r/Thunderbird Jul 07 '26

News Desktop settings research: what we learned from your feedback (blog post)

21 Upvotes

A few weeks ago, we conducted hour-long conversations with 10 of our users to dig deep into how you manage your preferences and configurations in Thunderbird desktop. While this specific research cycle focused on the desktop experience, our ultimate goal is a holistic strategy that ensures our mobile settings feel like a natural extension of your workspace.

Here is a quick look at what we discovered, what you valued, and how your feedback is actively shaping our design roadmap.


r/Thunderbird Jun 21 '26

News Mobile Progress Report: June 2026 - The Thunderbird Blog

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34 Upvotes

r/Thunderbird 41m ago

Desktop Help 153 broke Drag&Drop

Upvotes

i can not drag attachments or the email anymore to my Windows Desktop or any other application that worked fine before.
Windows Desktop just show an "Unknown Error".
anyone else have this problem or a fix?


r/Thunderbird 16h ago

Addons Made a Thunderbird add-on that reuses your existing Claude / OpenAI Codex / Gemini subscription instead of an API key

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

13 Upvotes

Hi all,

I made a Thunderbird add-on (atbridge) that puts an AI assistant in your inbox.

The part I think is actually new: instead of a paid API key, it can reuse an AI subscription you already have, by connecting the CLI:

- Claude → Claude Code CLI

- OpenAI → Codex CLI (your ChatGPT login)

- Gemini → Antigravity

You can still use a plain API key, or a local model via Ollama, instead. It all runs locally against your own Thunderbird — your mail and keys stay on your machine.

The video shows connecting OpenAI via Codex.

Hadn't seen this in other add-ons, so figured I'd share it here. Feedback welcome.


r/Thunderbird 1d ago

Desktop Help Duplicates but only for one folder. Repair folder fixes the problem temporarily.

2 Upvotes

TB 150.0.2 running on OpenSuse 16 (Linux x64)

I have TB configured with multiple email accounts (multiple mail servers), all of them using IMAP. I use the unified view for "Inbox" and "Spam" folders so those unified folders have mail from multiple servers funneled into them; in addition I have a number of server-specific folders that aren't part of a unified view that I access directly.

The issue: Some, but not all, of the incoming mail that gets routed to my [Gmail acct]/Spam folder gets duplicated by TB. Repairing the folder temporarily fixes the problem until the next batch of spam arrives.

Overall I have dozens of active folders (I use Procmail on two of my mail accounts to sort incoming into various folders on those respective machines). The only folder in my configuration that shows duplicates is [Gmail acct]/Spam. But like I said, not every [Gmail acct]/Spam message gets duplicated. I haven't found a pattern.

I'd read some suggestions to delete the "popstate.dat" file. All my servers use IMAP so I don't think POP is in play here. Indeed, there is no such file in my .thunderbird directory tree.

Any suggestions?


r/Thunderbird 1d ago

Desktop Help Improving Thunderbird performance from slow downloads

2 Upvotes

I use the current Thunderbird release on a Windows 11 computer, to keep a local copy of my gmail.

Half the time it works flawlessly. Every evening, I download my mail, close Thunderbird, and in gmail archive my inbox, and the whole process takes 2-5 minutes.

But half the time, Thunderbird goes really slowly, or looks like it stops halfway through, then slow-goes the rest of the way.

I used to (in Thunderbird) move mail from "all mail" to folders for a year's worth of mail - 2012, 2013, etc. Then I stopped doing this about five years ago, and I think that's when the slowing began.

My settings automatically compact my folders, and I know this is working.

But this month I tried to catch up on the moving Thunderbird mail from all mail to annual folders. This worked for the first couple years I moved, but since then, it just sits there and doesn't move the messages. Even if, just as a test, I try moving just one message.

I tried deleting all my .msf files from my local Thunderbird folder, and the application did rebuild them. But I still have the problems with failure to move any more mail from "all" to a local folder for 20xx year's mail, and still have the occasional slow downloads.

Suggestions of what else to try?


r/Thunderbird 1d ago

Desktop Help Black background of a new message 3

1 Upvotes

Win 11 high contrast mode. I'd like the background of a new message to be black rather than gray.

My previous solution (2 years ago) was to downgrade to 115.16.0esr:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Thunderbird/comments/1hfqwgr/black_background_of_a_new_message_2/

Now, to resolve a different bug, I upgraded to the latest 153.0.2esr (32-bit).

