Run New Filters on Existing Mail

I am new to using Zimbra. As listed in my details I am running the Zimbra Desktop 7.1.4 GA (build 11299).. on Windows 7.

I have set up some filters. And I want to run those filters on the existing mail already imap'd in. But I can't find ANY way to do it.. and it's giving me a headache.

In the Zimbra Desktop Help it says the following in the "When filters are applied" section:
You can also run the filter rules over an existing set of mail items. In Mail Filter Preferences, the Run Filter button allows you to select multiple filters to run against selected mail folders.

Where is the Mail Filter Preferences? I don't see anything in Preferences or Filters. There's no option when you right click on a folder containing mail you want to filter. There's no "picture" of what this elusive button looks like. I can't find anything, and I am not some noob who doesn't know how to use programs. I've used a variety of programs, in a variety of ways. There are features I want to give a go in Zimbra to see if I like it.. but I need to filter the mail I have already. I don't want to manually do it.

At the moment you can't apply filters to already received mail, they're for incoming mail only.

Feel free to bugzilla an RFE, if you want.

If you have admin access to your Zimbra server, you can script the functionality you need.

What if.. I delete the account. and go completely offline. create account, create filters.. and then go into online mode and retrieve mail.. would it filter them in that case?


And if there is no "run filter on existing mail" option, then it shouldn't be listed in the Help Information on Zimbra Desktop.

I am using a google mail account.. and a personal domain mail account as my email servers.

wait one, Vixen, I'm checking

Vixen, I'm sorry, my bad - I've tested mail filters using Zimbra Desktop, not Zimbra Web Client.

You're correct, with Web Client you can apply filters to received mail folders, and it works :)

I don't know anything about the Web Client.. I don't think I can use the Web Client, as I'm not using a Zimbra Server. I'm just using the Desktop to access existing mail servers.

Too bad, then. ZD doesn't support it :(

Thanks LunarVixen, for raising this issue. I found an entry in Bugzilla for it, and it was listed as FIXED!! Maybe they consider it to be 'fixed' when they add a fictitious entry for it to their online help!

Unbelievable.

By the way:

Not only does Incoming Mail Filtering not work on EXISTING mail in my Inbox,

It also does not work as the mail comes in!

I can't believe people recommend this 'product'. It's worth every penny that I paid for it -- ZERO.

Oh wait -- I also spend hours futzing with it. So I 'paid' more than zero....

Just to be clear as of September 2012; Zimbra server 7.2 and Zimbra desktop 7.2.1:

1. You can run filters on existing folders from the WEB client
2. You cannot run filters on existing folders from the Zimbra desktop.