Thunderbird API – How to Access Only Recent IMAP Messages Locally?

Hello, We’re developing a headless, accessible interface to Thunderbird for blind users, and we’re integrating with the browser.messages.list() and browser.messages.quer… (மேலும் படிக்க)

Hello,

We’re developing a headless, accessible interface to Thunderbird for blind users, and we’re integrating with the browser.messages.list() and browser.messages.query() APIs to access email content.

We’ve encountered an issue: the Thunderbird web extension API requires messages to be downloaded and stored locally to access their full content via the getFull() endpoint, but there appears to be no way to programmatically trigger a message download from IMAP using a message ID or header.

To minimize disk usage, we only want to store the most recent 30 days of messages locally. However, when we enable “Synchronize the most recent 1 month” in Account Settings → Synchronization & Storage, Thunderbird begins syncing from the oldest messages in the account (starting in 2008), rather than downloading the most recent month (e.g., June 15 – July 15, 2025).

My questions: Is there any way to configure Thunderbird to download and store only the latest (by date) 30 days of IMAP messages?

Alternatively, is there a way to use the WebExtension API to access the full content of recent IMAP messages without syncing the entire history?

I'm currently using Thunderbird 128.11.0esr on Linux (MATE desktop).

Any advice or workarounds would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

Asked by Stephen Blazie 31 நிமிடங்கள் முன்பு

Mails in the Outbox

If I put an email message in the Outbox. Fow how long would it be there? Shall I do something by myself to make sure it is going to be send?

Asked by Jens Christiansen 37 நிமிடங்கள் முன்பு

Trouble setting up tbsync

I'm trying to setup tbsync to use with Google Contacts. I'm running 128.12.0 esr. I've installed tbsync and Google-4-tbsync. I followed the instructions to create Goog… (மேலும் படிக்க)

I'm trying to setup tbsync to use with Google Contacts. I'm running 128.12.0 esr. I've installed tbsync and Google-4-tbsync.

I followed the instructions to create Google credentials, but where do I put them? And the account setup for tbsync asks for a "client secret" - what's that?

Asked by henbor29 38 நிமிடங்கள் முன்பு

Corrupted profiles?

20 years of emails apparently gone. I have been trying to add TB to a new laptop. I used the export function in TB and was directed to create a zip file since it was ove… (மேலும் படிக்க)

20 years of emails apparently gone. I have been trying to add TB to a new laptop.

I used the export function in TB and was directed to create a zip file since it was over 2GB. I used 7Zip to view the file and it did not show up in the program. I did this a few times and it kept doing the same thing. When it actually worked I got about 2% of the emails. I believe that, as a result of doing this, that the profile was corrupted by the process of creating a zip file. The result? The original profile on the old laptop is no longer valid. Most of the time when I tried to unzip the file it displayed an error message. I have been through so much over the last few days I cannot remember the entire error but it had the word invalid in it. A red banner across the top of the screen.

I have scoured all my devices for profiles and have tried every one I could find. I was told that using old profiles without them going through the process of TB versions that unexpected results may happen. The latest result, which happens with every profile I use is what is in the attached image. Nothing in or under the inbox, and all this under the outbox.

Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Asked by Rhys3300 3 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Last reply by Rhys3300 1 மணி நேரம் முன்பு

Peer certification expiration

Peer Certification expiration - Why is this Pop-up showing up after many years of thunderbird use and why does it prevent receiving and sending emails. It wants a certi… (மேலும் படிக்க)

Peer Certification expiration - Why is this Pop-up showing up after many years of thunderbird use and why does it prevent receiving and sending emails. It wants a certificate or an exception with out adequate explanation or guidance.

I did not have account set up and because I couldn.t receive email confirmation could not seek help. I contacted Norton who appeared on the company example and they could not resolve. Given I could not get access thunderbird for assistance, I did an uninstall and reinstall. I lost my addresses but at least I was able to sent and receive emails again. the Pop up had gone away.

I set up my second email and when I completed this set up I was greeted by this pop-up. What is this all about and what are the risks. How is it resolved?

Asked by Jerry Cutting 1 மணி நேரம் முன்பு

unable to setup multiple gmail accounts

I am currently using Thunderbird as a client for a Gmail account. I am trying to add another one but get a message: "server already exists". How do I add the second email… (மேலும் படிக்க)

I am currently using Thunderbird as a client for a Gmail account. I am trying to add another one but get a message: "server already exists". How do I add the second email account?

Asked by childsb 7 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Last reply by childsb 1 மணி நேரம் முன்பு

login fails using good password to att mail server

using Tbird, 3 email accounts are working fine. login to att mail server fails always. Att server settings: imap, port 993, ssl, normal password, smtp port 465. i can … (மேலும் படிக்க)

using Tbird, 3 email accounts are working fine. login to att mail server fails always. Att server settings: imap, port 993, ssl, normal password, smtp port 465. i can login to att from web apps and numerous email programs. I want to use Tbird again, have previously used it for years!

