Lazy-Expunge plugin documentation incomplete?

Randolf Richardson via dovecot <[email protected]> Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:17:13 -0700
Newsgroups gmane.mail.imap.dovecot
Organization Inter-Corporate Computer & Network Services
Message-ID <[email protected]>
One of the Dovecot repository maintainers on GitHub recommended=20
sending an eMail to you regarding the issue I encountered:

Documentation for lazy-expunge doesn't work
https://github.com/dovecot/documentation/issues/1555

--------
I converted from Dovecot 2.3 to Dovecot 2.4.1, which was not a minor=20
upgrade. Anyway, I can't get the lazy-expunge plugin to work in 2.4.1=20
now. Here's my configuration file from 2.3 -- how can I get this=20
working in 2.4.1? Thanks.

namespace inbox {
  mailbox EXPUNGED {
    autoexpunge =3D 32days
    autoexpunge_max_mails =3D 100000
    #auto =3D create
  }
}

# Namespace for lazy_expunge plugin
namespace {
  prefix =3D EXPUNGED/
  hidden =3D yes
  list =3D no
  subscriptions =3D no
  separator =3D /
  location =3D maildir:~/Maildir.deleted:INDEX=3D
}

mail_plugins =3D $mail_plugins lazy_expunge acl
plugin {

  # Move expunged messages into the .EXPUNGED namespace
  lazy_expunge =3D EXPUNGED/

  # Only move to expunged storage if this is the last copy of the=20
message in the user=B4s account
  lazy_expunge_only_last_instance =3D yes

  # Exclude Drafts from lazy expunging
  lazy_expunge_exclude =3D \Drafts

  # Copy of each message is done with hard links whenever possible
  maildir_copy_with_hardlinks =3D yes

  # Define ACL so that user cannot list the .EXPUNGED mailbox
  # Example entry:  .EXPUNGED owner rwstipekxa
  acl =3D vfile:/etc/dovecot/dovecot.acl
  # dovecot.acl contains one line:  EXPUNGED owner ip

  # Expunged messages most likely don't want to be included in quota:
  quota_rule =3D EXPUNGED:ignore
}
#lazy_expunge_mailbox =3D EXPUNGED

Here's an example of someone else who encountered the same problem:=20
https://www.dovecot.org/mailman3/archives/list/[email protected]/thr
ead/25BXSHQWGQQ3ACVZSYF3O3LC4WROTUCI/

Randolf Richardson, CNA - [email protected]
Inter-Corporate Computer & Network Services, Inc.
Beautiful British Columbia, Canada
https://www.inter-corporate.com/


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