If you can sign in but Sent mail or folders differ between webmail, desktop, and phone, folder mapping or client settings are common causes; successful login alone does not prove IMAP synchronization is healthy. The client is saving copies to a local folder, leaving the server folder unsubscribed, or mapping Sent to a different name. Treat webmail as the source of truth, subscribe the server folders, then map special folders. Do not delete a folder until you have confirmed it holds no unique mail.
Why the account works and the folders still disagree
A successful login only proves the username, password, and server accepted the session. Folder sync is a second problem. IMAP keeps mail on the server and lets each client choose which folders to show and where to file Sent, Drafts, and Trash. Desktop Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, and a phone can each invent a local copy with a familiar name. The result looks like missing Sent mail or duplicate folders, even though the mailbox is fine.
For example, different clients may display different names: webmail shows Sent, Outlook shows Sent Items, Apple Mail shows Sent Messages. Clients that honor RFC 6154 special-use attributes are less likely to create a second Sent folder. Arawa Mail does not document special-use flags or a server folder named Sent Items. Treat those names as client behavior, not as an Arawa setting.
How we analyzed this
We limited product claims to the public Connect Device, Mailbox, Email Accounts, and Enable Sending guides, checked in October 2026. Folder names, ports, and the Sent-copy behavior below are from those pages. Path prefix, subscriptions, and client folder names are industry IMAP behavior, not undocumented Arawa internals. This article owns post-connection folder faults only. Protocol choice stays in IMAP vs POP3 for business email. Migration and cutover stay in the migration guides linked below.
Compare webmail folders before you touch the client
Open the same mailbox in webmail and list the folders you actually have. On Arawa Mail those documented folders are Inbox, Search, Sent, Drafts, Starred, Archive, Spam, and Trash. Messages sent through the HTTP API are written to Sent so an administrator can see outbound activity. Spam is permanently deleted after 30 days, including attachments. A message deleted from Spam moves to Trash and follows Trash behavior.
Send one plain test from webmail to an address you control. Confirm it lands in webmail Sent. That folder is the server copy. If the phone or desktop does not show that message, the client is not looking at that folder. It is not a delivery failure.
- Message in webmail Sent, missing on the phone: client mapping or subscription, not a lost send.
- Message only on the phone: it was saved locally, or SMTP never stored a server copy.
- Two Sent-like folders in the client: one is the server folder, one is a local or differently named folder.
Confirm the account is IMAP, not POP
POP downloads mail and, depending on the client, removes or hides it on the server. It does not sync folders. If a desktop account was created as POP during a move off cPanel, Zoho, or Google Workspace, Sent and custom folders will never match webmail. Recreate the account as IMAP. The protocol decision itself is covered in IMAP vs POP3.
On Arawa Mail, desktop and mobile clients use IMAP plus SMTP. Documented ports are IMAP 993 with SSL/TLS and SMTP 465 with SSL/TLS. The username is the full email address. The password is the mailbox password, at least 12 characters. Changing that password revokes existing sessions, so every client must sign in again. Public docs still show placeholder hosts imap.example.com and smtp.example.com. Copy the real hosts from the in-app Connect Device screen. Do not guess a hostname. Encryption choices are covered in STARTTLS vs implicit TLS and SMTP ports 25, 465, and 587.
Mailbox sending also requires outbound sending to be active on the domain, and it is rate-limited per account. A send that fails for that reason is not a folder-sync bug. Check Enable Sending before you rebuild the mail profile.
Subscribe the server Sent, Drafts, and Trash folders
IMAP clients keep a subscription list. An unsubscribed folder still exists on the server and still appears in webmail. The desktop or phone simply does not display it. In Thunderbird, right-click the account and use Subscribe to inspect server folders. In classic Outlook, where available, use IMAP Folders and Query before subscribing. Apple Mail uses Mail → Settings → Accounts → Mailbox Behaviors to choose server folders; it does not provide the same universal subscription dialog. Menus vary by client version; use the current vendor instructions linked below.
This step can hide mail if you then unsubscribe the only folder that holds unique copies. Subscribe first. Do not unsubscribe a folder you have not opened.
