iChimp

iPhone Tips, iPad Tips, iOS Tips & Help

  • Home
  • iPhone Tips
  • iPhone Repair
  • iPhone News
  • FREE iOS 10 Guide
Home iPhone Tips How To Fix iPhone IMAP Error “Unable To Move Message To Trash”

Last Edited : January 25, 2019

How To Fix iPhone IMAP Error “Unable To Move Message To Trash”

When moving or deleting an email on your iPhone you get the error:

Unable to Move Message The message could not be moved to the mailbox Trash.

This only happens if you are using IMAP servers for your email and isn’t an issue for POP mailboxes.

The same error can also appear on an iPad when using mail.

This is because the error is caused by the iPhone operating system iOS and not by a broken device.

This problem is a well known software ‘glitch’ that has been around since 2012.

Luckily it has a fairly simple fix that only takes a few minutes to complete.

Unable to move message to trash error effects iPhone, iPad and iPod

This error also appears on other iOS devices including the iPad and the iPod Touch.

The same fix will work for all of these iOS based devices so feel free to follow the same procedure.

Please note:

The post titled How to fix iPad IMAP error “unable to move message to trash has been merged with this article as it is the same fix so it didn’t need a dedicated one.

This fix will work with:

  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • iPod Touch

How-to fix this error

This video shows the fix, alternatively you can use the easy to follow steps which describes the process in more detail below.

1. Press the Home button and choose Settings.

iphone settings

2. Scroll down and click Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

iphone mail contacts calendars

3. Tap your email account.

4. Scroll to the bottom and click Advanced.

iphone mail advanced

Can’t see the Advanced button?

Some visitors have reported that they do not see the Advanced button. If this happens to you then you have to delete your IMAP email account and add it again manually. Follow these instructions to add your email account to your iPhone manually. This will then let you see the Advanced button.

5. Scroll to the bottom and tap the empty IMAP Path Prefix.

iphone imap prefix

6. Enter INBOX in capitals, then click ‘Accounts’ at the top left and click ‘Done’ at the top right twice to close the settings.

Can’t see the IMAP path prefix?

Some visitors have reported that they do not see the IMAP prefix. If this happens to you then you have to delete your IMAP email account and add it again manually. Follow these instructions to add your email account to your iPhone manually. This will then let you see the Advanced button.

iphone imap prefix fixed

7. Press the Home button and then re-open Mail.

8. You will now be able to delete or move your emails on your iPhone.

Are you a hotmail, live.com or outlook.com user?

This fix does not work for hotmail, live.com, or outlook.com because Microsoft does not use IMAP, it uses Exchange Active Link (EAS).

To fix this error you can either:

  • Access your hotmail or outlook.com account via Safari, or
  • Use POP3 to access your email account

It should work if you use Microsoft Exchange services such as Office365.

 

Did you find this article helpful?

If you found this article helpful please take a moment to tweet, like, or share this article by using the buttons at the top or bottom of this page. I’d really appreciate it. 🙂

Also, if you are feeling really generous after having your issue solved please leave some encouraging feedback in the comments section at the bottom of the page. I love getting feedback from visitors. It encourages me to find further solutions to those awkward little iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Mac problems that we all suffer from.

ios 10 guide Get my Apple iOS 10 guide FREE!

Click the link below to signup for our guide showing you how the latest version of Apple’s Operating System – iOS 10 – will work on your iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini or iPod Touch for free!

That’s right, a free user guide showing you the new features.

Signup for the FREE iOS 10 Guide

Filed Under: iPhone Tips Tagged With: apple, email, fix, help, how to, imap, iOs, iphone, mail

About James Wiseman

Hi, my name is James Wiseman and I am the guy behind iChimp. I love to write about iPhone, iPad & iOS news, tips & tutorials. Got a problem you need solved with your device? Leave a comment below and I'll do my best to solve it.

Popular Articles

  • How To Fix iPhone IMAP Error "Unable To Move Message To Trash"
  • How-to fix 'Unable to determine your location' Google Maps error on an iPhone
  • How To Unlock iOS 7/8/9/10 iPhone If You Forgot Your Passcode
  • 4 Inch iPhone 5SE Launched in April 2016
  • Possible Fix For iOS 9 Email Error "Message not yet downloaded from server"
  • iPhone 6S Battery Life Can Vary By Up To 2 Hours
  • 20 New iOS 9 Features You Need To Know About
  • How To Get Rid Of The Lower Case iOS 9 Keyboard
    • How To Fix iPhone IMAP Error "Unable To Move Message To Trash"
    • How To Fix iPhone IMAP Error "Unable To Move Message To Trash"
    • apple
    • Apple Watch
    • battery
    • battery life
    • email
    • error
    • fail
    • find my iphone
    • find your iphone
    • fix
    • forgot passcode
    • google maps
    • help
    • hotmail
    • how to
    • iCloud
    • iCloud activation lock
    • iCloud bypass
    • iCloud hack
    • iCloud lock
    • iCloud removal
    • icloud restore
    • iCloud unlock
    • imap
    • iOs
    • ios 7 mistake
    • iOS 9
    • iOS 9 features
    • iOS 9 review
    • iOS multitasking
    • ipad
    • iPad mutltasking
    • iphone
    • Iphone 6S
    • iPhone 6S Plus
    • ipod
    • iTunes
    • live.com
    • locked
    • mail
    • Ming-Chi Kuo
    • outlook.com
    • passcode
    • remove iCloud
    • unlock


    These articles have helped millions of people like you fix problems with their iPhones, iPads and iPods. Articles are written with simple, easy to follow steps to make it straightforward to your solve your problem and get your device working properly again.

    DMCA.com Protection Status

    james wisemanHi, my name is James Wiseman and I am the guy behind iChimp. I love to write about iPhone, iPad & iOS news, tips & tutorials.

    I am new Dad but spend most of my spare time messing around with gadgets. Or diapers.

    I hope you enjoy the content and find the answer to your iPhone problems. If not leave me a comment and I'll do my best to find a solution for you.

    iphone unable to move message to trash

    How To Fix iPhone IMAP Error “Unable To Move Message To Trash”

    location

    How-to fix ‘Unable to determine your location’ Google Maps error on an iPhone

    unlock iphone passcode error disabled

    How To Unlock iOS 7/8/9/10 iPhone If You Forgot Your Passcode

    ©2019 iChimp. All rights reserved. | About

    We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners.Accept
    Cookie Policy