updates and profiles
The most prominent info you show when changing to a new version of Thunderbird, or Firefox for that matter, is how to simply continue to use my existing profile. Please make that clear and simple. We shouldn't have to read through a lot of options with terms we may or may not understand when we update. I'm sure it's the reason many people don't update. I know people that are still using ver. 50 something of Firefox because changing profiles is confusing.
Chosen solution
When you originally updated, it should have auto selected the current profile. Obviously, it seems it did not, quite often you simply need to just reselect the old profile and set it as default. But, you do not mention what version you were using and what version it updated to. eg: were you using version 68.12.1 and it updated to version 78.8.0 ?
As Matt stated, you can do this selecting of profile in Thunderbird. Help > Troubleshooting Information > click on 'about:profiles'
The profile you wanted to use would be listed but not set as default. Click on the 'Set as default profile' Click on 'Launch profile' to open in a new window then close the original Thunderbird.
This usually works, but sometimes there has been the odd problem, but it would really help to know what version you used before and what version it updated to.
re :At that point I quit Thunderbird and went back to the previous version.
You cannot go back just by reinstalling an older version. Ever since the beginning of version 68, thunderbird has been a dedicated profile per installation.
If you want to use an older version you need to do it a specific way.
After install you do not auto start Thunderbird. You start Thunderbird via the terminal using: /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird -profilemanager --allow-downgrade Info: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Command_Line_Options
It would be useful at this point to know what version you have currently installed.
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profiles changing is not intended. Personally I consider it a bug. But reverting for most people is as simple as going to about:profiles in the troubleshooting information and selecting the correct one to use.
I know which one to use. I can identify it in my Library. It probably seems like a dumb question, but how do I tell the new version to use it? Which of the options do I choose when I start the new version? (the comment above is referring to what I saw yesterday. At that point I quit Thunderbird and went back to the previous version. Today it showed me what I'm describing below) When I first opened the new version it gave me options that I was not clear about. This morning when I opened it it showed boxes that I could click on for each of the things Thunderbird does. When I click on Mail, it opens a dialog box to "set up" Mail. I can see in my library that Thunderbird is now using my old profile instead of creating a new one as it did yesterday. But calling it "setting up" makes it sound like it will change something that already works. I guess I should fill in my address and password and it will work.
Chosen Solution
When you originally updated, it should have auto selected the current profile. Obviously, it seems it did not, quite often you simply need to just reselect the old profile and set it as default. But, you do not mention what version you were using and what version it updated to. eg: were you using version 68.12.1 and it updated to version 78.8.0 ?
As Matt stated, you can do this selecting of profile in Thunderbird. Help > Troubleshooting Information > click on 'about:profiles'
The profile you wanted to use would be listed but not set as default. Click on the 'Set as default profile' Click on 'Launch profile' to open in a new window then close the original Thunderbird.
This usually works, but sometimes there has been the odd problem, but it would really help to know what version you used before and what version it updated to.
re :At that point I quit Thunderbird and went back to the previous version.
You cannot go back just by reinstalling an older version. Ever since the beginning of version 68, thunderbird has been a dedicated profile per installation.
If you want to use an older version you need to do it a specific way.
After install you do not auto start Thunderbird. You start Thunderbird via the terminal using: /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird -profilemanager --allow-downgrade Info: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Command_Line_Options
It would be useful at this point to know what version you have currently installed.