Questions about sent mails and sent items.

Anonymous
2014-10-07T23:02:52+00:00

I am using Windows 8.1. I cannot figure out the difference between Sent Items and Sent Mail. When I send an email sometimes it ends up in Sent Items and sometimes it ends up in Sent Mail. What is the difference? This is very confusing! Thanks.

Windows for home | Other | Email and communications

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Brian Tillman [Outlook MVP 2007-2019] 25,925 Reputation points
2014-10-11T02:16:53+00:00

The SentMail folder is one being supplied by your mail server.  I suspect you are using an IMAP account.  It doesn't appear you are using Outlook.com for your mail service.  Thus, your post is off-topic for the Outlook.com forum.  I have moved it to the Windows Live Mail forum on "Files, Folders, and Online Storage" where it is on-topic.

Right-click the account in the folder pane and choose Properties.  On the IMAP tab you can control the mapping of folders so that WLM will use the correct folder for saving the sent messages.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-10-13T16:06:26+00:00

    Glad to see someone else has similar questions. I can only speak about my experience with the DRAFTS folder. When I am creating an email and for some reason cannot complete it, or need more information for it, I save it in the DRAFTS folder so that when I am able to complete it, it is still there waiting for me to complete it and send it. You may not want this. But this is what it is for, I think. Also, in reference to my previous issues and the fact that I am going to try what my two friends have recommended recently, everything seems to revolved around this IMAP function. Well, my webmail uses BOTH IMAP and STMP. Does that matter? See below:

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-10-13T15:09:03+00:00

    I try not to be a "thread jumper", but... It's one of "those days"... Can't stand it - I'm Jumping In! Please forgive me. This is the closest forum entry to my problems that I've found. Though I am not bright enough to actually follow this thread... Maybe looking at "our problems"(Similar?), will help us both..?

    Below, is a "Snipping Tool"(Screen Shot) of my folders(Windows 7 Pro, WLM - IMAP)  - ALL folders that appear when I open Windows Live Mail.

    I DO NOT want a DRAFTS folder - period. I "draft" in a word processing program and cut & paste, later, to an email.

    I would like ALL incoming E-MAIL to go to my INBOX, period. No "filters"! Adds confusing variables. I average about 3 "spams" a week, so don't need them. Minimize possible loss and confusion any way possible. Thus:

    I DO NOT want a JUNK or TRASH folder. I don't see the distinctions between the two, and don't care. I want to see, in my INBOX, every piece of E-Mail I get, so I can view, save/move(To one of my "custom" folders.), or delete them, by myself, knowing I've "seen them all" in one place - My Inbox. 

    I would like to have all SENT items(What is an "item", if NOT E-Mail, anyway?) go to my SENT folder, and REMOVE the SENT ITEMS folder.


    Two things I would add to previous comments on this thread, hoping to be helpful..?

    1. If you can, call, on the phone, your email provider(Mine is my ISP, PTD.NET, for instance.). PTD has 24 hour telephone support(So helpful!). I make-up a question list. Then, I sit-up until 2AM, call support(Generally, not busy, then.). We go over my question list and get A LOT of stuff resolved, during these calls. Yes, I'll do it for THIS question, too, if I can't resolve. 
    2. MY phone, tablet, PC, DOES "update/sync", and show exactly the same things -

    a. IF - The folders on all gear are "the same"(And all IMAP?).

    b. IF - I have ALL devices set to "update/sync"!?!?

    Example: My phone(To extend battery life.) is set to update my E-Mail only "manually". So, if I change stuff on the PC, or tablet, the phone only shows those changes when I open E-Mail on my phone and "refresh" or manually update. IF - I had the phone set to "update E-Mail every 2 hours", it would take as long as 2 hours, for the changes I made, elsewhere, to show on the phone.

    Back to me(Us?):

    My screen shot:(Ignore the "boxed", "deleted items" - don't know how that got in the screen shot?  Again, I'm not that bright...

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-10-13T14:31:51+00:00

    Thank you Brian and thank you iFiredog. I will try this and see what happens! I do appreciate your patience and kindness is trying to help. This all seems needlessly confusing. If my webmail interface were more user friendly, I would not use Windows Live Mail at all. I don't particularly like it, but it is far better than the webmail email service. And the webmail service customer support is terrible. They don't know what I am talking about when  I ask them questions. Stay tuned, I will report back when I make these changes!

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-10-13T13:57:12+00:00

    ... deleting folders. Do I delete them in Windows Live Mail, or do I delete them in the webbroswers?

    The special folders that are native to Windows Live Mail are Drafts, Sent items, Junk email and Deleted items. The corresponding ones at the IMAP server are Drafts, Sent Mail, Junk Mail and Trash. There should be no others in webmail.

    First, do what Brian said to get the folder mapping right.

    Then log in to your account at charter.net, move any messages out of the Sent items folder into the Sent Mail folder and delete the three folders Sent items, Junk email and Deleted items.

    If this gets you into the situation you want to be in, then well and good. If it doesn't, there may be a couple of other tweaks left to do.

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