Thunderbird Community Forum

Good morning, I had asked a question early on Saturday, but was unavailable the rest of the weekend so just now responding to associate Corey Bryan's answer. I had gotten a message that I am using an unsupported version and they recommend downloading the latest stable version.

He said it appears that I'm on the "Release" channel and most likely want to be on the ESR channel. I also mentioned that I am a cave-man when it comes to anything computer and am very skittish about making any changes as I don't how to straighten out any errors that might occur.

He asked me where I installed Thunderbird from and the answer is that I don't know. It was an IT guy that did it many years ago.

So I guess my questions are, if I've been using this version for years, do I need to or should I update it? If so, if I click on the latest stable version of Thunderbird, will that change anything on my computer, aside from getting the newer version of T-Bird? And will my e-mails in Thunderbird look any different?

Thanks very much for the help. Tony

When I upgraded from MacOS Ventura to MacOS Sonoma, Thunderbird stopped working. Getting it to work the first time required me to use Apple's 2 Step Verification process to create an app-specific password. After the MacOS upgrade, that process was no longer available. Apple switched to 2 Factor Authentication, which is apparently different and incompatible with 2sv. The other websites and applications on my iMac have already switched to 2fa, and I'm not sure I can have both methods active on the same computer (but I've asked, Apple, anyway).

Is there a recent change in Thunderbird that would allow me to use 2fa instead of 2sv to access Thunderbird?

I have many years worth of emails in Thunderbird that I can no longer access. I can see the directory structure, and some of the email lists, but not the content.

Thanks for the help!

This evening, Thunderbird has updated to the new version (can't see where the version number is held, unfortunately). Whenever I try to download new emails, I now get the message "Error with account [email address]. Sending of username did not succeed. Mail server pop3.iomartcloud.com responded: Mate, the command must be one of CAPA, USER, PASS or QUIT." Mails are still accessible through the mail client on my phone and through webmail, just not through Thunderbird.

I just upgraded to 128.2.2esr and cannot receive or send messages after the update. I have restarted the computer and tried again - still nothing. I'm unable to use a tool that is critical for my daily needs.

Trying to send just says "Connected" or "Sending" but never completes. Worked fine before the update which was just in the past hour or so.

Same issues with downloading new email or sending email for all accounts. :(

Anyone else having problems? Ideas?

Thank you!

created new accounts but sub-folders different, missing, new, & new icons(?)

For many years I have had 2 Accounts in Tbird. They are POP. I just created two new accounts, and am confused by some differences in appearance. These are IMAP. Do IMAP accounts populate the sub-folders based on a structure present in the IMAP provider?

1) there is a new sub folder "All Mail"

2) No Junk folder. There is a Spam folder. Did some idiot change the name in an update to Tbird, just to fark with long time users? If so they did a poor job, since the Account Settings still has a tab for "JUNK Settings" and the toggle asks where to move the JUNK. Creating synonyms is bad practice, because nobody knows if they are in fact synonyms. One would presume they are not.

3) In the index listing of accounts, each account has an icon to its left -- concentric circles with a padlock. And I have not noticed that icon before, I'm wondering if my old accounts suddenly have a different icon (which strangely matches the new accounts' icons). The sub-folders all have unique icons for each type (Inbox, Sent, etc)

In choosing where to place sent mail, there are two toggle choices to Place A Copy In: 1) "Sent" folder on { [circle&lock icon] ACCOUNT_NAME 2) "Other { [SentFolderIcon] Sent on ACCOUNT_NAME I don't grasp the difference. Would 1) keep the messages on the remote IMAP system? I notice that my old POP accounts are using option 1) & mail is kept locally.

3) The new accounts have "greyed out" italicized subfolders "Folders" and "Labels." Are these associated with being IMAP, or did some Tbird update add them? What are they for?

I understand that Postbox, based on Thunderbird, will never be updated to become compatible with Apple silicon chips. Therefore Postbox will cease to work when Rosetta will be deprecated on macs. Consequently my question is where can I find directions to import messages, filters, and preferences from Postbox to Thunderbird?

I was finally forced to upgrade from win7 (which worked) to win 10 (me no likey) because of a required program which would not even install on win7. After the upgrade, which obliterated my hard drive of several important things, I am reinstalling TB. I always used an NAS directory for Thunderbird, and have email records going back nearly twenty years. I installed TB 115 and have tried several ways to get it to recognize my profile directory on the NAS to no avail. I tried copying data into the default directory the 115 install is looking at. The about:profiles shows it is looking in the correct directory, it produces a parent.lock file in that directory when I run the program. It does not give me my email, or contacts. I do not use the calendar or to-do lists.

