Overview: This article covers all the reasons, and how you can practically resolve Thunderbird not showing sent emails problems. It includes various methods such as manual and automated ones.

A sent mail folder typically keeps a copy of the message when you send an email via Mozilla Thunderbird. In some scenarios, Thunderbird likely will send the email without issue but then the copy sent does not appear in its expected place.

This may happen extensively with IMAP accounts since the sent folder in Thunderbird is dependent on both folder structure and mail server syncing. The way Gmail does it might be that instead of using sent, the folder a user expects to use as. This situation is exactly what recent Thunderbird support discussions have reported.

Also Read: How to Move Thunderbird Profile to New Computer?

Table of Contents Hide
  1. Why is Thunderbird Not Showing Sent Folder?
  2. Manual Steps to Fix Thunderbird Not Showing Sent Emails
  3. Check Thunderbird Copies & Folders
  4. Check Account is IMAP or POP
  5. Repair Thunderbird Sent Folder
  6. Use Expert Solution -Best Alternative
  7. Conclusion

Why is Thunderbird Not Showing Sent Folder?

There are many reasons behind Thunderbird not showing sent emails. Let’s start reading the pointers:

  • Some messages are saved in wrong sent folder in Thunderbird
  • If you have not subscribed to the Sent or Sent Mail
  • Your email provider might call it by different folder name
  • IMAP is not properly synced as expected and which can create problem
  • Gmail is saving the sent messages automatically while Thunderbird saves another copy of it
  • Your sent folder is not set to synchronize offline
  • It can be because of corrupted Thunderbird local folder index file
  • Your Thunderbird profile is set to an incorrect or to an older mail location

Manual Ways to Fix Thunderbird Not Showing Sent Emails Problem

There are these eight methods by which you can resolve Thunderbird not showing sent messages.

#1. Check Thunderbird Copies & Folder Settings

Your Thunderbird should be set up to save copies of any outgoing messages to avoid Thunderbird not showing sent emails.

  1. Open Thunderbird
  2. Go to Account settings
  3. Next, select the affected email account
  4. View to copies & folders section
  5. Find when sending messages automatically
  6. See where Thunderbird has copied the sent messages
  7. Choose the right Sent folder if applicable
  8. You will be the receiver of that email > Send some email and check this folder again

Check the ‘Other” Folder Option

Most email providers do not use the default Thunderbird Sent folder. In such cases, select Other and point it to the real server-side like:

  • Sent
  • Sent Mail
  • Sent Items
  • Mail/Sent
  • Other provider-specific Sent folder

That’s especially so when the mail provider’s folders structure is not exactly similar to Thunderbird default configuration.

#2. Check Whether the Sent Folder is Subscribed or Not

Your mail server might have a Sent folder that your Thunderbird does not show properly. It may be unsubscribed too.

For an IMAP account:

  1. In Thunderbird, right click on the email account
  2. Select Subscribe button
  3. Next, click on Refresh if available
  4. Look through the folder list
  5. Click either on Sent or Sent Mail, or Sent Items.
  6. Select the appropriate folder
  7. Click Subscribe and then OK

Your folder name is based on your email provider. For example, Gmail can use Sent Mail and how a recent Thunderbird support case got solved. It is when they came to the idea to subscribe to that folder. This is a very important aspect when you are facing Thunderbird not showing sent folders.

#3. Check If Your Account is Using IMAP or POP

To fix Thunderbird not showing sent emails, you need to verify your account type once.

Go to:

  • Account Settings > Server Settings
  • Look for Server Type

Thunderbird can also sync folders on the mail server, if this account is configured as IMAP. In contrast, when using POP, most messages get downloaded to your computer.

  • When you have an IMAP account, then you need to subscribe to the correct server folders for Sent or Sent Mail
  • Check that Thunderbird is connected to the configured email account, especially when you recently changed its configuration.

#4. Check the Sent Mail on Webmail

This is also one of the solutions where you can simplify Thunderbird not showing sent emails.

  1. Firstly, just sign in to your email account via the web browser, and go to the Sent folder
  2. Look there and see if those sent emails are present
  3. If they are visible, the emails will continue to reside at the mail server
  4. In that situation, Thunderbird folder settings/syncing might be the issue
  5. Emails may also not be present in webmail, which would mean it hasn’t been saved to the server
  6. This is a good way to be sure whether the issue lies with Thunderbird or your email server.

#5. Force Thunderbird to Synchronize the Sent Folder

  1. Open Thunderbird and choose your email account
  2. Next, double click on the Sent folder option
  3. Right-click on any folder, then left click on Properties
  4. Ensure that the folder is ready to sync with the server
  5. Navigate to Account Settings > Sync & Storage and verify the settings
  6. At this point, restart and check the Sent folder present in Thunderbird

#6. Check for Duplicate or Incorrect Sent Folders

  1. Launch Thunderbird and review all folders under your email account area
  2. Search for folders named Sent, Sent Mail, Sent Items, or Sent Messages
  3. Go through each one until you find where your sent emails is actually saved
  4. Find out which Sent folder is used by your email provider
  5. Configure Thunderbird to store sent letters in an identical folder
  6. Lastly, process a test email and verify whether is Sent folder is correct

#7. Repair the Thunderbird Sent Folder

Follow these steps to fix Thunderbird not showing sent emails problems.

  1. Start the Thunderbird application then navigate to the Sent folder
  2. Right-click on the Sent folder
  3. Then, select Properties from the menu
  4. Click on Repair Folder in the folder properties
  5. Let’s wait for Thunderbird to rebuild the folder index
  6. Go back to the Sent folder and view your emails

#8. Check Thunderbird Profile

  1. Close Thunderbird before inspecting the profile files
  2. Secondly, locate the Thunderbird profile folder on your PC
  3. See if your old email and sent folder data is there
  4. Before changing the profile, take the necessary data backup
  5. If the profile files are corrupted, Thunderbird may not display your sent mails properly
  6. In case you have access to your old mail data, then it can be imported into your current Thunderbird profile.

Professional Way to Import Thunderbird Mail Data Securely

The problem of Thunderbird not showing sent emails may be due to old mailbox data or a profile change. So, users try to move email files from Thunderbird manually one by one. It becomes difficult and complex. In that case, use SysTools Thunderbird Importer tool that allows you to import MBOX, EML, EMLX, Maildir and NSF files in a single Thunderbird profile with the original mailbox structure and attachments.

End Note

Thunderbird not showing sent emails can occur because of various reasons. Users can check the settings of the Sent folder, perform synchronisation, or old profile data. If you have those emails saved as MBOX file format, then you can use our above professional solution. The tool can import data into your current Thunderbird profile and this way enables quick access to your old mailbox data.