# Thunderbird email question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 9, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbird-email-question/624636 "2012-06-09T17:55:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbird-email-question/624636/1 "2012-06-09T17:55:23Z")
Shortly after upgrading to TB 13.0, every time I start to delete an email, I get a box pop up with the message, “Do you wish to compact all local and offline folders to save disk space?” What the heck does this mean, and how can I get it to stop? I don’t want it to “compact” any folders, so just I hit Cancel each time, but it is very annoying. I can’t find anything in Options regarding this. Is this a ver. 13.0 thing, or is something else causing it? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbird-email-question/624636/2 "2012-06-09T18:41:49Z")
Clicking cancel is your mistake. Let it compact it. The reason the mailboxes need to be compacted from time to time is the files that store your messages become fragmented over time as you receive and delete messages so they need to be periodically rebuilt. It should only take a few seconds to compact them and you won’t notice any change after it is done except maybe better performance in Thunderbird. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbird-email-question/624636/3 "2012-06-09T18:45:30Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Clicking cancel is your mistake. Let it compact it. The reason the mailboxes need to be compacted from time to time is the files that store your messages become fragmented over time as you receive and delete messages so they need to be periodically rebuilt. It should only take a few seconds to compact them and you won’t notice any change after it is done except maybe better performance in Thunderbird. Thanks. i was adverse to going ahead when I had no idea what compacting accomplished. Now I know! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbird-email-question/624636/4 "2012-06-10T03:44:11Z")
To get into it a little further, the compact message will show up when it can recover a set amount of space. This amount is set in tools/advanced/network and disk space. Change this to a bigger number. The same thing happened to me on the latest release. I was getting compact messages (then selecting compacting) about once a day where previously that occurred only about once a week. The default amount was set much lower than I had set it. I increased the value and now it behaves as it used to. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbird-email-question/624636/5 "2012-06-10T05:08:14Z")
I dunno. I think the pilots are probably too busy trying not to crash into each other to respond to your emails. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbird-email-question/624636/6 "2012-06-10T05:14:29Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I dunno. I think the pilots are probably too busy trying not to crash into each other to respond to your emails. Perhaps, but I think John, in the space station, has plenty of time on his hands.