Thunderbird 78 on macOS OpenPGP Key Management. How? Where?
Since the Migration away from Enigmail to Thunderbird 78 (some Migration-Assistant did automatically start and failed after I did not remember one of my passwords for a gpg key)... I have no idea where to correct the issue.
I can nowhere see the available/imported keys also the public keys from friends seem to be missing and i cannot send them encrypted mails anymore.
The thing that drives me nearly insane is that I can not find ANY menu or menuentry that provides any access to the OpenPGP information Thunderbird 78 is expected to handle now.
What is going on here? Am I an idiot suddenly in operating my mailclient or is this menu or menuentry simply not existing? How can it be that such an essential thing is not easily accessible to me?
I am puzzled, angry and deeply disappointed, because I like my software to be open source, but this experience drives me away. And I even needed to create a new firefox account to even give feedback an ask this question.
Nevertheless I hope someone can help me with this. Right. now my mailclient is useless to me. And I am not the one who is responsible for this mess.
Modified by helge-on-fox
Chosen solution
svlad2009 said
On windows there is a: file - import option (also edit with import from url). I think on mac you need to press Option button (on win I need to press alt button) so you can see those menus.
Your hint was helpful... because it revealed a huge UI fuckup of the Thunderbird Development. As someone who did develop many many UI's I can only be deeply disappointed how bad this is done.
The team should not have released this version at all. A central thing like Encryption and key management belongs not in the "Extras" menu, this is ESSENTIAL and belongs to the leftmost "File" menu. Also needing 4 steps to actually reach the Keymanagement is a plain desaster.
But even better... step number 5 can only be discovered if you recognize that the Window that popped up, brings its own menubar. HOW MUCH can one developer fuck up the UI... I ask? The way the window opens, suggests it is a modal window, but it does not behave like one. Instead what seems to happen is, that the whole application context is switched... and a new menubar at the top appears.
This is what UI inconsistency looks like, I am sorry.
Find the workaround attached to this post.
Read this answer in context 👍 3All Replies (5)
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/openpgp-thunderbird-howto-and-faq I don't use encryption to advise you on this issue but maybe that article helps...
Modified by svlad2009
Thank you for the first answer... I have already read that quite lengthy article, but the issue is... the menu or menu-entry which the article speaks of in the "Global Tools Menu" ... this entry is not there. I do not even find the "Global Tools Menu" and I have no idea what the corresponding menu is in the german Thunderbird. I looked intensively through all accessible menus but did not find the "OpenPGP Management" entry anywhere, that is my issue right now.
When I go through the E-Mail-Account Settings I can click on Manage OpenPGP stuff, but the only thing I get is the following window... (see attachment)
What is totally weird to me is that there is NO OPTION to add/import any key if I do a right-click in that window. (see second attachment)
Modified by helge-on-fox
On windows there is a: file - import option (also edit with import from url). I think on mac you need to press Option button (on win I need to press alt button) so you can see those menus.
Chosen Solution
svlad2009 said
On windows there is a: file - import option (also edit with import from url). I think on mac you need to press Option button (on win I need to press alt button) so you can see those menus.
Your hint was helpful... because it revealed a huge UI fuckup of the Thunderbird Development. As someone who did develop many many UI's I can only be deeply disappointed how bad this is done.
The team should not have released this version at all. A central thing like Encryption and key management belongs not in the "Extras" menu, this is ESSENTIAL and belongs to the leftmost "File" menu. Also needing 4 steps to actually reach the Keymanagement is a plain desaster.
But even better... step number 5 can only be discovered if you recognize that the Window that popped up, brings its own menubar. HOW MUCH can one developer fuck up the UI... I ask? The way the window opens, suggests it is a modal window, but it does not behave like one. Instead what seems to happen is, that the whole application context is switched... and a new menubar at the top appears.
This is what UI inconsistency looks like, I am sorry.
Find the workaround attached to this post.
Modified by helge-on-fox
Agree: Big UI bug for Mac interface.
Workaround for me:
Use Tools->Import Enigmail Settings
It gives you an import from gpg keys option. You have to enter passphrases for all secret keys (as might be expected), twice, once for access and once for import.