Outlook 2013 IMAP ‘purge account’ fails with Outlook cannot download folder (null) ...

Outlook 2013 (32-bit build 15.0.4719.1002) on Win 7 (64 bit SP1 with current updates) with IMAP account.

Synching the usual folders works fine, as does purging individual folders. But purge marked items in <account name> fails with Task 'Purging subscribed folders on <account name>l.' reported error (0x80004001) : 'Outlook cannot download folder (null) from the IMAP e-mail server for account <account name>

The Synch Errors folder also has error records reporting this error (0x80004001).

Outlook's IMAP log shows that Outlook has not even tried to select any folder for EXPUNGE! Outlook asks for and receives CAPABILITY, LOGINs successfully, and at the point where a folder (e.g. INBOX) would be selected for EXPUNGE, simply logs out again. No errors appear in the dialogue.

The usual culprits for this error (port number; firewall; only show subscribed folders; extra folders on server ) have been eliminated. Communication is not SSL and no SSL options are set. In Internet Mail Settings, a root folder is set, mark items for deletion but do not move them automatically is set, but purge marked items when switching folders while online is not set.

The odd thing is simply that normal synching and purge marked items in <folder name> are OK for all subscribed folders, so client-server communication appears fine.

 

Any ideas pls?



May 15th, 2015 2:29pm

check this link: http://www.msoutlook.info/question/675

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June 8th, 2015 10:23pm

Thanks Flynn.

This doesnt directly address my problem as purging by folder in Outlook 2013 works fine; it is only purge all folders which fails. Incidentally, my email provider is not Gmail, so Gmails oddities  are not directly applicable.

My understanding of the normal IMAP implementation is that the mail part of IMAP is only Inbox synchronization. Sending is a separate SMTP implementation. And everything else including the Sent, Deleted items (Trash) and Junk (Spam) is simply folder synchronisation and can include user-defined folders as well; in other words, synching of Deleted items is simply synching of a local and a central folder.

Although deleting an Inbox item merely flags it, it is common for IMAP implementations such as that in Outlook 2010 and 2013 to allow Rules to move items from Inbox to a user-defined local folder. This is of course a client function, not IMAP per se, but would allow an unwanted incoming message to be moved directly to Deleted items and not merely flagged as deleted.  The implementation of this by Outlook (and I would guess most other clients) is to copy the item to the target local folder and then flag the item for deletion in Inbox. To prevent the user seeing two copies, the Inbox copy may then either be marked by the client as non-display or an EXPUNGE (purge) issued immediately for that item.

Quite why Microsoft removed in Outlook 2013 the facility to nominate local folders for Deleted and Sent items is beyond me. If a clients local language implementation (assuming is not a variety of English) cannot XLIST-equate a central Sent folder with (e.g. in France) a local Courrier Envoys folder or a central Deleted items folder with a Corbeille folder (or whatever), Mr Microsoft has a BIG PROBLEM!  

June 9th, 2015 8:38am

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