Compacting a folder will command Thunderbird to remove all messages marked as deleted from that folder.

1. To compact all folders on demand, go to the File menu and select Compact Folders.
2. To compact an individual folder, right-click on the folder and select Compact.

Moreover, how do I free up space on Thunderbird?

Resolve Thunderbird Out of Disk Space Error

1. Go to the File >> Compact Folders to compact all the folders.
2. For individual folders (such as Inbox), right-click on it and select Compact.

Additionally, how do I turn off compact messages in Thunderbird? They will become invisible but actually never physically removed from your mailbox. To get to the setting, click on "Options" in the [≡] menu. In the Advanced → Network & Disk Space tab, uncheck "Compact all folders..." and it won't bother you again for an automatic compact.

Thereof, what does it mean to compact email messages?

When you compact, all of your permanently deleted email gets deleted for real. The files are rewritten so they only contain the mail that you actually have. As a result, the mail has a smaller file size and it becomes slightly faster to access because the messages are closer together.

Why does Thunderbird keep compacting folders?

This is the auto compact option. When you get the message to compact folders, thunderbird has detected that you have got 60MB of 'marked as deleted' emails using valuable space.

Related Question Answers

How do I clean up Thunderbird?

On the [Tools] menu, click [Account Settings…]. [Account Settings] dialog box will open. Select [Server Settings] and check [Empty Trash on Exit]. Messages in the Trash on the server will be deleted automatically when you finish Thunderbird.

Why does Thunderbird take so much memory?

If Thunderbird memory usage is more than expected by hundreds of megabytes (MB), then perhaps one or more folders (internally a database) are not being closed, or some other bug.

Does Thunderbird store emails locally?

By default, email on Thunderbird is stored on the server side. However, it is possible to open a "local archive" and move your mails in this archive in order to store them only on your local machine.

How much storage does Thunderbird have?

12.5GB

Where does Mozilla Thunderbird store emails?

The file is located in the application data folder for Thunderbird: The path is %AppData%Thunderbird for Windows. thunderbird/ for Linux~/Library/Thunderbird/ for Mac OS X.

How do I check my storage on Thunderbird?

Right-click a folder, Properties, and not the 'Size on disk'. Or, enable View/Layout/Folder Pane Columns to show the Total number and Size. The size may decrease after you Compact Folders.

Does archiving reduce mailbox size?

The archive. pst file can be created and updated at any location you specify, usually your local hard drive. Archived items are removed from your Outlook mailbox size and moved to the archive file based on the settings you determine.

Why is Outlook taking up so much space?

The larger your data file, the more space you'll probably get back. A large Outlook data file can make Outlook take longer to start up, work with, and shut down. So, periodically compacting your Outlook data file is a smart thing to do.

How do I reduce the size of my emails?

A few simple ways to reduce mailbox size are:

1. Delete large Outlook emails and attachments.
2. Use Mailbox Cleanup utilities.
3. Compress the Outlook data file (PST)
4. Archive older PST file items.
5. Try third-party Outlook management tools like Compress PST, Split PST, Remove Duplicates, Attachment Management.

Does archiving reduce Ost size?

Archiving OST file data: Archiving OST file data might reduce OST file size and clear some space occupied on the server. You can change archive OST file location in your system. Archiving OST file may prevent your OST file file from crossing a predefined size limit.

How long does it take to compact a PST file?

How long the compacting takes depends upon the total size of your data file and how much “white space” needs to be cleaned-up. For my smaller PST data files, it completes in just a few minutes. But on my larger PST mailbox files that is over a Gig in size, it typically takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete.

Should I compact folders in Thunderbird?

If you don't compact folders your mail folders can grow very large and the program can behave erratically, so it's a good idea to do it periodically. Don't confuse compacting folders with compressing files. It isn't some unique feature of Thunderbird.

How do I compact a folder?

Select the files or folders you want to compress. To select multiple files or folders at once, hold down the Ctrl key while you click each item. Right-click the selected items, choose Send to, and then click Compressed (zipped) folder. This will create a zipped file in the same directory that the files are located.

What happens when you compact Outlook data file?

Compacting Outlook data files reclaims the space that is unavailable because it was previously occupied by an item. This can greatly reduce the amount of space that the OST or PST file occupies on your hard drive, and helps Outlook function efficiently.

How do I clean up space in Outlook?

In Outlook, choose File> Cleanup Tools > Mailbox Cleanup. Do any of the following: View the total size of your mailbox and of individual folders within it. Find items older than a certain date or larger than a certain size.

Do you wish to compact all local and offline folders to save disk space Thunderbird?

To compact a folder when prompted, select Compact Now under Do you wish to compact all local and offline folders to save disk space. To make Mozilla Thunderbird compact without prompting in the future, make sure Always ask me before compacting folders automatically is not checked.

What are local and offline folders?

Local Folders provides a convenient place to store messages locally when desired. You could use offline folders instead, but that can cause complications and you would need to switch Thunderbird to working offline to access those folders.

What does it mean to compact files?

Browse Encyclopedia. A. Removing unused space in a stored file. Saving a copy of a file may compact the file by default if the original file was updated several times. Updating tends to fragment a file, which can cause space to be wasted, but saving the file as a copy stores the data sequentially from the start.

What is the Thunderbird cache?

The cache is basically exactly the same as the browser cache. Thunderbird can display RSS feeds, which are basically web sites. Web content can be cached. Letting CCleaner mess with files in the Thunderbird profile usually is a bad idea. If you feel you need to clean the cache, do that via Thunderbird Options.

What is Nstmp folder in Thunderbird?

Thunderbird creates a temporary file called "nstmp" when it's compacting a folder. If Thunderbird is interrupted during the compacting, it will abort, and the temporary file will not be deleted. Receiving a new message in the folder you're compacting will also interrupt the process.

How do I delete attachments in Thunderbird?

Once in Thunderbird, you can delete attachments by right-clicking on the attachment icon that appears at the bottom of a message containing an attachment.