Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Why does the enter key open a message and trigger reply? v60.3.3/Mac (bug 1508153)

  • 19 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

more options

Used to be the enter key just opened an email in a new tab. Now it opens an email and triggers the reply command. Who thought that was a good change?

Used to be the enter key just opened an email in a new tab. Now it opens an email and triggers the reply command. Who thought that was a good change?

Modified by Wayne Mery

All Replies (19)

more options

using a wireless keyboard with a half flat battery perhaps?

more options

Nope. Wired, full-size Apple keyboard.

This just came up in the latest update. It's mega-annoying.

more options

Well the next step is to restart with add-ons disabled from the help menu and see if the problem goes away. Often these issues are cause in the first instance by faulty hardware (mice particularly) or an add-on that used to work fine but did not cope with an upgrade well. or at all.

more options

Restarted in safe mode, but same result. I do have an Apple Magic Mouse, which I've used for years.

more options

To rule out the keyboard as the source of the problem, try performing the command without it, such as right-click, Open Message in New Tab, or Message/Open Message. If that works, then try Ctrl+O; if that works, I suspect the Enter key.

more options

Those all work as expected. I am a heavy user of the Enter key, so maybe it's time for a new keyboard.

Here's what the window that opens looks like:

more options

The shortcut for Reply is Ctrl+R, so somehow the keyboard is substituting that for Enter.

more options

I don't have any odd shortcuts re-mapped.

more options

Because I use a laptop w/ external keyboard and monitor, I just used the MacBook Pro's Enter key. Same result. I think I'll uninstall Thunderbird and reinstall.

more options

That didn't work.

more options

MX5Bob said

That didn't work.
more options

Same problem with wired keyboard and Enter key. The following seemed to fix it. From the menu: Edit -> Folder Properties -> General Information tab where I clicked on Repair Folder. That seemed to fix my Enter key that was producing a similar response as mentioned above.

more options

Edit doesn't show any such command in Thunderbird or the Finder in OS 10.11.6.

more options

MX5Bob said

Those all work as expected. I am a heavy user of the Enter key, so maybe it's time for a new keyboard. Here's what the window that opens looks like:

The picture shows what you would see if you entered Command+E, Edit as New Message. Some users in the past have confused Command+E (send, in some email apps) with Command+Enter (Send) in the Write window, but I don't know why the action for Ctrl+E seems to be applied when you press Enter in the main window.

Edit/Folder Properties is a valid menu item, but you can also access it from the folder right-click menu.

more options

Found Edit->Folder Properties. Tried Repair Folder on the Inbox, but no change.

more options

When I restarted TB, my Enter key response returned to the previous state of triggering a reply msg. My previous fix,Repairing the Folder, didn't work.

more options

I agree with MX5Bob. I'm a heavy user of the Enter key to open emails and it is very disrupting to have to change to the Return key or double click my track pad for this operation. I see no reason to make the Enter key have a separate function than the Return key as it has become in the newest Thunderbird update. It is not my office Imac nor the keyboard as it behaves the exact same way on my home imac and keyboard. The Thunderbird programmers must have built this into the latest update. And, as MX5Bob said, "who thought that was a good idea?". The number pad is an addition to the basic keyboard and I've been using the extended keyboard for 25+ years without a problem....until now.

more options

I fully concur about being a longtime user of a full keyboard and using the Enter key. This was numbskull decision on the part of programmers.

dougattrimed said

I agree with MX5Bob. I'm a heavy user of the Enter key to open emails and it is very disrupting to have to change to the Return key or double click my track pad for this operation. I see no reason to make the Enter key have a separate function than the Return key as it has become in the newest Thunderbird update. It is not my office Imac nor the keyboard as it behaves the exact same way on my home imac and keyboard. The Thunderbird programmers must have built this into the latest update. And, as MX5Bob said, "who thought that was a good idea?". The number pad is an addition to the basic keyboard and I've been using the extended keyboard for 25+ years without a problem....until now.
more options

There seems to be a bug report on this, maybe you could mention it is also occuring for you. State what MAC you are using and version of Thunderbird. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1508153