” as appears on image.
3. Now, choose the “Thunderbird folder” as you need to convert.
4. After that, Browse “MBOX file” in the list of select saving options.
5. Here, Choose the “destination path” and click on Next to start converting.
6. Now, relaunch “Thunderbird to Mailbox Converter” and click on select files.
7. Thereafter, Choose the “converted MBOX file” and choose Mailbox folder.
8. Here, select “Thunderbird” in the list of select saving options.
9. Finally, Press Next to fix “Thunderbird not showing IMAP folders”.

Pinnacle features of Automated Solution

• It supports dual mode to select files or select folders to easily upload Thunderbird data.
• This software allows specific Mailbox selection or convert whole Thunderbird data without facing any limitations.
• You can also migrate Thunderbird to Gmail, Office 365, Thunderbird, Maildir and all IMAP Supported email platforms.
• With this wizard, you can use filter functionality to convert data as per date range, subject, sender or recipients etc.
• It can also convert Thunderbird to DOC, EML, CSV, and 28+ select saving options.

Closing Remarks

In this guide, we have outlined the effective and comprehensive solution to fix Thunderbird IMAP folders not showing quickly. In addition, we have also mentioned that the fix is instant and does not require manual intervention. This software has been thoroughly tried and tested to convert batch numbers of Thunderbird profiles with valuable output.

Frequently Asked Concerns about Thunderbird IMAP folders not showing

How do I Show all folders in Thunderbird?

To show all folders in Thunderbird click on the View menu and choose folders and click on All. This will show all your folders including hidden files. Ensure the account settings are configured correctly to synchronize folders.

---

Where did my folders go in Thunderbird?

If folders do not appear in Thunderbird they may be unsubscribed or not synchronized. Right click on your email account and click on the Subscription option and check the folder as you want to display. Also verify server settings as it also happens due to incorrect server credentials.

---

How do I Refresh all folders in Thunderbird?

To refresh all folders in Thunderbird right click on the email account and click on properties and then press on the Repair folder. It will repair and refresh all the folders.