Mail on MacBook Pro is not deleting items in the trash bin

Hi there barbaraok,

We appreciate the additional information.

It sounds like all three of your email accounts are set to empty their Deleted Messages after a week. You mentioned a private server; do you any profiles or Exchange server accounts running on your Mac? Also, does your email account/server have its own settings about deleting messages? If all three accounts are from the same private server, checking those settings could help.

Also, it might help to try booting into safe mode to see if that helps, as this could rule out a few potential software issues. After testing, exit safe mode by clicking Apple menu () > Restart. Let us know: How to use safe mode on your Mac

Cheers.

Hi barbaraok,

Thanks for posting your question. Being able to manage your email is always important. It sounds like you might have a question about preferences for deleting email on your Mac.

It sounds like you're talking about the "Erase deleted messages" drop-down under Mail > Preferences > Accounts > Mailbox Behaviors. Is that right?

Can you clarify what's happening exactly? Which option do you have currently selected, and what behaviors are you seeing instead of the expected result?

Do you use more than one account in the Mail app? If so, have you noticed if this is happening with a specific account, or with all of them?

Do you use the same account or accounts on any other devices?

The best steps will vary depending on the answers to the above, but as a starting point it might help to ensure your Mac is running the latest version of macOS Catalina. Be sure to back up first:

Back up your Mac with Time Machine

How to update the software on your Mac

Keep us posted.

Take care.

Hi barbaraok,

Thanks for letting us know. If you find the issue returns, feel free to reply back here.

Have a good one.