I have an irksome issue with Windows 10. If I use a menu and get a drop-down window, it stays there when I click away from it. If I switch to another application, that sub menu will still be there and will haunt me until I go back to Thunderbird, where it will regain focus and allow me to close the sub menu. (None of this happens on my preferred Linux system, so it's not a fault with Thunderbird.)

This leads to me deliberately pressing the escape key to force the orphaned menus to close. What I have found is that if I press escape one time too many, it closes the QuickFilter bar. Is this perhaps is what is happening for you?

Do you have some kind of app, such as CCLeaner, that periodically 'cleans' TB of configuration files?

To Zenos: On W10 I do not experience such persistent menus in TB; menus remain open when the cursor is moved away, but disappear when the mouse is clicked off the menu or the cursor is hovered on another menu item. They always disappears when switching to another app.

As much as it's inconvenient to rebuild the layout (deleting xulstore.json), or create a fresh profile, I wonder if the menus would act the same.

I do not have CCleaner or similar type app. I have Duplicate Contact Manager, Lightning, PasteHyperlink, Send Later, and Theme Font & Size Changer .

mikeodyssey said

I do not have CCleaner or similar type app. I have Duplicate Contact Manager, Lightning, PasteHyperlink, Send Later, and Theme Font & Size Changer .

Al the items you list as add-ons for Thunderbird. CCleaner is an application that installs in windows. While for many years we have know it deletes configuration file to "protect your privacy" it is likely not the only program that does so. Have you installed any programs that is supposed to "tune up" window, "clean windows" or "free wasted space" any of those things are euphemism for deleting files, not necessarily ones you do not use.

sfhowes said

To Zenos: On W10 I do not experience such persistent menus in TB; menus remain open when the cursor is moved away, but disappear when the mouse is clicked off the menu or the cursor is hovered on another menu item. They always disappears when switching to another app. As much as it's inconvenient to rebuild the layout (deleting xulstore.json), or create a fresh profile, I wonder if the menus would act the same.

Thanks for the suggestion. Deleting xulstore.json hasn't made any difference, and I am not distressed enough by this to set about rebuilding my profile. ;-)

I realize now I forgot to mention Thunderbird runs on Mac High Sierra.

You mention: View-Toolbars-Quick Filter Bar which is via the Menu Bar toolbar.

Can you confirm it is also selected via the Menu icon (3 horizontal bars) Menu icon > Preferences/ options > Quick Filter Bar

I think I might know what could be causing the Quick Filter Bar to disappear.

If I press the 'Esc' key, then the Quick Filter Bar is disabled. Perhaps you are using the 'Esc' key ?

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/quick-filter-toolbar

Wow. That was it. Thanks.

I was hitting the ESC key. Seems strange that no one else has complained and/or addressed this issue and subsequent fix in years past.

Thanks again.

Toad-Hall said

You mention: View-Toolbars-Quick Filter Bar which is via the Menu Bar toolbar. Can you confirm it is also selected via the Menu icon (3 horizontal bars) Menu icon > Preferences/ options > Quick Filter Bar

I did check this and it was selected in both places.

Toad-Hall said

I think I might know what could be causing the Quick Filter Bar to disappear. If I press the 'Esc' key, then the Quick Filter Bar is disabled. Perhaps you are using the 'Esc' key ? https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/quick-filter-toolbar

Wow. That was it. Thanks.

I was hitting the ESC key. Seems strange that no one else has complained and/or addressed this issue and subsequent fix in years past.

Not sure if I'm suppose to put my post here or separate so I'm doing both.

Thanks again.

Um, what I suggested yesterday.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1197749#answer-1058619

…if I press escape one time too many, it closes the QuickFilter bar. Is this perhaps is what is happening for you?

Zenos said

I have an irksome issue with Windows 10. If I use a menu and get a drop-down window, it stays there when I click away from it. If I switch to another application, that sub menu will still be there and will haunt me until I go back to Thunderbird, where it will regain focus and allow me to close the sub menu. (None of this happens on my preferred Linux system, so it's not a fault with Thunderbird.) This leads to me deliberately pressing the escape key to force the orphaned menus to close. What I have found is that if I press escape one time too many, it closes the QuickFilter bar. Is this perhaps is what is happening for you?

Thanks for the help. As you said in a later post you had given me the correct answer but I missed it. I started reading your reply but with my A.D.D. I jumped to the next response when you mentioned Windows 10 since I have a Mac even though I know third-party software can have the same issue on both OS's.

I appreciate your help . Sorry I did not read through your entire response.

And I'd have held back from posting that first reply if I'd realised you had a Mac. I wasn't sure you guys even have an escape key. ;-)

Right-click seems to be real problem for Mac users too.

Good to learn it's not just me with the escape key. It's one of those strange little quirks in Thunderbird. Message windows close with escape, but that's the only toolbar I know of that behaves this way. It's irrational. And some pop-ups have hard coded zooming, which I dislike intensely. Whatever happened to affordance and the principle of least surprise? .

I've had that issue since several years, and it's really ANNOYING that the quick search bar disappear. Couldnt it be possible to just no stop showing it even if using escape too many times ??

Thanks