Do you have the latest version, 2.0.2? It's working here in TB 68.2.2.

https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/manually-sort-folders/

Drag the Download Now button from Firefox and drop it onto Tools/Add-ons/Extensions in TB.

I had tried that version before, but I just removed it and reinstalled by dragging the button to the add-ons manager. the Manually sort folders showed up in tools, but it still doesn't work. Maybe I'm not telling it what to do correctly in the manually sort folders box and tabs. What's the correct procedure to select the inbox as the default start up folder? Thanks for the help, I'm not that good at this stuff.

From Tools/Manually sort folders, select the Extra settings tab, choose 'Use a custom folder' in the left drop-down and select the folder in the right drop-down.

OK, that's exactly what I've been doing, but still no luck. I'm open to suggestions. How about if I reinstalled the whole thunderbird program? . That might be beyond my capabilities, especially if it didn't keep all the settings, contacts ect and just transfer them

Reinstalling the program won't affect your data in the profile folder, but it also probably won't fix the problem, which is not due to the program. I suggest you remove the add-on, restart TB, Help/Troubleshooting Information, click Open Folder to open the profile, close TB, delete session.json, restart TB, and reinstall the add-on. That might work. The startup option is working here in TB 68.2.2.

I managed to figure how to do that, but the result was the same., it opens with the last folder used. If I remember correctly, the first time that I installed the add-on with the new version of TB, it worked for a short while then stopped. I appreciate the effort on your part,it's surprising that you have it working there. If you can think of anything else to try, I'm ready to try.

Still looking for suggestions here

I'm working on it again this morning. Tried the previously mentioned remedy again with no luck. It's probably some small glitch somewhere that I'm overlooking. I wonder if I'm really uninstalling the add-on completely using the extension page. Even when I reinstall, it seems to come back in the same exact configuration. I don't know enough to really make sure it's a clean uninstall before I try to reinstall. Is it possible to go back to the previous version of TB where manual sort folders was working for me?

Several users have the same problem with this add-on:

https://github.com/protz/Manually-Sort-Folders/issues/92

It may be related to other bugs with TB's failure to read the session.json file, e.g. tabs not retained, button layout.

I would recommend in the meantime you just use the built-in capacity where TB opens in the folder that was open at the previous closing.

I gave up trying and reinstalled the earlier TB version that was working for me. 52.7.0 (found it in my download folder) Everything is as it was now. I'm not a really heavy email user and I doubt if the upgrades would have impacted me much. I disabled auto upgrades so that it wouldn't happen again and I may upgrade again when the add-on is updated better. Is this a reasonable solution for my situation? Thanks

You have to balance the risk of not taking advantage of the security fixes and enhancements in the latest version, versus the advantages of staying with an older version. All versions can be downloaded here. Myself, I've never found it necessary to stay with an older version just to retain an add-on that hasn't been updated.

That's good advice. You think that the security features have been improved that significantly? You know much more about this than I do, perhaps I'll go back to the updated version and wait for the add-on. I went to that link,but I don't understand the different designations. Is there a place that lists the different upgrades in a more easily understood way? thanks

The release notes for each major release, 52, 60, 68 etc., as well as for each branch of a release, are here.

It's hard to assess the significance of security improvements. They are probably more important for browsers than email apps, but it depends on how a device is used, and how conscious a user is of security matters.

Thanks! Very helpful. I went back to 68.2.2, but I may compromise and go look for a version just old enough to get the add on to work while being fairly up to date. I appreciate all your help.

There is a solution to get TB always to open on the inbox which the Mozilla hardcore here are not going to like.

The default TB start screen appears to be the users inbox but the session.json, for whatever reason, has been set up to restore the last session ie. the page on which you exited.

The solution is to delete the session.json.

How do you do that? Well you can't do from within TB because the delete history, unlike Firefox, does not include the session (why?). Therefore the solution is to use a third party tool which does. That tool is: CCleaner.

It will clean the TB session by default so if you do not want it to do that you have the choice just by unticking the relevant box.

Ironically the reason I know this is because I've floated the idea in another thread that TB by default should not start on the inbox. I want it to start on the main Thunderbird Mail page when I login.

I've had no support for that and as a result have had to continuing doing what the OP discovered was the case: remember to close TB on the restart page wanted and not to use CCleaner's delete TB session option.

Such matters would be more sensibly resolved if TB actually offered a choice of login start page menu option. Seems like a good idea to me but, again, I've received no support for that idea, in fact quite the opposite. I was curtly pointed to the very addon being discussed here if I wanted to be able to choose the start page.

That sounds like it may be worth a try. Can you be more specific about how to use cc cleaner, which I have, to do what you were describing. I'll give it a try if you can give me a step by step process.

CCleaner includes, by default, if you have Thunderbird installed 'cleaning' options for it, Firefox likewise. Both are listed under the CCleaner > Applications button.

With TB you can delete the Internet Cache, Internet History, Cookies, Download History, Last Download Location, Session and four other options you probably do not want to touch.

I think the Session option is ticked by default but you'll have to check. You may well have been using it already and not realised that every time you did this it was deleting the TB session.

When it is ticked it will delete these three TB session .json txt files:-

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\...........\sessionCheckpoints.json C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\............\session.json C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\.............\chrome_debugger_profile\sessionCheckpoints.json

Doing this makes TB use the default home page on restart as it now has no record of your last session. That should mean it starts on the inbox or it is for me with the settings I have.

CCleaner is a powerful tool which can delete important files if you tick the wrong box but its default settings should cause no bother and simply ticking/unticking the TB Session option just deletes or excludes those files. You can check what is going to be deleted if you use the Analyse button first rather the Run Cleaner.

However remember it will delete Firefox sessions/history and other browser cookies including active logins by default too so either exclude the FF things you don't want to be deleted by unticking them or use CCleaner to manage what cookies you keep. That is in the Options menu.

With Analyse it lists the files to be deleted and clicking on them will show you exactly what they are and their paths, which can be useful.

CCleaner launches and works very fast so its quite practical to use it after every session when you close TB but I generally just use it at the end of the day.

However if you want to be ultra cautious before using CCleaner put in a restore point before using it.

Thanks, but that's all a little above my immediate capabilities for now. I usually end up creating more problems than I solve. I decided to just go back to 60.9.1 with the appropriate manually sort folders add-on. Not terribly old versions. It's working fine. I'm a very light user,just occasional emails, I think it will be sufficient. I'll try to upgrade to 68.2.2 when I see a newer, maybe improved manually sort folders add- on.

Until such time as Manually Set Folders or some other add-on comes up with an internal solution, the simplest way to deal with this issue is to make sure Thunderbird starts using the session.json file you want. Thunderbird always saves session.json from the most recent session to use next time. Therefore start TB, adjust it to the way you want it to behave (e.g. open in Inbox, message pane on or off), exit, and copy session.json from C:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\xxxxxxx.default) to another location and rename it , say, mysession.json. Then use a little batch file to copy it back again and start TB, e.g.

@echo off copy "C:\{YourLocation}\mysession.json" "C:\Users\{YourName}\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\xxxxxxx.default\session.json" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Thunderbird\Thunderbird.exe" exit

If you create a shortcut to this batch file and run it hidden, you don't have to see any command window.Helpful reply