In Mail v4.3 -

I use Apple Mail as my client, with AOL (IMAP) being my ISP.

Appearing in my Mailbox is a folder titled "Voicemail". I wish to delete this folder as I have no need/want of it. But I am unable to do so.

When I try to delete it via Mail> Delete this Voicemail Mailbox, I am told this cannot be done as it is ‘Protected”. But I have no idea who/what is protecting it.

I have gone to the location where I think this critter is located: Computer/Users/harvey/Library/Mail/IMAP-[email address] and then trashed that file. Yet, it always returns.

While this is not a major problem, I do find it most vexing, and seek a solution.

Suggestions and guesses most welcome.

are you also using gmail? perhaps it's something that needs to be dealt with there?

Roger, I am not using Gmail.

At one time I also had a Comcast email account, but that was years ago and I have long since quit Comcast.

Frustration reigns-

ah, ok. maybe there is a setting at AOL (online) where you can set which Mailboxes are visible via IMAP? that's how it works with Gmail IMAP.

You can't delete it because that mailbox doesn't actually live on your computer at all. It lives on AOL's mail server.

Every AOL mail account has a Voicemail mailbox, which is used if you subscribe to AOL's voicemail service. You can't delete that folder, as it's on the AOL IMAP server. Even if you don't use that feature, your AOL account still has that folder. Nothing you can do about it, sorry!

Tacit,

Indeed that makes sense (to me). Sorta.

My confusion: Why is it that my wife does not have that "feature" when she too uses AOL/Mail?

Is she using IMAP with AOL? If you use POP, it won't show up. I noticed it on my AOL mailbox when I started using Mail with IMAP.

Also, is hers a primary AOL account, or is it a sub-account from your AOL account? Only primary screen names show that mailbox, if I recall correctly.

We both have IMAP accounts, and what amazes me, is that we are both on sub-accounts.

AFAIK, this Voicemail is a fee-based subscription service and I am certain I have never used it, not have I ever been billed for it.

I tried looking in my main/principal account, just in case, but could find no way to deactivate Voicemail, even if it had somehow been enabled.

Have you any clues where this setting/preference may be located?

The different behaviors in your and your wife's experience with Mail's mailboxes may simply be a function of Mail's flakiness in displaying mailboxes which reside on the server. For example, in my .Mac account, my Drafts folder comes and goes. Right now, I don't have one in Mail's sidebar. Several weeks ago, I wanted to save a composed email prior to sending it, and noticed I had no Drafts folder. Saving the message induced the appearance of that folder, but sometime since then, unbeknownst to me until just now, it disappeared again.

A while back, launching Mail always introduced a Junk folder into the sidebar. I would select and delete the smattering of messages contained therein, then successfully delete the mailbox, only to have it reappear on next launch. I assumed that for some reason, the Junk folder on the server was being displayed in Mail's sidebar, but that didn't used to happen, and it's no longer happening.

Well, at least I'm in good company.

Alas, there is far, far too much I do not know of these infernal contraptions and their vagaries...