Thunderbird and IMAP remote Trash folder

[Update 2011-07-05] Before reading this post below, you may read a more recent post that shows a simpler solution applicable for all folders: here.


To specify a different Trash folder for an IMAP account in Thunderbird:

1. Completely exit Thunderbird if it is running.
2. Make a temporary backup copy of your profile folder (or at least "prefs.js").
3. Open your "prefs.js" file with a text editor such as Notepad to find the server# used to represent your IMAP account. It could be "server2", "server5", "server7", or some other number depending on your own individual account setup. Look for a line similar to this, corresponding to your own IMAP acccount:

user_pref("mail.server.server2.hostname", "mail.YourImapProvider.com");

4. Insert a line like the following into "prefs.js", with the correct server# and correct name for the Trash folder:

user_pref("mail.server.server#.trash_folder_name", "");

For example:

user_pref("mail.server.server2.trash_folder_name", "Deleted Items");

If you want to use "Gelöscht" (German for Trash) you would have to write it in the user_pref as "Gel&APY-scht", since the German Umlaute has to be encoded differently.

5. Restart Thunderbird. You should now see the new Trash folder (e.g., "Deleted Items") showing the trash can icon. (If not, exit and restart Thunderbird.) If the old Trash folder is still showing, you should now be able to delete it. If you can't delete it through Thunderbird, then delete it through the account's webmail interface.

6. If you deleted the Trash folder in the web front end of your mail provider, you may need to cancel the IMAP folder subscriptions, too. It may take a while for the subscription changes to take effect.

From: http://kb.mozillazine.org/IMAP_Trash_folder