Cannot receive messages

Revision Information
  • Revision id: 56687
  • Created:
  • Creator: ideato
  • Comment: fix an....empty bullet, one line up.
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: heyjoni
  • Is approved? Yes
  • Is current revision? No
  • Ready for localization: No
Revision Source
Revision Content

Cannot Receive Messages

Is your account configured correctly?

To look at the settings for an account, select Tools | Account Settings, then select Server Settings from the list on the left. The connection to the incoming mail server is configured at the top of the page.

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Your email account provider can give you connection information about their servers (probably on their website). Make sure your account settings match these settings.

See also:

Did your ability to receive mail suddenly stop? Was it working before?

  • Check the service status of your ISP. (Many ISPs have a status or alert page on their website.) They may be having technical difficulties.
  • If your ISP provides a web-based email interface, try to log in and view your mail. If you can see your messages, the problem is probably related to your account configuration.
  • If you cannot log in to your ISPs web-based email interface, your password may have changed. If so, it must also be changed in Thunderbird. To change your password:
    • Open Tools | Options (Windows) or Thunderbird | Preferences (Mac) or Edit | Preferences (Linux).
    • On the Security page, click on the Passwords tab and then click Saved Passwords....
    • Click on the relevant account and then click Remove.
    • Close and re-open Thunderbird. You will be prompted to enter a new password for the account.

Are you receiving some emails but not others?

  • Does your ISP have a spam filter that might be holding or deleting messages on the server?
  • Have you created filters in Thunderbird that might be mis-filing messages?

Problems Sending Messages