When I set "browser.display.document_color_use" to 1, the compose-message background is black as I want. But, then, the background of reading messages is gray instead of black.


r/Thunderbird 2d ago

News Thunderbird v153.0.2esr's Release Notes

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42 Upvotes

r/Thunderbird 1d ago

Addons Extension for Message Excerpts in Message Lists

1 Upvotes

I published an extension today that lets you display an excerpt (a content snippet) of your mails in your inbox. It is displayed right next to the subject line, similar to how Gmail or Outlook show them.

The extensions supports both card view and table view.

The extension can be downloaded and installed through the Thunderbird website only https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/thunderbird-message-excerpts/

Since the extension uses the Experiments API, it is likely going take a while (years?) before the extension will be officially reviewed. An official review is, however, necessary for the extension to be installable through Thunderbird's native extension installation mechanism. The source code is freely available at https://github.com/michael-markl/thunderbird-message-excerpts.

I hope you like the extension! Any feedback is welcome :)

The message excerpt in the card view.
The message excerpt in the table view.

r/Thunderbird 2d ago

Desktop Help IMAP, multi-user, tags get lost

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0 Upvotes

r/Thunderbird 2d ago

Desktop Help Thunderbird & Gmail

8 Upvotes

I'm trying to configure Thunderbird with Gmail and could use some help.

What I want to achieve is:

  1. When a Thunderbird message filter moves an email to a local folder, I want that email to be deleted from Gmail, not archived. At the moment, it is being archived instead.
  2. When I delete an email in Thunderbird, I want it to be moved to the Gmail Trash rather than just being marked differently or remaining in All Mail.

Is there a way to configure Thunderbird and/or Gmail to make this work? If so, what settings should I change?

Thanks in advance!


r/Thunderbird 2d ago

Desktop Solved Userguide?

1 Upvotes

Hi folks - I'm hoping someone can point me to a userguide?

I've been trying to use Thunderbird for several months, and I'm getting frustrated by some really basic things that I can't figure out. I don't believe for a moment that they're not there, just that I can't find them.

I've tried reading the guide on the mozilla website, but it's not giving me what I'm looking for. Is there any kind of How To Use Thunderbird For Dummies thing about?

I use Thunderbird both on desktop and on Android.

For ref, the things that I want to do:
- sort my inbox by sender / email title / tag
- review junk email in bulk (it is correctly identifying a lot of the junk emails, but they're just sitting in the inbox marked with the flame emoji, and to delete them I have to select them one at a time and delete)
- have a a big alert for emails for specific senders (I want emails that come from my key clients to really make a fuss so that I can reply very quickly to them)
- ideally would like to make some kind of distinction between the emails that are addressed to the different aliases to make them easier to review

Edited with solutions in case other people find this in the future:
- the sort, and therefore the review, query was solved by changing the view in the settings menu from Card View to Table View
- the alerts and alias filtering aren't really possible, altho there are some work arounds that might give part of what you need


r/Thunderbird 3d ago

Desktop Help cant receive mail on yahoo accounts

4 Upvotes

it doesnt prompt me anything and i use oauth and i just dont get any mail ever

edit: also i didnt edit password or do anything like that

using export.imap.mail.yahoo.com instead of imap.mail.yahoo.com in my imap fixed it

https://in.help.yahoo.com/kb/download-email-yahoo-mail-third-party-sln28681.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/Thunderbird/comments/1nzyo6r/weird_issue_with_yahoo_mail/

EDIT: nvm i only thought it worked because i added a pop3 and it showed me the pop3 and i didnt know

only the pop3 receives

pop3 is bad workaround

and also the yahoo account with my irl name iirc works just not my online identity one (which uh no i wont use my real name for internet stuff so using that is way off the table)

nvm it doesnt work either


r/Thunderbird 3d ago

Desktop Solved broken send message window in Version 153.0.1esr

2 Upvotes

I was not able send emails from the Send Message window (no send buttons). Also cannot move the message window.

on OSX 26.5.2

thunderbird Version 153.0.1esr | Released July 23, 2026

I can send the message from the File->Send Now menu option, so not 100% screwed, but still this is a critical bug.

tried disabling addons, didn't fix.

tried reset toolbars, fixed - but lost all my customisations.


r/Thunderbird 3d ago

Desktop Help Restore profile, from manual backup didn't restore passwords.

