Please post a screenshot illustrating the problem. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/how-do-i-create-screenshot-my-problem

Also, please post your Troubleshooting Information. At the top right of the Thunderbird window, click the menu button , then select Help > Troubleshooting Information. Press the "Copy text to clipboard button" and paste the information into your reply.

Select the account in the left pane of Account Settings, then press Enter to expand the account into the settings subheadings.

selecting the account and hit return did nothing at all I post 2 screen shots of the problem

The Account Settings window is clearly clipped. Does it look correct if you launch in safe mode (hold Option when you start TB)?

There were some fixes for visual issues in TB 68 (see the first item here).

You haven't posted your Troubleshooting Information yet. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1270933#answer-1259627

Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 68.1.2
   Build ID: 20191008153335

   Update Channel: release
   User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10.14; rv:68.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/68.1.2
   OS: Darwin 18.7.0

   Multiprocess Windows: 0/0
             Disabled
   Remote Processes: 0
   Enterprise Policies: Inactive
   Google Location Service Key: Missing
   Google Safebrowsing Key: Missing
   Mozilla Location Service Key: Missing
   Safe Mode: true

 Mail and News Accounts
   account2:
     INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext

   account17:
     INCOMING: account17, , (imap) imap.earthlink.net:143, plain, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , smtpauth.earthlink.net:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true

 Crash Reports for the Last 3 Days

 Remote Processes

   Type: Count

 Extensions

     Name
     Version
     Enabled
     ID

       Amazon.com
       1.1
       true
       amazondotcom@search.mozilla.org

       Bing
       1.0
       true
       bing@search.mozilla.org

       DuckDuckGo
       1.0
       true
       ddg@search.mozilla.org

       Google
       1.0
       true
       google@search.mozilla.org

       Twitter
       1.0
       true
       twitter@search.mozilla.org

       Wikipedia (en)
       1.0
       true
       wikipedia@search.mozilla.org

       Lightning
       68.1.2
       false
       {e2fda1a4-762b-4020-b5ad-a41df1933103}

 Security Software

   Type: Name

     Antivirus:
     Antispyware:
     Firewall:

 Graphics

     Features
     Compositing: Basic
     Asynchronous Pan/Zoom: none
     WebGL 1 Driver WSI Info: -
     WebGL 1 Driver Renderer: WebGL is currently disabled.
     WebGL 1 Driver Version: -
     WebGL 1 Driver Extensions: -
     WebGL 1 Extensions: -
     WebGL 2 Driver WSI Info: -
     WebGL 2 Driver Renderer: WebGL is currently disabled.
     WebGL 2 Driver Version: -
     WebGL 2 Driver Extensions: -
     WebGL 2 Extensions: -
     Uses Tiling: true
     Uses Tiling (Content): true
     Target Frame Rate: 60

     GPU #1
     Active: Yes
     Vendor ID: 0x8086
     Device ID: 0x0166

   GPU #2

     Diagnostics
     AzureCanvasBackend: skia
     AzureContentBackend: skia
     AzureFallbackCanvasBackend: none
     TileHeight: 512
     TileWidth: 512

     Decision Log
     HW_COMPOSITING: disabled by user: Disabled by prefblocked by runtime: Acceleration blocked by safe-mode
     OPENGL_COMPOSITING: unavailable by default: Hardware compositing is disabled
     WEBRENDER: opt-in by default: WebRender is an opt-in featureunavailable-in-safe-mode by runtime: Safe-mode is enabled
     WEBRENDER_QUALIFIED: blacklisted by env: No qualified hardware
     OMTP: blocked by runtime: OMTP blocked by safe-mode

   Crash Guard Disabled Features

   Workarounds

   Failure Log

 Media

     Audio Backend: audiounit
     Max Channels: 2
     Preferred Sample Rate: 44100

     Output Devices

       Name
       Group
       Vendor
       State
       Preferred
       Format
       Channels
       Rate
       Latency

       Internal Speakers
       AppleHDAEngineOutput:1B,0,1,1:0
       Apple Inc.
       Enabled
       All
       default: F32LE, support: S16LE S16BE F32LE F32BE
       2
       default: 44100, support: 44100 - 96000
       103 - 4185

     Input Devices

       Name
       Group
       Vendor
       State
       Preferred
       Format
       Channels
       Rate
       Latency

       Internal Microphone
       AppleHDAEngineInput:1B,0,1,0:1
       Apple Inc.
       Enabled
       All
       default: F32LE, support: S16LE S16BE F32LE F32BE
       2
       default: 44100, support: 32000 - 96000
       24 - 4106

