Do you have Pop or IMAP mail accounts or a mix of both?

Pop mail accounts can be set up to a Global Inbox.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Global_Inbox

Imap mail accounts cannot be set up to use a Global Inbox. So the best answer would be to change the view of the folders. View > Folders > Unified.

No, I've got all 4 email accounts on POP3, but still get the four email addresses listed one after another, causing me a lot of problems in going through them individually.

No, I've got all 4 email accounts on POP3, but still get the four email addresses listed one after another, causing me a lot of problems in going through them individually.

Setup a Global Inbox. Read about it here. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Global_Inbox

As you have Pop mail accounts you can set up global Inbox. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Global_Inbox

Changing the Global Inbox setting for an existing account

Go into 'offline' mode to stop further access to server. It is important that you perform all changes and restart Thunderbird before you get any new messages.

• Click on the two blue screen icon located bottom left of Status bar. when offline, the icon changes to two black screen icon.

Do the following for each mail account.

• Move all emails out of the pop mail account folders into suitable folders in Local Folders account.

When all emails for all accounts have been moved to Local Folders account:

Tools > Account Settings > Server Settings for the pop mail account or menu icon > Options > Account Settings > Server Settings for the pop mail account

• Click on 'Advanced' button
• Select : Inbox for different account and choose 'Global Inbox (Local Folders)
• Select : include this server when getting new mail'
• click on OK

• then Check settings for other folders and filters - Read the info at the link under that heading.

Just to make sure they are now using the correct folders. Copies & Folders and Junk Settings.

Do this for all pop mail accounts. So all mail accounts have been configured to use the Global Inbox.

• Then click on OK to save changes to Account Settings.

If you have Message Filters you need to check them now. Tools -> Message Filters" and make sure that they will work properly with your new Inbox configuration. Especially important if you are changing an account so that it will start using the Global Inbox: if you have set up any filters that sort messages into any of the folders for the account, you should disable/delete those filters or change the destination folders.

• Now close Thunderbird. This is important.
• Wait a few moments for background processes to complete.
• Restart Thunderbird.

It should restart in online mode. All pop mail accounts should disappear from folder Pane. then Thunderbird will check for messages, otherwise you can now select 'Get Messages'

A wonderful run-through of the procedure. Many thanks for a concise detail of the procedure, and I will keep a copy in my file for future reference.

Hi there Toad Hall. I now have another problem, related to the previous one. When I press the 'Get Mail' button, all I get is the server which was already set up, and which is named as the default server. I need to then go back into the arrow box on the right and hit the alternate buttons one at a time. Please help me with this one too.

This is the way that TB has always worked for me. Not that I like it. Using the Get Mail button only gets mail for the account that you have selected. It might be the default for you since you are using the Global Inbox feature.

I think you have missed one section, so check this on all accounts.

Tools > Account Settings > Server Settings for the pop mail account or menu icon > Options > Account Settings > Server Settings for the pop mail account

• Click on 'Advanced' button
• Select : Inbox for different account and choose 'Global Inbox (Local Folders)
• Select : include this server when getting new mail'
• click on OK

Toad Hall, You are quite right, I missed that point. It is all working perfect now. Thanks a bunch.