Map special folders to the server copy
After subscriptions match webmail, point the client Sent, Drafts, and Trash roles at the server folders. Never point Sent at Local Folders, On My Computer, or This Computer Only. Those stores do not sync.
| Client | Name it often creates | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Webmail (Arawa Mail) | Sent, Drafts, Trash | Source of truth. API sends are stored in Sent. |
| Outlook | Sent Items | Classic Outlook often chooses the Sent folder itself. Send a test and see which folder webmail shows. |
| Apple Mail / iOS | Sent Messages | Mailbox behaviors should use the server Sent folder, not On My Mac or On My iPhone. |
| Thunderbird | Sent, or a local copy | Copies and Folders must place a copy in the account Sent folder, not Local Folders. |
Classic Outlook may not offer a picker for the Sent folder on an IMAP account. That is a client limit, not a setting Arawa controls. Send a test from Outlook, then find that message in webmail. Map your mental model to the folder the message actually landed in. If Outlook shows Sent Items (This Computer Only) beside server Sent, the local folder is the duplicate. Move any unique messages into server Sent, then leave the local folder alone until a backup exists.
iPhone sends that never appear in desktop Sent are the same fault: iOS saved to a local or differently named folder. Android clients vary by app. The check is identical. Compare the message subject in webmail.
Check the IMAP path prefix last
Some servers nest every folder under INBOX (INBOX.Sent). Others use a top-level namespace (Sent). A wrong prefix creates the duplicate-folder symptom:
- Prefix set to
INBOXon a top-level namespace: the client creates a second tree, often INBOX/Sent beside Sent. - Empty prefix on an INBOX.* namespace: Sent seems missing because the client is looking at the wrong level.
Only change the prefix after subscriptions and special-folder mapping fail, and confirm the namespace with the provider; do not infer it from webmail labels alone. After a cPanel move, Thunderbird often still points Sent at INBOX.Sent while webmail uses Sent. The migration path is in How to migrate cPanel email to ArawaMail. The same leftover mapping shows up after Zoho and Google Workspace moves. Use the custom-domain email migration checklist for cutover. Do not rebuild that checklist here.
Changing the prefix can make folders disappear from the client view. The mail is still on the server if webmail shows it. Write down the old prefix before you edit it.
Rebuild the client cache only after a backup
A stale cache is the last cause, not the first. Export or copy any folder marked This Computer Only or Local Folders before you remove the account. Then remove the account, add it again with hosts from Connect Device, and subscribe Sent, Drafts, and Trash before you send a test.
Do not delete a server folder that still holds unique mail. Unsubscribing hides it. Deleting can remove it for every client, including webmail. Shared mailboxes and aliases are a different problem. If two people expect the same Sent folder, read aliases and shared inboxes instead of remapping one user's client.
What this does not fix
- Password rejection or revoked sessions after a password change. Re-enter the mailbox password on each device.
- Outbound mail rejected because sending is inactive or the account is rate-limited. Enable sending on the domain first.
- How long to keep mail. Retention is a separate decision. Do not empty Trash or Spam to fix sync. Spam on Arawa Mail is already removed after 30 days.
- Missing mail that never arrived. That is authentication, MX, or spam placement, not folder mapping.
FAQ
Why does Sent exist in webmail but not on my phone?
The phone is not subscribed to the server Sent folder, or it is saving sent copies locally under Sent Messages or On My iPhone. Open webmail, confirm the test message is in Sent, then subscribe and map that folder in the phone account.
Why do I have both Sent and Sent Items?
Outlook's default name is Sent Items. The server folder on Arawa Mail is Sent. One of those folders is often This Computer Only. Move unique messages to the folder webmail shows, then stop filing new mail into the local one.
Should I set the IMAP path prefix to INBOX?
Only when your server/provider specifies that namespace. Webmail labels alone are not sufficient to determine an IMAP namespace. On a top-level namespace, INBOX as the prefix duplicates the tree. Compare webmail first.
Are Local Folders or On My Computer syncing?
No. Those stores stay on that device. Point Sent, Drafts, and Trash at the server account.
Will changing folder mapping delete mail?
Remapping or subscribing does not delete server mail. Deleting a folder, or emptying a local folder you have not copied, can. Do not delete a folder that still holds unique messages.
Does Arawa Mail document a Sent Items folder or special-use flags?
No. Documented webmail folders are Inbox, Search, Sent, Drafts, Starred, Archive, Spam, and Trash. Sent Items and Sent Messages are client names. Special-use attributes are not a documented Arawa API.
Sources and review
Reviewed on 3 October 2026. Product behavior follows the linked documentation; examples are illustrative.