Standalone address book

Revision Information
  • Revision id: 81106
  • Created:
  • Creator: Lan
  • Comment: Added {for}, instructions for all Windows versions
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: wsmwk
  • Is approved? Yes
  • Is current revision? No
  • Ready for localization: Yes
  • Readied for localization:
  • Readied for localization by: wsmwk
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Revision Content

Sometimes you might want to access the Thunderbird address book without loading the entire application. This can be done by invoking the application from the system command line with a command-line option.

Press Windows Key + R to open a Run dialog. Then enter: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -addressbook

NOTE: If you're using the 64-bit version of Windows, you may find Thunderbird installed in the Program Files (x86) directory. If so, enter: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -addressbook

Open a terminal window (Application | Utilities | Terminal) then enter:

cd /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS

./thunderbird-bin -addressbook

Open Terminal then enter:

cd <thunderbird_installation_directory>

./thunderbird-bin -addressbook

If you need to open a standalone Thunderbird address book frequently, make a shortcut for the command. For example, on Windows, the shortcut would have the following properties:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -addressbook

For a complete list of Thunderbird command-line options, see the Command Line Options page in the Mozilla Developer Center.