Step 1: How You Store Mail

Eudora stores your mail you in a simple way. Each mailbox has a large "mailbox file" containing the email messages. It also has a small "table of contents" file that contains pointers to all the valid mail messages.

Step 2: Deleting Mail

When a message is deleted from a mailbox, the pointer to that message is removed from the index. The space occupied by the text of the deleted message is now available for other messages.

Step 3: Compress the File

Now and then, Eudora needs to compress the mailbox files, so they don't get too large and inefficient. When the compression occurs, it takes a few seconds. Only the contents of mail messages still in existence are retained in the mailbox file.

Step 4: Compact on Demand

Choose Special / Compact Mail Boxes, and Eudora will perform the necessary optimization on your mailbox files immediately. It puts up a progress box, but it may go by so fast you don't even see it.