Thunderbird Community Forum

For the last 2 months I have been working to configure Thunderbird to fully replace my Gmail UI usage after their recent change to workspace options and using data to train gemini. When you deactivate those gmail features the first thing you lose are tabs for your Inbox, your Updates and your Promotions.

So far I have used tags, ThunderAI, Ollama and a locally hosted LLM to replicate the sorting of my inbox, but now I would like to be able to configure the Thunderbird UI to allow separate tabs in the menu bar for different folders, in this case Inbox, Updates and Promotions. With Inbox still being the gmail hosted main inbox and Updates and Promotions now being local folders stored in my local thunderbird installation.

Can the Thunderbird UI be configured to display folders as tabs as a default setting? I tried the "folder selection" button under customize on the toolbar but that just gives me a drop down, which is not what I want.

Running Windows 11 and TB 150.0.2. Can't recall exactly what I did, but after clicking on an email all unread emails are no longer in boldface. Any way to restore them? (New emails that come in are in boldface.) Thank you, Joel Hornstein jobby@att.net

I open Thunderbird and see the list of received emails as usual and I have a "Viewing Pane" on the right. In the viweing pane I can see a portion of the email. However, there is a line going through the top portion of the viewing pane email and I cannot see what is under the line. I then fully open the email and the line is still there.

I have tried everything I can think of to fix this to no avail. I have even shut down Viewing Pane in settings and even then when I open an email it is still there.

I am trying to get Thunderbird to function in similar manner of Outlook Classic but the simplest of settings such as viewing pane just won't work. Thunderbird is up to date and Cache cleared. I have attached two photos to show what I am seeing.

Richard Hart

I am trying to set up a visualization of the columns of the main interface. Here's what I do:

1. Click on the list icon in the top right corner.
2. Uncheck the columns I want to hide. Specifically, From (CB), Recipient (CB), and Correspondents (CB).
3. Apply the selection to all folders: click on the icon in the top right corner, apply columns to.. > folders and its children... > select account > Confirm

These actions produce immediate results. However, the next day or a few days later, when I reopen the program, the column display changes. Sometimes in the main folder (inbox), sometimes in the subfolders.

Is this a known bug? Is there anything I can do to keep the desired column configuration stable?

Using a new, clean install of Xubuntu 26.04, with thunderbird 140.10.2esr 64 bit, ubuntu snap build 1.0. In settings: play a sound when new message arrives, no sound is heard. When clicking "play" to test the sound, there is no sound. Also, if "use the following sound file" is checked, there is no sound when "play" is clicked. (I have tried various .wav and .mp3 files.) I have installed pipewire-alsa, but that didn't help. Any ideas?

Hi

When Thunderbird is started maximized it overlap taskbar if is set to hide and taskbar won't show until Thunderbird is minimized and maximized. Another way is to press the Win key two times. Then the hided taskbar can be shown/use. The same thing happens to Firefox. Only when is first started. Then if Firefox is minimized and maximized, press Win key two times, press F11 two times then the hided taskbar show/hide normal.

It is a setting that can be changed to start Thunderbird and Firefox in full screen and do not overlap hided taskbar?

Earlier in the year I installed Thunderbird onto a new PC having previously used an older version on an older PC. When visiting a web site (and clicking on an email hyperlink there) my previous version used to automatically launch Thunderbird but the new version doesn't do that any more (i.e. clicking email hyperlinks doesn't do anything at all)

I'm running on Windows 10 and using Thunderbird version 150.0.2. I this likely to be due to some setting in Thunderbird? Or is it maybe something I need to configure in Windows?

The summary says it - How do I make Thunderbird automatically close the 'original' message when I click Reply or Forward?

Outlook does this, and I find it odd that Thunderbird does not have a toggle for this. I find that I end up the day having to close out a dozen or so 'original' messages...

Please tell me there is a switch somewhere! :)

John

For the life of me I can't understand the options in View>Folders. The folders in my 3 accounts are sorted differently. In all 3 accounts I simply want 4 folders visible: Inbox, Sent, Spam and Trash. I've already tagged them as 'Favorite Folders' Making selections in the - View>Folders is very confusing for me. Why are there 2 Favorite folders in the list??

James

First I am very frustrated that someone decided to change the default to show all messages in threads. How do I globally disable this for every profile on my system. Additionally how do I disable it in one pass for all top level folders at the moment I have to change one top level folder at a time on every system I use thunderbird on, as I have over 100 folders this is very inconvenient. How do I modify a new thunderbird installation so all users and profiles default to threads being turned off.

Hi, I’m having a recurring UI issue in Thunderbird with the toolbar above the message preview pane.

After some time of using Thunderbird, the area between the message list and the message preview becomes visually corrupted. The toolbar where the Reply / Reply All / Forward buttons should appear either disappears completely or turns into a broken/glitched gray bar.

I attached a screenshot showing the problem.

What I already tried:

Restarting Thunderbird Starting in Troubleshoot Mode Disabling all add-ons Resetting UI/customization settings

These actions help only temporarily. After some time, the issue comes back again.

Additional info:

Windows 11 64-bit Latest Thunderbird version The problem seems random, but happens multiple times per day It affects usability because I lose quick access to reply buttons and message actions

Has anyone experienced something similar or knows what may cause this? Humanity invented email clients 50 years ago and somehow we’re still fighting disappearing buttons like it’s experimental Soviet software. Beautiful continuity of civilization.

Thanks.

Hi,

I have been using Thunderbird as my preferred email client since around 2004 on Linux, macOS and Windows.

I am current running Thunderbird 150.0.2 64-bit on macOS Tahoe 26.5 ( Intel ).

When I attempt to create a new 'Folder' or 'Sub Folder' on either an iMAP account or, more importantly, my 'Local Folder' the displayed dialogue box is sized incorrectly and I am unable to complete the action.

Specifically I can type into the 'Name' text box and see the 'Create as a subfolder of" drop down dialogue but the two buttons below are barely visible and I cannot select either with my mouse. Nor can I resize the dialogue box itself [ make larger ] to enable to be select either button.

I can use the <TAB> key to cycle thorough the various items and the <RETURN> key to select an option.

I have attached a sample image of the issue.

Thanks.

Ever since one of the recent updates, my new email notification box is showing up on wrong monitor. I have a 2 monitor setup, the notification box is now showing up on the second monitor. I have tried turning the option off and back on but makes no difference.

I'm on a new Windows 11 desktop with two monitors. Everything's been working just fine up until around 26th April (two weeks ago) when the native Thunderbird new mail notifications started appearing in my second monitor, rather than my main display. I had made no changes at all myself.

I've been through all the fixes suggested via Google (toggling the displays; checking Windows notification settings), but none of those fixes have made any difference. I switched to using Windows system notifications for a while, but I really don't like them.

Might this be something in a Thunderbird update itself? It just doesn't seem to be detecting the primary monitor at all. All my other app notifications continue to show on the primary display.

Has anyone else encountered this or have any other solutions I could try?

Thanks, Averill

How could I have multiple email signatures for one account, like: - One very simple with name and email - One with company name, adresse, email, LinkedIn link.. - One blank

RE: How to turn OFF message preview when I single-click on message?

When in TB message list, and selecting a message for an operation by making a single-click on the message, the selected message opens. When using CNTL key to select several messages together for an operation, each of the messages opens an individual preview pane. I have searched TB's knowledgebase, but apparently no other users have this problem.