In wanting to add a new tool to Thunderbird, lack of a pasword makes the program now unable to be opened.

Could this possibly be a MAC password request, and not a Thunderbird one?

It doesn't seem to be a system request because entering the system password does nothing for starting up Tbird. I am fuzzy about Tbird's password requirements as I immediately forgot whatever password I entered when I installed it on my wife's computer 7 months ago.

Have you availed yourself of the user documentation about passwords and how to remove them? See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/protect-your-thunderbird-passwords-primary-password

Is the message you're seeing "Thunderbird is trying to install a new helper tool. Type your password to allow this."? If so, the following links might be helpful:

1. Repeating Helper Tool Installation Message https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1287465

2. Troubleshoot Firefox updates and the Helper tool https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-helper-tool-macos

3. "Firefox is trying to install a new helper tool. Enter an administrator's name and password to allow this." gets in a loop in a standard (non-administrator) macOS account. https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/1p6l9c1/firefox_is_trying_to_install_a_new_helper_tool/

Well Thanks y'all. One thing I didn't mention was the fact that I had set up the Mac OS 26 account without a password (my wife wanted the most brief entry into the system. Possibly the "David" might be right and Tbird was asking for the system password after all and would not accept an 'empty' value for the password. Yesterday I changed the system password from 'nothing' to a simple password, checked to make sure I was correct and then used this new password to get past the helper tool dialog. The helper tool dialog vanished but then Tbird was unable to be loaded - and the Tbird icon never was started (the Tbird icon was never activated in the dock). "Yu5tiqX9og" suggested that Tbird might need to have the app. reinstalled (their #2 option) - which sounds good but I am at a loss to know if reinstalling Tbird (after first deleting the app.) will allow me to get all the contacts and saved emails all hooked up to the new installed Tbird - especially if the app. is deleted using something like "AppCleaner" to get rid of the damaged Tbird. Thanks

Reinstalling over the top of existing version does not delete the profile. To be safe, you can always (with thunderbird not running) copy it to a safe place.

What would be the files that I need to 'snooker away' somewhere to be able to keep the profile intact? Thanks

Ok, I do not know MAC, but this always works:

1. click help>troubleshootinginformation
2. scroll to 'profile folder' and click 'open folder;
3. exit thunderbird
4. you should now be in the MAC file manager
5. back up one folder
6. now, copy that folder elsewhere, preferably to external media, but anywhere other than where it is.

Should you need to restore:

1. click help>troubeshootinginformation
2. scroll to 'profile folder' and click 'open folder'
3. exit thunderbird
4. delete everything in the folder
5. now, open your backup folder and paste everything in that folder here
6. restart thunderbird

Note that some of the steps are the same but not all. :)