re :If I tab to a link in a message then arrow down, I am where I expect, but then if I go to the top of the message,

I presume you use the arrow key to go to the top of message - that arrow key is scrolling the view not moving tab focus, they are not the same thing.

The F6 key (and Shift + F6) helps you move out of whatever you are in and move to another section eg: Folder Pane.

F6 and shift F6 don't do what I want because they move out of the message view. Let's take what happens when I go to the top of the webpage I'm typing this on in Firefox. When I do so using control+home, the first thing I hear with NVDA is skip to main content. If I tab from there, I hear switch language then skip to search. This is the behavior I expect when I go to the top of a message in Thunderbird as well, but is not what's happening. If I tab through or read a message containing a lot of links, the tab focus remains on the link that I was last on, rather than moving to the top of the page.

Am I the only one who thinks this is a major problem? Even within Thunderbird this behavior isn't consistent. When browsing addons, the web browser in Thunderbird works correctly, but when reviewing messages I experience the behavior I describe above. I've asked this on the NVDA list, the Thunderbird accessibility list, and now here, but all I get is crickets. Why hasn't anyone provided either a solution or a way to report this to those who can actually do something about it?

You have to understand that not everyone is using NVDA. If another user of Thunderbird is using NVDA then they may offer to post a comment. I'm aware that you have tried on another forum and they directed you to DVLA forums/groups. https://nvda.groups.io/g/nvda/topic/some_questions_about_nvda_and/111110894

You did say ". I did ask my questions on the Thunderbird accessibility group.....It looks like I have some replies"

What did they say in the replies ? It just might be useful to know any information you have already received.

You seem to think you are not getting information that is useful, so maybe you are the only person experiencing the issue, but at this point, it's hard to know because there is a lack of specifics. You need to share what people commented in other forums especially since those forums are being used by people who have knowledge of NVDA.

In the meantime please post this information:

1. What version of NVDA are you using? Is the most up to date?
2. Is it a version that NVDA says is compatible with the current 128.80. version of Thunderbird?
3. What version of Thunderbird are you using ?

Does it sound like this bug report: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1844255

General info which may be useful to NVDA users: https://addons.nvda-project.org/addons/thunderbirdPlus.en.html

https://download.nvaccess.org/releases/2024.4.2/documentation/userGuide.html

Thank you. While that reply did not solve the problem, it at least sent me on the right track. To answer your questions, I think my version of Thunderbird is 128.7.2 and version of NVDA is 2024.4.2. The bug you linked to isn't related at all to what I'm asking about, but it did get me to the point where I can file a new bug report, which I will do in a bit. If I remember correctly, I only had one response that said the tab key was working properly, all the other responses had to do with my other questions, most of which I have figured out answers to by now, whether that be from the groups.io list or from these forums.

https://groups.io/g/thunderbird/topics is also a great place.

Thanks for creating https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1954249