My system is an AMD K6-6400K with 16 GB and a 500 GB drive. Though programs are loaded on the drive ALL data is stored in an NAS. There is about 375 GB available on the C drive.

I have used the cmd line to pull up profile manager, added a profile, pointed it to the data that is on the NAS, a parent lock file is created there too but it shows me no mail.

I have edited the profiles.ini file manually to have the program look at the directories, both the NAS and a local directory which has had the old files entered. Neither worked.

I tried opening TB and creating a new profile and pre-loading the info there, nothing. I've been at this for days now. I have uninstalled and removed manually all TB folders and reinstalled older versions to give that a go but without effect. I am no Luddite (Many years ago I owned a system integration, assembly and install company doing networking for the military as a civilian contractor.) but someone has to explain this to me like I am a five year old. There is no reason having my email back should be this difficult!

PLEASE give me a hand?

My TB directory appears in C:\Users\owner\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird My old data folder was on a network drive at M:\Users\owner\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\profiles\k5zbs5az.default When I manually enter the M: address in the profiles.ini file, it "corrects" it to C:\Users\owner\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\ even though the switch 'relative' is off.

[Profile1] Name=default IsRelative=1 Path=Profiles/zpfeu8eu.default Default=1

[Profile0] Name=default-beta IsRelative=0 Path=C:\Users\owner\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird

[General] StartWithLastProfile=0 Version=2

[Install5D388C1349709B37] Default=C:\Users\owner\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird Locked=1

Running the Mozilla application with a specific profile using command line arguments brings up the program but no mail. It creates a lock file in the correct directory, but no joy.

I get no pop up error messages.

A few weeks ago after an automatic update I ended up having Thunderbird version 131.0.1 installed, I have no idea how this happened. On opening I get a message telling me I shouldn't be using a beta version and that I should revert to the latest general release version (128.4)

Today when I had some free time I downloaded 128.4 and installed it. On opening it it says that I can't use a profile file from a later version with the earlier version. Is there a way to recover from this WITHOUT having to set up the whole profile again from scratch.

Meanwhile I have done a system restore so I am back with 131.0.1 It has not given me any problems so far. Is there a new general release version imminent that will get me back on track?

I would appreciate any help I am not a computer expert, just a user, and find Thunderbird a very good email client.

David Gould

I can still receive and send e-mail from my phone and tablet (using BlueMail or GMail), but I can't do either from my Windows laptop with the new Thunderbird 60. If I reinstall the earlier version, (Thunderbird-Setup-17-0-8.exe), everything works. Going to Yahoo to change my password, as one solution suggests clearly does NOT address the problem, as the only thing that does not work is Thunderbird.

The folders and address lists exist in .thunderbird/5sdfwbvt.default /Mail/Local Folders

and in  .thunderbird/5sdfwbvt.default/storage/abook/mab  and abook/sqlite

How can I get thunderbird to access these resources??

Yesterday I upgraded my PC from Windows 10 to 11. Today I discovered my Local Folders are not visible. Searching tells me the messages still exist, but TB does not show the folders. I did the same upgrade a month ago on a laptop (Windows 10 Pro to 11), no problems. I didn't externally back up the messages as I am a dinosaur and don't know how, but at least they are still on the hard drive. Thousands of them though so I need the local folders back. Tried all the fixes I can find on the Community Forum, without success. Can anyone help please? Bob

I've never knowingly installed a non-mainline thunderbird, but earlier this week I started getting the following when I open Thunderbird:

This is an unsupported version of Thunderbird!! Thunderbird monthly releases are not considered stable for general use. Use at your own risk, this build is the same quality as Thunderbird Beta.

Checking the version of thunderbird.exe It says its v131, which happens to be the same as the copy of Firefox installed. When I remove and reinstall Thunderbird it starts off as 128 but quickly changes to 131, even after uninstalling Firefox. (Also annoyingly, this stomps on the version in the profile, which 128 claims is no longer compatible, because Thunderbird isn't clever enough to save a copy of files when it makes "breaking" changes to user files)

I wouldn't being on 131 if actually worked, but it gets stuck in the handshake with my IMAP server, and doesn't even show the local folder caches. (It also for some reason shows the window controls on left side of the window title bar, rather than the right).

How can I restore standard functionality?

In Windows 11, the Address Book is accessed via an icon on top left of the TB main page or Alt+2. In Windows 11 is there a similar key combination to view the folders below Local Folders?

