Thunderbird = full Gmail download
Second, create a boolean preference named "mail.check_all_imap_folders_for_new" and set it to true. Thunderbird won't download messages from outside your inbox unless you click each label individually until you set this preference. Third, set "mail.imap.use_status_for_biff" to false. This causes Thunderbird to always check each label for new messages. Lastly, ensure "mail.server.default.autosync_offline_stores" is set to true, or Thunderbird might delay downloading of emails until you go offline.
set the preference "mail.server.default.mime_parts_on_demand" to False
Second, create a boolean preference named "mail.check_all_imap_folders_for_new" and set it to true.
OR mail.server.default.check_all_folders_for_new = true instead to make it effective for all accounts
Your local copy (folder) is at %userprofile%/.Thunderbird or /home/USERNAME/.thunderbird
Gmail has some very obvious strengths.
- Big company that's not going fail any time soon.
- Huge amount of free storage space.
- Very good search - and with email growing exponentially that's critical.
- Very accessible via POP, IMAP, and even offline (Google Gears)
- "Labels" based system is more flexible than traditional folders
- Modifiable by programmers with API's (5 + 6 allows people to use a nested label / tree structure for organizing).
Thunderbird (2.0 Portable) is multi platform, well tested with lots of guides on how to setup & customize. Portable is always better.
POP relies on synchronizing a copy of files on a server with a local store. IMAP is an interactive session with the server copy.
To move all of your previous email baggage (including original sender & sent date info):
To start using Gmail in Thunderbird
Setup a gmail account. Go to Settings (upper right) Forwarding and POP/IMAP -> Enable IMAP (maybe even read the config instructions)
Next, download Thunderbird from portableapps.com and extract it to a folder.
Open Thunderbird, and select Tools > Account Settings. (It may start this way anyways). Click Add Account. Select Email account (IF GIVEN THE CHOICE, CHOOSE IMAP, NOT GMAIL) Enter your Display Name in the Your Name field. Enter your Gmail address (username@gmail.com) in the Email Address field
VERY IMPORTANT, Select IMAP as the type of incoming server you are using. Enter imap.gmail.com in the Incoming Server field. Set the Outgoing Server to smtp.gmail.com and click Next.
Under Server Settings in Thunderbird -> Tools -> Account Settings (gmail account) Ensure you are using port 993 & SSL. (SMTP should be port 587 w/ TLS security)
When "deleting a message", Move it to the trash folder.
Under COPIES & FOLDERS you should choose "Other" Sent Mail on USERNAME -> Google Mail -> Sent Items Do the same for Thunderbird Drafts
To Get Thunderbird to use the GMAIL Trash Label instead of Local Trash...
You can configure Thunderbird inside Thunderbird: Thunderbird -> Options -> Config Editor -> filter: mail.server.serverX where X = your imap account in Thunderbird and then you have to create a new String key, mail.server.server2.trash_folder_name with value [Google Mail]/Trash
OR
open in notepad \Thunderbird\Profiles\
Find the line: user_pref("mail.server.server#.directory-rel", "[ProfD]ImapMail/imap.gmail.com");
And add the line below it: user_pref("mail.server.server#.trash_folder_name", "[Gmail]/Trash");
YOU'LL NOTE THAT IT MIGHT BE [Google Mail] or it might be [Gmail], the best place to ensure you have it right is what appears when configuring the Sent Folder...
You will have to restart Thunderbird a few times (and perhaps not be logged into Gmail as well) before you'll finally see the Local Trash folder disappear from Thunderbird, and experimentally when you delete something you should be able to see it appear in your Google Mail Trash.
Download and install and run ypops free software http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=52835
YPOPS default downloads your inbox, through "Configure" you can download other folders.
Thunderbird -> Add Account -> "Email Account" -> Enter your Name & Yahoo Email address Choose POP and set your server to: 127.0.0.1
If you would like you can use Yahoo as your outgoing email server or you can simply skip this step (as we'll be using Gmail from Thunderbird from now on...)
Click on "Get Mail" -> Your Yahoo Email Address Account to download messages (the default is 40 at a time and they will appear as unread with the original subject, date, and sender)
Sub Folders in Thunderbird appear as Foldername/Subfoldername Labels in Gmail.
In Thunderbird, when you've set up some other email account (local files, POP, or even another GMAIL IMAP, etc.)
When you drag and drop email(s) into your Gmail "Folders" you are basically assigning them labels... but they'll keep all of their original