 Important Modified Preferences

   browser.cache.disk.amount_written: 6733
   browser.cache.disk.capacity: 1048576
   browser.cache.disk.filesystem_reported: 1
   browser.download.folderList: 2
   browser.download.useDownloadDir: true
   extensions.lastAppVersion: 68.1.2
   font.internaluseonly.changed: true
   idle.lastDailyNotification: 1571499510
   media.gmp.storage.version.observed: 1
   network.cookie.cookieBehavior: 3
   network.cookie.prefsMigrated: true
   network.predictor.cleaned-up: true
   network.trr.mode: 2
   places.database.lastMaintenance: 1571215223
   places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages: 112348
   privacy.sanitize.timeSpan: 4
   security.default_personal_cert: Select Automatically
   security.disable_button.openCertManager: false
   security.OCSP.enabled: 0
   security.sandbox.plugin.tempDirSuffix: 0ba55c44-56b2-8741-ba89-a169c0d5a534
   signon.importedFromSqlite: true
   storage.vacuum.last.index: 1
   storage.vacuum.last.places.sqlite: 1571215223

 Important Locked Preferences

 Places Database

 JavaScript

 Incremental GC: true

 Accessibility

   Activated: false
   Prevent Accessibility: 0

 Library Versions

     Expected minimum version
     Version in use

     NSPR
     4.21
     4.21

     NSS
     3.44.1
     3.44.1

     NSSSMIME
     3.44.1
     3.44.1

     NSSSSL
     3.44.1
     3.44.1

     NSSUTIL
     3.44.1
     3.44.1

 Sandbox

   Content Process Sandbox Level: 0
   Effective Content Process Sandbox Level: 1

 Internationalization & Localization

     Application Settings
     Requested Locales: ["en-US"]
     Available Locales: ["en-US"]
     App Locales: ["en-US"]
     Regional Preferences: ["en-US"]
     Default Locale: "en-US"

     Operating System
     System Locales: ["en-US"]
     Regional Preferences: ["en-US"]

The Account settings box will not show actual settings after an account is created.

What's shown in your first screenshot is not the Account Settings window. To get to the account settings: At the top right of the Thunderbird window, click the menu button > Options > Account Settings

So I'm not sure what exactly you're complaining about

account17: INCOMING: account17, , (imap) imap.earthlink.net:143, plain, passwordCleartext

Adjust the server settings for the Incoming server (IMAP) as per your email providers instructions. https://imapsmtp.email/earthlink.net-smtp-imap-email-settings.html

I have adjusted settings a dozen times and Earthlink support person also did this remotely a few times. I uninstalled Thunderbird, reinstalled, etc. Maybe there is some hidden file somewhere that does not get killed when I move thunderbird from applications to trash?

I uninstalled Thunderbird, reinstalled, etc.

You've been wasting your time. Profile files are stored separately from the Thunderbird program files. The program files are static and do not change (except when you upgrade the Thunderbird application version). Because we store profile and program files separately, you can uninstall Thunderbird without losing your messages and settings, and if something goes wrong with a Thunderbird update your information will still be available. It also means that you don't have to reinstall Thunderbird in order to delete your information or troubleshoot a problem.

At the top right of the Thunderbird window, click the menu button > Options > Account Settings Select your Earthlink account - Server Settings - Connection Security. From the drop-down menu select SSL/TLS. In case the port no. is automatically changed to 993, manually change it back to 143.

Maybe there is some hidden file somewhere that does not get killed when I move thunderbird from applications to trash?

No.

Thunderbird working OK now -- entering SSL/TLS brought up port 993 as you suspected changing to port 143 automatically changed security from SSL/TLS to automatic. Also done button was greyed out. Tried STARTTLS - still greyed out until I also changed to plain password for imap. Then I could save the settings. Still encoded password for smtp. I need to test sending email now.

    Somehow Earthlink support missed this and I did also.

Thanks

Note that Earthlink requires authentication = encrypted password instead of 'normal password' if you choose STARTTLS security on port 143 for the incoming IMAP server. Same for the outgoing server if you choose STARTTLS security on port 587.

https://support.earthlink.net/articles/email/imap-email.php#2-2

Earthlink support says I need encrypted password along with STARTTLS for IMAP. However, When I put in STARTTLS with port 143 the done button in Thunderbird account setup stays greyed out until I change to plain password.

Don't know if this will help, but I always add accounts while TB is Offline (File/Offline/Work Offline) and enter settings manually, and after the account is added, go back online to connect with the mail server.

sfhowes said

The Account Settings window is clearly clipped. Does it look correct if you launch in safe mode (hold Option when you start TB)? There were some fixes for visual issues in TB 68 (see the first item here).

Where is "option" location to start TB in safe mode?

joelebecker said

sfhowes said

The Account Settings window is clearly clipped. Does it look correct if you launch in safe mode (hold Option when you start TB)? There were some fixes for visual issues in TB 68 (see the first item here).

Where is "option" location to start TB in safe mode?

For Macs, hold the Option key when launching TB. On Windows, hold the Shift key, or Help/Restart with Add-ons Disabled.

Thanks that worked and I can now see all settings.

I had the same problem then I realized that the one line box that came up in the Account Settings window could be expanded by dragging the bottom down like any window. This will give you the normal box back.

I started Tbird in safe mode and problem went away and hasn't reappeared for a long time