topic Re: Deleted emails removed automatically in Internet

Deleted emails removed automatically

TB2 — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 17:56:02 GMT

Why are my deleted emails being removed? I have never emptied the folder to permanently delete them but they are gone.

Re: Deleted emails removed automatically

WelshTerrier — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 21:03:31 GMT

I need a few for details. Could you please elaborate?

When did this problem start? Is this something new or has this been an ongoing problem?

Are you using an email client such as Outlook or Apple Mail, etc. If so, please verify your settings. Are your settings set such that deleted emails are removed from the email server?

If you have never deleted any emails, how large was the deleted folder? Have you reached or exceeded your account limits?

Do you access Bell email from online Webmail? If so, have you checked your Email account deleted folder? Have you verified your Email settings for emptying your Email folder?

Please have a look & let us know. We are here on the Bell Community Forum to provide further assistance.

Re: Deleted emails removed automatically

TB2 — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 21:16:16 GMT

This problem has been going on for awhile. I log in via bell web site and I used Apple iphone. I do not see any settings related to limits or emptying the deleted folder. I have to imagine that is the problem but I do not know how to fix it.

Re: Deleted emails removed automatically

TB2 — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 21:33:09 GMT

Looks like it was the setting on my iphone. Problem should be fixed.

Why did my deleted email messages disappear?

MEP — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 13:14:59 GMT

I went to my deleted file earlier today looking for something and all but my most recent 2 deletes were no longer there. I was using Bell webmail as my log in... I was on my computer, however checked and it is the same issue on my Samsung phone. In the past I have manually permanently deleted my deleted emails however haven't done that for a while.

Is there a limit to the number of deleted emails the system holds and did I exceed that and, if not, where might I find my deletes that I didn't permanently delete?

Re: Why did my deleted messages disappear

WelshTerrier — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 11:57:31 GMT

Bell eMail includes email storage that automatically increases as you need more space.

However, if your inbox suddenly increases in size dramatically, you may get an email asking you to move emails to your computer or to delete some old messages.

How are you accessing your email?

If you are accessing Bell eMail via a browser, webmail, when you delete an email message, from a folder, it automatically is placed in the deleted folder. There are no settings in web mail to automatically delete messages from the deleted folder. To delete these messages, you must go into this folder & select the messages to delete. Follow the on-screen instructions & the messages will be deleted. This holds true for all webmail folders. You can select individual emails or choose to remove all by choosing the trashcan.

If you are accessing your email with an application or email client on a device or computer, the deletion setting for these other various email software programs & application will vary in whether the email is deleted from the server or not based on the options chosen for the software & application during setup. E.g. Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, Samsung Email, etc.

You need to verify & adjust your settings on each of your devices that you use to access your email. E.g. Email account settings, mail application settings, etc.

FYI Only. Using an IMAP configuration will always delete emails from the server when they are deleted from a client. Using a POP configuration will provide the option to delete emails from the server or not.

You can configure Bell email to work with either POP or IMAP settings.

Bell email support and help

Using Bell email : Bell email features

Setting up Bell email : Accessing settings

Take care.

Re: Archiving emails within Bell Webmail

waxy — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 13:20:57 GMT

All my Bell Webmail emails older than a month seem to have disappeared from my Inbox so I assumed they had been archived. Yet when I follow the advice to expand My Folders (on the left), I do not see any Archive folder, just Notes. Any solution to recover these lost emails?

Re: Archiving emails within Bell Webmail

BellPatricia — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 22:15:16 GMT

Good day @waxy

Thanks for reaching out to the Bell Community 🙂

Do you check your Bell email using a third party email client as well (e.g. Outlook)? If that is the case, it sounds like you might have an option to delete messages from the server selected in the email client.

Let us know if you have any more questions.

@BellPatricia

Re: Archiving emails within Bell Webmail

waxy — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 22:38:00 GMT

Hi Patricia,

I have previously always used Outlook but when I switched computers I thought Bell Webmail had all the capabilities of Outlook so decided to use it exclusively. Apparently, I was wrong so will revert to Outlook to keep important emails indefinitely.

Sincerely, waxy

Deleted emails removed automatically

Chantale — Mon, 05 May 2025 19:27:14 GMT

Hello,

I checked on my side and it's not my settings. Perusing your community home, it seems that Bell doesn't enforce automatically purging the trash. Then I found this information:

“Bell uses Yahoo’s email backend, which complicates things:

Even if Bell’s interface says “Never delete,” Yahoo Mail has a server-side rule that permanently deletes Trash after 30 days—and this cannot be turned off, even if it looks like you’ve disabled it. Yahoo’s backend auto-purges Trash after 30 days, regardless of your device or settings. Even Bell’s webmail interface may offer options that appear to disable this—but they don’t override Yahoo’s server behaviour.”

