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How to configure the default sent, junk, and trash folders used by common desktop e-mail clients.

Change the default folders used by:

• Mozilla Thunderbird (Windows/Mac)
• Outlook Express
• Outlook 2003
• Outlook 2007
• Windows Mail (Vista)
• Mail (Mail.app for Mac)
• Entourage (Mac)

Mozilla Thunderbird

1. Open Thunderbird
2. Click Tools
3. Click Account Settings
4. For Sent messages, click “Copies & Folders” and choose “‘Sent’ folder on:” or specify a custom folder by selecting “Other.”
5. For Junk mail, click “Junk Settings.” If Thunderbird’s adaptive junk mail controls are active, check “Move new junk messages to:” and select “‘Junk’ folder on:” or specify a custom folder by selecting “Other.”
6. For Trash, Thunderbird uses the “Trash” folder. Changing this requires a workaround detailed here. This process has not been confirmed.
7. Click OK

Outlook Express

Outlook Express does not filter Junk mail, so it is not possible to specify a default Junk mail folder. For Trash, Outlook 2007 uses the “Deleted Items” folder. This cannot be modified. To modify the default Sent folder:

1. Open Outlook Express
2. Click Tools
3. Click Accounts…
4. Click your account name
5. Click Properties
6. Click IMAP
7. Customize the default Sent folder by checking “Store special folders on IMAP server” and entering your preferred sent folder name.
8. Click OK

Outlook 2003

In Outlook 2003, it is not possible to customize the default Sent folder (“Sent Items”), Trash folder (“Deleted Items”), or Junk folder (“Junk E-Mail”). The junk filter can be disabled through Tools/Options/Preferences/Junk E-Mail, but the folder name cannot be customized when junk filtering is enabled.

Outlook 2007

1. Open Outlook 2007
2. Click Tools
3. Click Account Settings…
4. Click your account name
5. Click Change…
6. Click More Settings…
7. Click Folders
8. For Sent mail, click “Save sent mail in the Outlook Sent Items folder” to use Sent Items, or click the second option to specify a custom Sent folder.
9. For Junk mail, Outlook 2007 uses the “Junk E-Mail” folder. The Outlook junk filter can be disabled through Tools/Options/Preferences/Junk E-Mail, but if enabled, the folder name cannot be edited.
10. For Trash, Outlook 2007 uses the “Deleted Items” folder. This cannot be modified.
11. Click OK

Windows Vista Mail

1. Open Windows Mail for Vista
2. Click Tools
3. Click Accounts…
4. Click your account name
5. Click Properties
6. Click IMAP
7. Customize the default Sent/Drafts/Trash/Junk folders by checking “Store special folders on IMAP server” and entering your preferred folder names.
8. Click OK

Mac Mail 2.x (Mail.app)

1. Open Mac Mail
2. Click the folder that you would like to use for your Sent, Trash, or Junk folder.
3. Click the “Mailbox” menu
4. Click “Use this mailbox for” and select Drafts, Sent, Trash, or Junk.

Entourage (Mac)

1. Open Entourage
2. Click Tools
3. Click Accounts
4. Click your account name
5. Click Edit
6. Click Advanced
7. Customize the default Sent/Junk folders by selecting the preferred folder names from the drop-down menus in the “Special folders” section.
8. Customize the default Trash folder by selecting the preferred folder name from the drop-down menu in the “Delete options” section.
9. Click OK