Asked by tomoc1128 2 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

SMTP Timeout

Hi, I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem - since a few days I get an immediate SMTP timeout in Thunderbird for some mail servers but not all. For Outlook the same… (மேலும் படிக்க)

Hi, I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem - since a few days I get an immediate SMTP timeout in Thunderbird for some mail servers but not all. For Outlook the same server works just fine. Version 140.0.1esr has recently been autoinstalled. It is possible that the problems started when that version was installed but I am not sure about the timing. The email provider has no explanation and claims there is no problem on its side. Also, Thunderbird has recently asked me to confirm a server certificate for receiving emails. Usually when that happens I also get asked the same question when sending emails, but this time I did not get the question for sending, I just get the timeout message.

Thanks,

Magnus

Asked by magnus.ramstrom 1 நாள் முன்பு

Last reply by magnus.ramstrom 2 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Migrating Thunderbird 140 To A New Windows Computer

Hi all. Previously, when moving to a new computer (Windows 11) with Thunderbird, I would install a new instance of Thunderbird on the new computer and run it once. This … (மேலும் படிக்க)

Hi all.

Previously, when moving to a new computer (Windows 11) with Thunderbird, I would install a new instance of Thunderbird on the new computer and run it once. This created the default Thunderbird profile in the Profiles directory. I would then copy the contents of the existing Thunderbird profile into the new one. This allowed Thunderbird to be fully operational with all accounts and filters working, requiring no further setup.

In version 140, I have followed the same process. While I do see all of the email accounts, they are not functioning.

Any advice on how to do a migration with Thunderbird 140 version?

Asked by jeffrey13iap 2 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Does Thunderbird Have Specific Font Sizes?

I like to use specific font sizes, such as 11 or 12. Thunderbird appears to have only small, medium, and large font sizes. Does Thunderbird have specific font sizes? … (மேலும் படிக்க)

I like to use specific font sizes, such as 11 or 12. Thunderbird appears to have only small, medium, and large font sizes. Does Thunderbird have specific font sizes?

Asked by anneddorre 4 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Last reply by anneddorre 3 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Send Message error - Receiving messages but unable to sent via Protonmail

I'm able to receive messages from Protonmail and Outlook after installing Thunderbird yesterday. Have not been able to send an outbound message to Protonmail. Error is… (மேலும் படிக்க)

I'm able to receive messages from Protonmail and Outlook after installing Thunderbird yesterday. Have not been able to send an outbound message to Protonmail. Error is "Send Message Error. Sending of the message failed. The message could not be sent because the connection to Outgoing server (SMTP) 127.0.0.1 timed out. Try Again.

I am able to send messages via Outlook. Outlook works no problem.

Any ideas on what to do for Protonmail to work?

Asked by jmrisch68 5 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Either my email timestamps are wrong or my calendar appointment times are wrong; I have to choose

This is a weird one. For a few months now, I've had to deal with either my email timestamps being wrong, or my calendar appointment times being wrong. I'm on Linux. I ca… (மேலும் படிக்க)

This is a weird one. For a few months now, I've had to deal with either my email timestamps being wrong, or my calendar appointment times being wrong.

I'm on Linux. I can replicate this with both the Flatpak and my distribution package.

By default, my email timestamps are fine. But my calendar appointment times are out by around 17 hours (that is, Thunderbird says they are happening 17 hours earlier than they actually are). I compare this to my Fossify Calendar app on my phone, which I had to install recently so I had a single source of truth, which is always correct. (It uses davx5 OSE as a bridge)

So the appointments themselves...are fine. My other calendar app can display them okay.

If I want to get the appointment times to display correctly, the only way is to set an environment variable. Regardless of whether I set my timezone manually in Calendar settings or use the system timezone (which is correct!), nothing changes. This is the only way to get it to work:

``` TZ=Australia/AEST thunderbird ```

or:

``` TZ=Australia/AEST flatpak run org.mozilla.Thunderbird ```

Now, my appointment times are correct...but my email timestamps are off! They are 11 hours behind what they should be. Despite this being my actual timezone.

I don't know what else to do. Please, is there any way to get my timestamps consistent for both my email and my appointments?

(sequel to this thread: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1506824 )

Asked by firefox2506 6 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Last reply by firefox2506 6 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Can't send e-mail from one account

Everything was working fine and then out of nowhere I try to send an e-mail and get "The message could not be sent because the connection to Outgoing server (SMTP) mail.r… (மேலும் படிக்க)

Everything was working fine and then out of nowhere I try to send an e-mail and get "The message could not be sent because the connection to Outgoing server (SMTP) mail.rima.net timed out. Try again." Nothing had been changed, it just couldn't send and I've checked the settings that all appear to be OK, but I still cannot send e-mail. I'm receiving e-mail, but cannot send. What could be the issue?