Can someone comment on this? This is a pain. I've got no way of retrieving some information now and I'm pretty peeved. Why aren't we informed of that up front?

Thx

Re: Deleted emails removed automatically

dks — Tue, 06 May 2025 10:19:46 GMT

Thanks for your question. If you want a reason for the policy, it is that storage space is not free. Multiply that by millions of e-mail addresses and it becomes both an economic and technical issue for Bell.

If you want to keep your e-mails, you are better to use a standalone off-line mail client such a Microsoft Outlook (NOT Office 365 Outlook). You can find more information on e-mail clients here . My own preference is Outlook 2024. I have about 50 Gb of e-mails saved over 16 years (I am not a hoarder).

Deleted emails removed automatically

KS2 — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:24:28 GMT

I have my 'delete' set to Never, but yet I can't find emails for a specific sender prior to a date in April.
I've tried searching in webmail and on my phone - not in junk, deleted, sent, inbox....they have just vanished.

Any suggestions on how to find them?

Re: Deleted emails removed automatically

WelshTerrier — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:26:35 GMT

Good Day.

Once an email is permanently deleted on the Bell server and it is not kept & stored locally on the device, (computer, tablet, mobile phone, etc.), it cannot be recovered. How are you accessing your email?

If you are accessing Bell eMail account via a browser, webmail, when you delete an email message, from a folder, it automatically is placed in the deleted folder. There are no settings in web mail to automatically delete messages from the deleted folder. To delete these messages, you must go into this folder & select the messages to delete. Follow the on-screen instructions & the messages will be deleted. This holds true for all webmail folders. You can select individual emails or choose to remove all by choosing the trashcan.

You need to verify & adjust your settings on each of your devices that you use to access your email. E.g. Email account settings, mail application settings, etc.

You can configure Bell email to work with either POP or IMAP settings.

Bell email support and help

Using Bell email : Bell email features

Setting up Bell email : Accessing settings

Take care.

Re: Deleted emails removed automatically

KS2 — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:24:10 GMT

Hello - thank you for your reply.

I'm not deleting any messages. They should be in my in box and I should also have a copy in my sent. But I have none. I have a conversation ongoing with someone via email that started in early April. I can't find the messages from early April - it just shows the thread with messages starting from April 23. I have not deleted anything from anywhere.

I've tried accessing via the email app on my phone and on my ipad, and have tried using webmail on my computer. Can't find these emails anywhere.

Re: missing emails

WelshTerrier — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 10:25:50 GMT

Good Day.

I am not suggesting or inferring that you deleted the missing email messages.

If the emails are no longer available on the Bell server & have not been stored on one of the local devices that you are using, then they can no longer be recovered.

Bell webmail does not delete emails perse. Only you the user and / or the application that you are using can result in messages being delete.

The most common cause for emails that are missing, lies within the use of multiple devices, applications & the settings on each of them.

You should verify & adjust your settings on each of your devices that you use to access your email. E.g. Email account settings, mail application settings, etc.

Thank you for reaching out & updating the community.

Take care.

Re: missing emails

KS2 — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:02:16 GMT

Hello WelshTerrier - thank you for your reply. I have 3 devices I'm using to access email:

1/ iPhone - It shows incoming server as imap.bell.net and outgoing server as smtphm.sympatico.ca. I think what you are saying is that incoming should be: pophm.sympatico.ca ?

2/ iPad - shows the same as iPhone (imap and smtphm).

3/ via laptop going to Bell webmail - (webmail.bell.net)....don't think I have any abilities to change settings within this option. Should I be logging in some other way?d

Thanks again!8

Re: missing emails

WelshTerrier — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:30:22 GMT

Good Day.

Thank you for your reply. That is not what I am saying. You need to review the settings that you have on each of your devices & decide on what is best for you.

Keep in mind that the settings you have on one device will affect whether the email message will be kept on the Bell server & viewable on your other devices,

Using an IMAP configuration will always delete emails from the server when they are deleted from a client. Using a POP configuration will provide the option to delete emails from the server or not.

Using Bell email : Bell email features

Fyi Only. If you are unsure, start by using webmail with a browser only. Then move on to using email with one device at a time. If you are using IMAP, if you delete the message on one device, you are deleting it from the server as well. If you are using POP, you must decide on the options & set them accordingly.

Take care.