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Add-ons add functionality to Thunderbird or change its appearance. Learn how to install add-ons to Thunderbird.

[[Thunderbird add-ons - frequently asked questions|Add-ons]] are little apps that add new functionality to Thunderbird (extensions) or change its appearance (themes). This article shows you how to install an add-on to your Thunderbird. __TOC__ ==The ideal case== In an ideal world, all the add-ons you would want are officially vetted, approved, and can be found on the official website, [https://addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird addons.mozilla.org]. For add-ons that fall into this category, you can simply go to the Add-ons Manager tab in Thunderbird by clicking the toolbar entry [[Image:New Fx Menu]] followed by [[Image:Thunderbird app menu >add-ons]] and click on the {menu Extensions} panel on the left to display the search box in the top-right corner. Enter the add-on's name or enough of it to limit the search results returned to a manageable number and press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} or click the magnifying glass icon. Once you have done your first search, a new {menu Search} category appears in the panel on the left. You can keep refining your search until you find what you want. Here is a search for add-ons that mention "Contacts": [[Image:Addon tab]] Once you locate an add-on you like, click on {button Install}, wait for it to be downloaded, then click on ''Restart now'' if prompted. ==A slightly less ideal case (Install from a downloaded XPI file)== You may have been given an URL for the add-on, or the add-on you want isn't on the "official" page. Searching for it, as shown above, doesn't locate the add-on. Visit the webpage in your browser, right-click the download link with your mouse, select {menu Save Link As…} and save the XPI file to a location on your computer that is easy to remember. As the download is temporary, it is suggested you use either your Downloads folder or your desktop. {warning}If you are using older versions of Firefox, a left-click on the download link will cause the browser to try and install the add-on into Firefox itself. This invariably results in an error about compatibility, as the add-on is designed for Thunderbird. If you're using another browser, a left-click might result in your browser attempting to download and "open" the XPI file. This is basically a small program, so it is not meant to be opened. It has to be saved to disk.{/warning} To install a downloaded XPI file into Thunderbird, you have two options. ===Download=== Right-click the link and select {menu Save As…} or {menu Save Link As…} as described earlier. You will be invited to download and save the file. Most browsers have a default download location, often your desktop. Make a note of where it downloads to, and what it's called. Some add-on files may have silly names like "latest-234.xpi", which is not very helpful when you're trying to find it later on. Open the Add-ons Manager tab in Thunderbird. There's a button to the left of the search box. {for win}[[Image:CogWheel]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:CogWheelLinux]]{/for} Click this and select {menu Install Add-on From File…} from the subsequent menu. [[Image:MenuUnderCogWheel]] You will need to navigate to where you saved the XPI file using the file picker and select it to complete the install. ===Drag-and-drop=== * Open the add-ons manager (click [[Image:New Fx Menu]] and then [[Image:appmenuAddons]]) * Drag your downloaded XPI file to the Add-ons Manager tab and drop it. {for win} If you are using Windows, you can even skip the desktop bit. Open your browser and Thunderbird side by side, with Thunderbird's Add-ons Manager tab displayed. Drag the link directly from the browser onto Thunderbird's Add-ons Manager tab. The main advantage of this method is that you don't need to actually save a copy of the add-on to your hard disk before it is installed. {/for}