I have used Thunderbird for years with automatic update. Got a Big yellow warning - something like: this is a test version, the profile must not work in esr version. I immediately stopped. Downloaded the esr version and started it. Thunderbird could now not read my profile an initiated install procedure. I saved the profile. Can I see in the profile which version of Thunderbird it can be used under ? You aught to give i clear warning in test versions when you change an user profile.

I am trying to get my contacts from Windows 10 Mail , to Thunderbird , first off , i cant find the contacts in Windows 10 mail ( i can't find the actual CSV file/folder/location , second , if this is a common issue why doesn't Thunderbird make it easier to transfer contacts , just like all the other email programs do ??? , i am confused as to why its such a pain , i am also not impressed with the speed Thunderbird has in actually sending emails , Widows 10 Mail is 10 times faster at actually sending the mail.... , the only reason i was going to switch to Thunderbird was so i can send more than 1 picture at a time in a email , which Windows 10 Mail has a problem doing and its taking forever for support to help , but if i can't easily get my contacts transferred , i am back to square 1 ,

I need a step by step in getting my contacts saved/found in Win 10 Mail , and get them into Thunderbird ... any help that actually explains the entire process is needed , as some of the links i have seen in other posts just say to save the file , but it does not tell you where the file is and where to save it (some said something about Office ???) , it makes no sense why this has to be so complicated , all i should have to do is go to "Import Contacts , choose the email program they are in , select it , and import it , that is how every other email program does it , if this can't be done without spending hours trying to hunt down the info , maybe it was a bad idea thinking this is a good email program , so far , i am not impressed , if it gets better then fine , but if it continues like this , its getting un-installed and was a waste of my time

I had to restart my Mac. When TB restarted during relaunch of the Mac, it was like TB starting fresh. It didn't display my email accounts, or my folders with saved emails, etc.

I quit TB and looked for it in my Applications folder - and I found two versions of TB. Inside the Thunderbird folder was version 140.9.0esr. Outside the Thunderbird folder was version 150.0. See attached screen grab.

I thought I should try launching the newer version (which was outside the folder). So I moved the 140.9.0 version to the trash, then launched the newer version – and it had the same problem. It looked like I was starting TB from scratch.

Next I quit TB (the newer version) and moved the older version out of the trash and back into the TB folder and double-clicked on it. A dialog box popped up saying that the file is damaged and can't be launched.

So I tried launching the newer version again, and it still looks like starting from scratch.

I really hope somebody can help me solve this. I can't access any of my email accounts or any of my stored emails. I use email for work (as most of us do), so this is crippling me.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Outlook says that it will no longer let third party mail apps like Thunderbird to access Outlook email as of September 16, 2024? What do you recommend?

"Action Needed – You may lose access to some of your third-party mail and calendar apps

Update your sign-in technology before September 16th, 2024 to maintain email access.

The safety and security of your information is top priority for Microsoft. To help keep your account secure, Microsoft will no longer support the use of third-party email and calendar apps which ask you to sign in with only your Microsoft Account username and password. To keep you safe you will need to use a mail or calendar app which supports Microsoft’s modern authentication methods. If you do not act, your third-party email apps will no longer be able to access your Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live.com email address on September 16th.

What do you need to do?

If you are receiving this email, you are currently using an email or calendar app that uses a less secure authentication method to connect to your Outlook.com email account. You will need to upgrade your third-party mail and calendar app to a version which supports modern authentication methods.

Microsoft provides free versions of Outlook for your PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices which can be easily downloaded and connect to your email account. Using an updated version of an Outlook application will ensure you are connecting in the most secure way.

How can you set up your Gmail, Apple Mail, or other third-party mail application?

Various non-Microsoft applications will have their own steps for connecting to your Outlook.com email account using modern authentication methods. See our help article - Modern Authentication Methods now needed to continue syncing Outlook Email in non-Microsoft email apps. However, you may need to contact the creators of those applications to provide you with instructions. In many cases, simply removing and re-adding your account with the latest version of that application will configure it to use modern authentication methods.

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For a few days a banner persists on the lower left of the message window. It obscures content. ""Upgrade to Thunderbird Release"" I have checked twice to make sure there is no update available. Why does this annoying message persist after I run the update. I have rebooted the application multiple times. I do not want to click "Learn more" on the annoying banner promoting "Get monthly updates. with new features and improvements in the new Thunderbird Release" Is it malware? If the application is up to date why are you forcing me to "Learn more"? This is not a good user experience. My MacBook Air is up to date. Thunderbird release 128.11.1esr