Assuming this is an IMAP account and you told Thunderbird to save drafts into the Drafts folder on the server. You can change the the folder to save drafts for the account to the Drafts folder underneath the Local Folders account instead. At the top right of the Thunderbird window, click the menu button > Account Settings > Copies & Folders > Drafts and Templates > "Drafts" folder on: Select "Local Folders" from the drop-down menu.

Thanks for your response. I tried this but it did not help. The only other thing I just changed was to keep message archive in local folders. That did not help. I have another computer with a different user account also using TBird and that does not have this problem. However, that computer has far fewer emails stored in local folders. That is the only difference that I can decipher.

When disconnected from the internet, this does not happen.

What exactly does this mean? Are you on dial-up?

What is the size of your Draft Folder?

What is your anti-virus software?

We have good high speed internet (Starlink). If I disconnect the ethernet cable while drafting an email, the pause/lag issue does not occur. It is as if TBird were going out to the internet while I am composing an email. Almost nothing in my draft folders. We use Norton for Anti-Virus on both machines. The second machine does not have this problem.

And the second computer is on the same network behind the same fire firewall

Sorry for the duplicate request, it was a mistake.

My estimate it that the large number of saved emails in the local folders is the issue but I have no proof. And why does the Lag stop when I disconnect from the internet. Maybe they are unrelated, but I will test it again just before we close for the day as I do not want to disrupt any one else's work. Thank you for your help here.

OK, I ran the test. I was wrong, it is not related to the internet. It seems to be periodic and occurs every seven seconds and remains blanked out for three seconds. However it continues to hold the typing in memory during the three seconds while the image is blanked because the typed items display when the blanking stops. It was clearly seven seconds on screen and three seconds off screen, approximately. By off screen I mean you can't see what is typed. What makes it problematic is that if you make a typing mistake while the screen is off (blanked) you don't notice it for up to three seconds. Could the system be saving every seven seconds and I have so many files stored it takes three seconds to complete the task. I hope this sheds a little more light on the issue. I cannot be the only one having this problem. Thank you for any help you can provide.

Good Morning, I think you might be off the hook here. It looks like the issue may be related to a system memory issue. I have ordered more memory and after I load it, if the issue is gone I will close this ticket. Thank you.

It was memory. Thanks.