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Make Thunderbird require you to enter a primary password in order to view or use passwords you've told Thunderbird to remember.

__TOC__ {warning}WARNING: '''Do not use the Primary Password feature for protecting data stored locally on your computer. A Primary Password protects only authentication information, such as saved passwords - it ''does not'' prevent others from seeing your messages, your calendars, your contacts, or other personal information in Thunderbird.'''<br><br>To block access to locally stored (downloaded) messsages you should use traditional computer protections such as disk encryption, computer accounts, and file system permissions. Create a separate {for win}Windows{/for}{for mac}macOS{/for}{for linux}OS{/for} user account on the operating system for each person, make sure your {for win}Windows{/for}{for mac}macOS{/for}{for linux}OS{/for} account requires a password, do not give administrator capability and do not give access to your computer account's file system. (Thunderbird stores mail accounts, messages and password information separately for each operating system account.){/warning} <!-- [Commented out: Not useful because it's very easy to reverse this method]<br><br> A weaker method is to change the hidden preference mail.password_protect_local_cache in the [[config editor]] to True. This will prevent the display of email until the Primary Password is entered. It does not however do anything about your mail being stored on the hard disk as a plain text file. Using an operating system account does address that.--> = What does the Primary Password protect? = Thunderbird can save passwords and other authentication information for each account in the [[Password Manager - Remember, delete and change passwords in Thunderbird|Password Manager]], so you don't have to re-enter them when you check for new messages. What if you share a computer, and don't want others to see your stored passwords and authentication informatio? You can set a Primary Password, which must be entered to view or use the passwords you've told Thunderbird to remember. You only need to enter your Primary Password once per Thunderbird session. {warning}There is no way to recover a forgotten Primary Password. If you forget it, you must [[Protect your Thunderbird passwords with a Primary Password#w_Reset your Primary Password if you have forgotten it|reset it]], which will cause stored credentials to be deleted from Thunderbird.{/warning} [[Image:tb91-password-required-mozilla-thunderbird-please-enter-your-primary-password]] = Set a Primary Password = By default, Thunderbird does not use a Primary Password to protect stored credentials. To set a Primary Password: # [[T:optionspreferences TB]] # Select the {menu Privacy & Security} section. # Go to the ''Passwords'' subsection. # Put a checkmark next to '''Use a Primary Password'''.<br/><br/>[[Image:tb91-preferences-privacy-security-passwords-use-primary-password]] # The ''Change Primary Password'' dialog will appear. As you enter your Primary Password, the password quality meter will indicate the difficulty of guessing the password. Here are some tips for creating better passwords: #* Use at least one capital letter. #* Use one or more digits. #* Use at least one non-alphanumeric character, such as: <nowiki>@ # $ % ^ & * ( )</nowiki> #* Make your Primary Password something that is easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess, to ensure that only ''you yourself'' will be able to see your saved passwords. # The password must be entered twice to make sure that you have entered it correctly as intended.<br/><br/>[[Image:tb91-use-primary-password-primary-password-dialog]] # To set your Primary Password, click {button OK}. Now that your Primary Password is set, Thunderbird will prompt you to enter it the first time you need to view or use a password per session. = Change your Primary Password = # [[T:optionspreferences TB]] # Select the {menu Privacy & Security} section. # Go to the ''Passwords'' subsection. # Click the button {button Change Primary Password}. # Enter your current Primary Password to confirm you are authorized to change it. # Enter the new Primary Password twice. # Click {button OK}. = Remove your Primary Password = Follow the steps above to ''Change your Primary Password'', but leave both of the new Primary Password fields empty. However, if you do not know your primary password, then you must use the reset instructions below. = Reset your Primary Password if you have forgotten it = If you've forgotten your Primary Password, you can reset it. {warning}'''Warning:''' This will remove all of your saved authentication information. You will need other information sources for your account usernames and passwords.{/warning} # Click Thunderbird app menu {menu ☰} > {menu Tools} > {menu Developer Tools} > Click the {button OK} button in the '''Incoming Connection''' dialog (keyboard shortcut:{key Ctrl+Shift+J}, {key Command+Shift+J} on macOS) to open the error console. # Copy the text given below and paste it into the console.<br><code>openDialog("chrome://pippki/content/resetpassword.xhtml")</code> # Click the {button Evaluate} button. If you do not see an ''Evaluate'' button, press {key Return} or {key Enter} on your keyboard. # When prompted with the confirmation dialog box, click the {button Reset} button.<br/><br/>[[Image:tb91-reset-primary-password-dialog]]