Thunderbird Community Forum

As the topic says, the message list turned from the usual dark-mode look, to a full black background after updating to 151.0.

Was this an intentional change? How can I revert it?

Until recently the folder pane could be sized or hidden via the double-headed arrowed cursor. Shortly after the 151.0.1 update this stopped working. All suggested solutions have not worked. A full uninstall (Revo Uninstall) and completely new profile has not fixed the problem. Folder pane only responds to the menu setting and is only Open/close but no sizing.

I am trying to set up a visualization of the columns of the main interface. Here's what I do:

1. Click on the list icon in the top right corner.
2. Uncheck the columns I want to hide. Specifically, From (CB), Recipient (CB), and Correspondents (CB).
3. Apply the selection to all folders: click on the icon in the top right corner, apply columns to.. > folders and its children... > select account > Confirm

These actions produce immediate results. However, the next day or a few days later, when I reopen the program, the column display changes. Sometimes in the main folder (inbox), sometimes in the subfolders.

Is this a known bug? Is there anything I can do to keep the desired column configuration stable?

All of a sudden every time I open something in an email it automatically creates a new tab. When I delete what I have open it takes me out of my email account and I have to delete the tab to get back to my remaining emails. I have changed nothing so I am confused as to why it has recently changed.

Hi,

I am trying to edit my message separator line (which I added many years ago). Now there is a big gap in the line and messages. How can I reduce this gap please? Any advice?

Regards,

LS

I have one file folder that I moved certain files to that once read, they are not visible or listed in the folder. The folder massage count is 296. When I move an email into the folder and it is not read, I can see the message. Once read, it disappears. I can filter by attachments and contacts and see some but not all of the messages.

Hello All, The opening email changed to a reader that works, but I'd prefer to use the "Classic Reader" by default. Searching the settings hasn't turned up anything that sounds right. Is there a behind-the-scenes file that I need to edit to resolve this issue?

When I click an email open, More than HALF the screen is taken up by a fixed Header. This leaves only 2" high to read the email. Can I change this and get a page to read the mail? I do not half a page to see date and time etc. an no space to read the mail. Its terrible!

I have Thunderbird on another PC that shows the incoming emails with the contents with the contents displayed under the email list, yet on my new PC I cannot seem to get that setting. I have to double click an email and it opens a new tab. I have used your help and also YouTube to no avail.

I use Thunderbird on a PC. It has began to open evry e-mail I select as a pop-up window. This is unusual for me, and I do not want it. I just want to open the e-mail inside those windows that already exist on the screen. It has been like that before. In settings I have selected to open e-mails in an "existing window" Is this korekt? Finally one more question: can I write in Danish here? It would be easyer for me to explain my problem in danish.

Subject: Persistent Column and Folder Layout Issues — Not Being Saved Between Sessions

This is a follow-up to my previous support requests regarding two ongoing problems that significantly impact daily usability.

Column Settings I manage multiple accounts, and my preferred column layout is: Starred, Read Status, Attachment, Subject, From, and Date/Time. I do not use Threads, Correspondents, or Spam Status columns. Despite setting these preferences repeatedly, Thunderbird fails to retain them. Every day I must spend time reconfiguring columns across some or all of my accounts — the state varies unpredictably from one session to the next. This is a persistent, daily frustration that costs meaningful time. Most other major email clients save and reliably maintain column preferences. I'd expect Thunderbird to do the same.

Folder Panel Layout Two problems occur regularly when Thunderbird loads:

Folder order — Standard system folders (Inbox, Sent, Drafts, All Mail, Trash, Spam) should appear at the top of each account. Instead, Sent, All Mail, Trash, and/or Spam are frequently scattered among custom folders, with no apparent consistency.

Folder expansion — Most or all folders load in an expanded state, exposing every nested sub-folder regardless of whether they contain unread mail. This creates unnecessary visual clutter and requires manual collapsing each session.

Again, this behavior is uncommon in other widely-used email clients. Summary These are not one-time glitches — they recur daily and represent a significant usability gap. I'd appreciate confirmation that these are known issues being tracked, or guidance on a reliable fix. Reformatting the interface every morning is not a reasonable expectation for users.

I've installed a legacy version of TB and been using it for some weeks, now. [52.9.1 (32-bit)] That's necessary because I run a legacy windoze OS.

I have an idea of how to make the Start Screen Layout easier for me. Specifically the accounts / mailboxes panel, where I [so far] have nine email accounts. The idea is that - under all-but-one email account - have these two folders:

• Inbox
• Sent

Then, under the email account I use the most, I will have

• Inbox
• Drafts
• Sent
• Junk
• Trash . . .

. . . . followed by all the necessary and appropriately-labelled subfolders.

Is there any reason that's a silly idea?

What's the Local Folders thing, at the bottom?

After nearly 30 years, Eudora's SSL settings have made it incompatible with current mail servers. Or so I was told.

Oh, I'm a geriatric, even if a little more computer savvy than some of my contemporaries.

Within the last 6 weeks I migrated to Win11. I migrated my apps that would work and Thunderbird also. Got a recent update of TB. Finally MOSTLY disabled the bloody awful thread thing in TB (seems to be folder specific??!).

But ever since running on Win 11, I cannot stop TB from marking my messages as read even if I have never opened them. Even If I never use another device to connect with email. I try things and sometimes it works for like a day and then poof! : any email that comes in is read as per TB.

It is killing me. I run my biz on email and if it is unread I give it low priority. But turns out it is marked read without any action from me. I get a LOT of emails.

Really! I do no want to migrate to another email program.

I am fluent with regedit and can hack a .ini file. Point me in the right direction please.

help!

I see there are 3rd Party Message Filters. However, I'm not looking for those. I'm looking at the Tools> Message Filters>Filter name for:, where you can add Email Details>choose what part of the email, and then move Message to. I want to be able to view the Filter name alphabetically in the Folder(s)...without having to sort so many of them individually.

Example:

- Filter name: 123@domain.com - Match: From - Move Message to: Spam - Message Filters (alphabetically)

Any help would be appreciated.

I use Thunderbird on my desktop and laptop for my mail. I use Outlook on my Android phone. When I delete old messages from my SENT MAIL folder on the computers, it doesn't delete from the SENT folder on my Android Outlook program. What settings do I need to have it delete in ALL places from SENT when I delete it in any one place. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Currently using TB 153.0, Win 11 on desktop PC.

In past versions there was a progress bar on right end of the status line, along bottom edge of the screen, that showed progress while TB was compacting folders. That bar hasn't been visible in last few updates.

When prompted today, I allowed TB to start compacting. I'd permanently deleted a really big bunch of old emails in last few days, so probably a lot of space that could be recovered. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting, but without the progress I had no idea if TB was busy or possibly frozen. So I just left it alone. When I came back and tried to manually start compacting, it immediately said "Done, 0K saved". So it had obviously done the compacting.

If it's an option, how do I enable that progress bar? If not currently available, please consider restoring it in future TB updates. I -for one- think it's a very useful feature.

THX!