Display the Thunderbird menus and toolbar

Thunderbird Thunderbird Last updated: 53% of users voted this helpful

Whether or not the Thunderbird Menu Bar is displayed depends on your Operating System.

For Windows and Linux users, there are two cases:

  • For existing Thunderbird users, if the Menu Bar is missing, it is usually because it has been hidden accidentally.
  • For new Thunderbird users starting in any version of Thunderbird released in November 2012 or later, the Menu Bar is hidden by default.

For Mac users, it is not possible to hide the Menu Bar, so Mac users always see the Menu Bar.

Hidden Menu Bar

If you're using any version of Thunderbird released in November 2012 or later, you now have a menu button on the top-right corner that takes the most common functions and puts them in one menu. For new Thunderbird users, the Menu Bar is hidden by default.

Menu Button
Menu Button Menu
  • To temporarily show the Menu Bar, just press the Alt key.
  • To temporarily show the Menu Bar, hit the F10 key.
  • To have the Menu Bar shown all the time, right-click on an empty section of the Tab Strip and check Menu Bar in the pop-up menu.
View Menu Bar

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