How can I delete the local copy of messages downloaded to my computer for offline browsing, to free up space?

I have just installed eM Client, and selected the option to download messages and attachments for offline use (IMAP). However, this is taking too much of my disk space. I unchecked the option now, but how do I free up the disk space, without deleting the messages from the server? Would I be better off uninstalling the client and starting over?
Thanks in advance,
Lorenzo

Hello,

You can use the archiving function in Tools>Settings>Mail and archive messages older than X number of days. You can then move these messages to a different location or an external drive to save disk space.

Hope this helps.

-Dave

Hello Lorenzo,

I ́ve been studying this situation of deleting the offline messages that it was downloaded for storing locally. I needed to release space too. I ́ve worked with eM Client 7.0.26687.0. You can delete all message from an IMAP account or from each folder of it, simply with the button “Repair”.

Be shure that the option “Download message for offline use” is unchecked (through Menu - Tools - Accounts - IMAP - Offline).

After that, be shure that the option “Download message for offline use” is unchecked in each account folder (in the account tree, right click the account folder - Properties - Offline).

You can delete all database of the account throug right click in the account (account tree) - Properties - Repair.

You can delete the database of one account folder through right click in the account folder - Properties - Repair.

This procedure deletes the database. After that, it makes a fresh syncronization and the list of emails appears again but without the downloads. You can verify this if working offline; you can see that when opening a message this will be without content. You can re-verify checking “Download message for offline use”, let it download the messages, and then set offline. Open a message and see that it has content. Repeat the procedure of deleting the database as mentioned above and you can get the message fresh list (only headers) again.

Regards

I’ve been trying out eM Client today and I have had similar observations.

I’m connecting to an IMAP account and I have my client configured so that “Download messages for offline use” is unchecked. I do not want to be storing messages on my local PC. However, I notice that whenever I open an email message while online, the message gets downloaded. Then, if I go offline, I can still see the message contents. This tells me that as I read email messages, they will be getting downloaded and saved locally. Over time, more and more disk space will be getting consumed for that purpose.

Should the client not be checking the “download” flag, and if it is clear, automatically delete the freshly downloaded message when it gets closed? Otherwise we need to regularly “repair” the database to clean out all the downloaded messages.