Junk Email - How Many Days in the Junk Folder?

When an email is detected as junk and moves automatically to the junk folder,
how many days does it remain in the junk folder before it is automatically
deleted, or is it? Do I have to go in and manually delete it? Thanks.

 

Hi, Peter.

Good question!

I don't know that specific answer. I usually delete them as soon as I've
verified that they are, in fact, junk. Too much chance that they are worse
than junk and are carrying malware of some kind, so the sooner I can get
them off my machine, the better I like it.

But I have left some known-benign ones there for several weeks, so I don't
think that WLM ever deletes them without being told to.

Deleted Items is different in that we can set WLM to "Empty messages from
the 'Deleted Items' folder on exit". (Tools | Options | Advanced |
Maintenance tab) I checked this box long ago, so anything I delete from
Junk or any other folder stays in Deleted Items just until I close this
session of WLM, then disappears forever. (It may go to the Recycle Bin, but
I don't recall that for sure.) Without this setting, they stay in Deleted
Items until we specifically delete them again from there, so you could dig
out one you deleted last year if you find you need it.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1)

 

If a Windows Live ID account tied to Hotmail/Live/Msn.com the Junk folder is
cleared periodically.
- I've seen them disappear automatically on the same day(after
close/open WLM) or a few days later.

If a Live ID account not tied to the above three or a pop3 account, the Junk
Mail folders in each account or the Storage folder requires manual deletion.

--
...winston
ms-mvp windows live mail


When an email is detected as junk and moves automatically to the junk
folder,
how many days does it remain in the junk folder before it is automatically
deleted, or is it? Do I have to go in and manually delete it? Thanks.

 

I'm pretty sure that it doesn't go to the Recycle Bin. After I deleted some
messages, I went to the Recycle Bin and there was stuff in there, but it was
other things, not messages. Also, thanks for directing me to that (Empty
Deleted Items upon exit) checkbox. I had been looking around for a while, but
never thought to do that.