[Dovecot] dovecot.conf: default_mail_env

[Andrew Boothman]

Hi Sebastien!

Sebastien wrote:

> I just installed Dovecot on Debian and everyting seems to be working 
> fine except for the fact that it can't seem to find my mails when I log 
> in. All my mails are stored in the file ~/mail/Inbox. In the 
> dovecot.conf file I put:
> 
> default_mail_env = mbox:~/mail/:INBOX=/var/mail/%u and it's not working.
> 
> What is the part: mbox:~/mail/ for ?
> and what is the part: INBOX=/var/mail/%u for ?
> I read the documentation but I don't understand. Can anyone help me ?

I'm struggling with my dovecot config at this very minute as well!

 From my understanding, if your mail is stored in an mbox called 
~/mail/Inbox, then you want:

default_mail_env = mbox:%h/mail/Inbox

Are you sure that your mail isn't actually stored as a Maildir instead 
of an mbox? In other words do ~/mail/Inbox/new ~/mail/Inbox/cur etc. 
exist? If so you want to replace mbox: with maildir:

The purpose of the INBOX= section is to allow dovecot to look in an 
alternative location for newly arrived mail, I think. So your MTA could 
deliver mail to /var/mail/username, but exising mail would be stored in 
~/mail for example.

Try some of my suggestions above, as I mentioned I'm still learning 
dovecot myself at the moment.

Andrew