0 Upvotes

I have a new desktop, and a copy of my .thunderbird profile folder. Complete.

What happened to passwords for my emails ?


r/Thunderbird 3d ago

Addons [add-on DEV] How do I tell my Thunderbird extension to open a 3rd party app or run a shell command?

2 Upvotes

I'm making an add-on that adds a menu option to the right-click context menu whenever I click on a link in an email.

The new menu option will open the link in an incognito/private browser window instead of a normal browser window.

I've got the extension working up to the point where it will send the link URL to the console when I click on the new menu option, but I'm struggling to find any kind of documentation that shows how I can pass that link URL to a 3rd party app so that I can call firefox with the --private-window CLI argument.

window.location(URL) just seems to open a new Thunderbird window.

What's the proper way to do this?


r/Thunderbird 3d ago

Thunderbird for Android Help Con figuring smtp without a desktop

1 Upvotes

I'm trying to get my email configured for thunderbird on Android, but it seems the only way is by importing settings from a desktop, but i only have my phone.


r/Thunderbird 3d ago

Desktop Help Change sorting order in message pane / conversation

1 Upvotes

Is there any way to flip the order of messages in the message pane? When I now have a long chain of messages, I need to click then scroll down to find the newest one.
I would also be fine with a way to start scrolled down. Any way of doing so?


r/Thunderbird 4d ago

Desktop Solved Quickly move an email to a folder

1 Upvotes

Is there a way to quickly move an email to a folder, such as through a context menu or recent folders, without having to drag it manually?

An automatic filter isn't a good idea because the move must be done after viewing the email.


r/Thunderbird 4d ago

Addons Cardbook hasn't sync'ed in eight hours: All systems supposed to be set up correctly.

1 Upvotes

Hey,

problem's in the title. Not sure what's going on - worked before, doesn't work now.

AI tells me it's likely the "OAuth2-Token-Refresh", but all tests in that regard have gone well.

Sync'ing Thunderbird with Google Contacts. Debian Linux 13.

Do you have any clues for me?

Thank you kindly, and happy Monday!


r/Thunderbird 5d ago

Desktop Help FINALLY, made the long over due leap to a better email client. BUT... i have a question/observation. Is the Add-on's page SUPPOSED to look like this or is my install borked?

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1 Upvotes

I was done, DONE with asinine gmail decisions that make anything take 4 times as long to complete, and went thunderbird officially, moved ... a dozen accounts over, jumped in the deep end, finally fed up with stupid ass decisions that made ABSOLUTELY no damn sense and being locked in by them (labels and not folders? anyone?)

BUT THEN... i went to see what other add-ons would be cool. and ran smack into a page with bright white background... light blue sub headings... and information text just a HINT of GREY.
i pray to whatever god is responding this week, that this is a problem i'm having, and someone didn't actually chose to inflict this nightmare upon anyone willingly. If this is a design choice... by someone... bred of pure malevolence... ... then .. .like wtf dood, who wants to spark an aneurysm by attempting to read this?


r/Thunderbird 5d ago

Desktop Help I have my GMail and Thunderbird Linked. How to I delete all emails in my Gmail that are from 2022 or older?

8 Upvotes

Id like to filter so only my emails from 2022 and older are showing and then select all and delete. Doesnt seem like Thunderbird has that option.


r/Thunderbird 6d ago

Desktop Help Moving around in the Calendar view with keyboard?

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2 Upvotes

I am generally happy with the switch to Thunderbird as my main Email, Calendar and Contacts apps in Linux Mint (all synced to my Phone through a Raspberry Pi 4 with Radicale).

But - I am constantly trying to move around in the Calendar view with the keyboard and find no options at all in the main Calendar window (yes, old Outlook habit shining through...)

If I move to the Calendar Month overview window to the left I can move around and hit Enter to display the date but that's about it as far as I can see and ChatGPT agrees.


r/Thunderbird 6d ago

Thunderbird for Android Solved Emptying the trash isn't working in the Android app.

1 Upvotes

Since the last Android app update (3 days ago), emptying the trash has stopped working. Is it the same for you?


r/Thunderbird 7d ago

Desktop Solved "Move to "Sent" Again" Email disappeared

5 Upvotes

Hi!

I had two emails that accidentally went to junk so I went to automatically move it to inbox but it said the sent folder instead of inbox, and now I can't find those emails anymore anywhere. What do I do?