Why am I missing some emails?

If you cannot find specific emails in your inbox, it may be due to your folder or filter settings or the setup you use to check your email. Please see the troubleshooting suggestions below.

Where did my emails go?
If certain emails are not in your inbox or the folder where you would expect to find them, you can use the inbox search function to locate them as long as they have not been permanently deleted. In your Email tab, type your search term in the search field and click the magnifying glass icon. This will also open a menu that lets you refine your search:
Screenshot: locate missing emails with search

How can I prevent emails from “disappearing”?
To prevent this problem going forward, please check the following:
Spam folder
Please check your Spam folder to see if your missing emails have been sent there by your inbox spam filter. If emails from a sender you trust are being mistakenly identified as spam, select the email in question and click the “Not Spam” button in the top menu. This will send the email back to your inbox and ensures that emails from that sender will no longer be automatically placed in the Spam folder.
Filter rules
You may have set up email filters to automatically sort or delete certain messages. If you would rather have those emails arrive in your inbox so you can see them immediately, you can deactivate the rule:
  1. Go to Email > Settings > Filter Rules
  2. Under Your Filter Rules, mouse over the rule you wish to change. A wrench symbol will appear on the right.
  3. Click the wrench symbol. An edit menu will appear.
  4. Select Edit, Deactivate or Delete to perform your desired action.
Folder storage time
If you have created folders for your emails, check the storage time to make sure emails are not being automatically deleted from the folder sooner than you would like:
  1. Go to Email > Settings > Folder Overview
    The storage time of each folder is listed in the far right column.
  2. To change the storage time, mouse over the folder and a wrench symbol will appear on the right.
  3. Click the wrench symbol. A folder settings menu will appear.
  4. Use the Storage time dropdown menu to define the length of time emails will remain in this folder before automatically being moved to the Trash.
  5. Press OK to confirm your selection.
IMAP or POP3
If you use the POP3 or IMAP protocols to receive emails, you should check the settings to see if messages are being downloaded or left on the server. This could be one reason you do not find certain messages in your inbox.

If you use the POP3 protocol to access your mail.com account via another email program, by default your emails are usually removed from the originating server when you check your email and placed in that inbox. Adjust the POP3 settings in the third-party email program if you wish to leave your messages on the server and keep them available for download to multiple email programs.

If you use the IMAP protocol, depending on your settings your emails will usually be left on the server, but are only accessible when you are connected to the internet. Adjust your IMAP settings if you wish to download emails to see them offline.

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Please note that POP3 and IMAP are Premium features. Freemail customers who are experiencing difficulties fetching emails with other programs/third-party software can discontinue use of these protocols by changing the password.

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If you are missing emails on an iPhone or Android smartphone, we recommend using our free Mail App, which means you do not have adjust the server settings manually. For more information please visit the iOS- and Android help pages.

Mail Collector
Our Mail Collector feature uses POP features. To keep your emails on the server and accessible in multiple email inboxes, please select the option Leave a copy on the server.
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For more information please visit the Mail Collector help pages.

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