Asked by mary100661 7 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Outgoing email SMTP timeouts after Thunderbird update

Had this problem suddenly crop up since the update of one of my accounts not sending mail due to timeouts. I've not changed any passwords or settings since I had it worki… (மேலும் படிக்க)

Had this problem suddenly crop up since the update of one of my accounts not sending mail due to timeouts. I've not changed any passwords or settings since I had it working last. The message is the "Sending of the message failed. The message could not be sent because the connection to Outgoing server (SMTP) [my workplace's SMTP server] timed out. Try again." one, and it's preventing me from sending any emails.

Specifics:

  • It's one account (my work one: work runs an Outlook/Microsoft mail server).
  • My personal account (gmail) sends fine. Both accounts recieve email fine too, so this is just one direction on one account.

Things I've tried:

  • Switching my Firewall off makes no difference, so it's not a firewall problem
  • It's not that the emails I'm trying to send are too large, one word test emails also don't send
  • Extending the timeout time by 3x doesn't help

I also opened a second computer not yet running the latest version - the account worked fine. Then applied the upgrade and that broke things in exactly the same way as described above. So I'm pretty sure this is an issue caused by the upgrade in some way. Not sure if other people with Outlook servers are having the same problem or if there's any workaround available but would appreciate advice.

Asked by james43 7 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Thunderbird .... "New Message"

chasjones Jul 15, 2025, 07:02 CST Yesterday morning, my Thunderbird app. was automatically updated..... since this occurred, I have not been able to compose a "New Mess… (மேலும் படிக்க)

chasjones

Jul 15, 2025, 07:02 CST

Yesterday morning, my Thunderbird app. was automatically updated..... since this occurred, I have not been able to compose a "New Message" after clicking on the "+ New Message" button. What should I do to regain the ability to compose "New Message"?

Asked by chasjones 1 நாள் முன்பு

Last reply by chasjones 8 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

STAT command did not succeed

I try to access my messages from an outlook.com account with Thunderbird mac. I get the error message "the STAT command did not succeed". This happened suddenly today wit… (மேலும் படிக்க)

I try to access my messages from an outlook.com account with Thunderbird mac. I get the error message "the STAT command did not succeed". This happened suddenly today without changing any parameter. POP is enabled on this account. Moreover on another mac with Thunderbird everything is correct with the same account. Cookies are enabled I tried changing OAuth2 to normal and changing back. No sucess. What could I try next? Thanks.

Asked by GéraldT 2 நாட்கள் முன்பு

Last reply by GéraldT 8 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Find Folders

Finding the folder an email is in, search just returns the emails. I have never seen the "Search Box" or the "View in Folder" button. How do I find the folder my search… (மேலும் படிக்க)

Finding the folder an email is in, search just returns the emails. I have never seen the "Search Box" or the "View in Folder" button. How do I find the folder my search result lives in? Or for that matter, how do I find a subfolder that got moved by accident?

Asked by Groggo 8 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு

Prevent Thunderbird from stripping custom headers (e.g. X-Alias) on sending

Hi everyone, I'm working on a privacy-friendly email setup and ran into a challenge with Thunderbird. My setup: I have a catch-all email address that forwards all incom… (மேலும் படிக்க)

Hi everyone,

I'm working on a privacy-friendly email setup and ran into a challenge with Thunderbird.

My setup: I have a catch-all email address that forwards all incoming emails sent to *@mydomain.com to my real mailbox, secret@mydomain.com. This way, I can use aliases like alias1@mydomain.com, alias2@mydomain.com, etc., without exposing my actual address.

This part works perfectly.

The problem: When replying to a message sent to alias1@mydomain.com, Thunderbird automatically uses secret@mydomain.com as the sender address. That defeats the purpose — the recipient now sees my secret address, which I wanted to keep hidden.

Thunderbird offers a workaround via identities, but it requires creating a separate identity for every single alias, which becomes unmanageable if you use a lot of them.

My attempted solution: My idea was to have my mail server insert a header like:

X-Alias: alias1@mydomain.com

Then, on sending, the server could rewrite the From: header using that value — thus preserving the alias and protecting my actual address.

However, I discovered that Thunderbird strips custom headers like X-Alias when sending. That breaks the solution.

My questions: 1. Is there any way to configure Thunderbird to preserve specific custom headers like X-Alias during sending? 2. Alternatively, is there a better or recommended approach to achieving what I’m trying to do — replying from the alias address automatically, without exposing the real one, and without creating hundreds of identities?

I’d really appreciate any ideas, insights, or suggestions. Thank you!

Asked by fisoc70290 2 நாட்கள் முன்பு

Last reply by fisoc70290 10 மணி நேரத்திற்கு முன்பு