MS Word and other apps cannot use Thunderbird as email client on Mac
I have installed Thunderbird 52.9.1 as the email client on Mac Mini running High Sierra 10.13.6. I've recently installed Office 365. I've enabled sending documents via email by clicking on the 'Customize Quick Access Toolbar' and selecting "Send Document". This adds a little envelop icon to my toolbar. However, with a document opened, if I click on the envelop (email) icon, I get the error "No supported mail client". I get a similar error with Preview and ScanSnap.
This is apparently a longstanding bug/issue: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=309708 (13 years!), and Thunderbird simply does not do the Share function on Mac. I'm posting this here to see if anyone has any new information on this issue or if anyone has found a workaround.
Our office has used Thunderbird for years and likes it much better than Outlook on many levels, but our office is preparing to migrate to Mac workstations away from Windows and if this issue persists when we do the switch we'll have to discontinue Thunderbird and use Outlook. Anybody have anything on this?
All Replies (6)
re: if anyone has found a workaround prerequisites: iCloud Drive is enabled https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=309708#c46
Thanks. I saw that, but we're not using iCloud and have no immediate plans to do so. Our mail server is self-hosted/IMAP. We are in the testing stage of migrating from Windows to Mac workstations and if Thunderbird doesn't add support for apps we'll have to transition to Outlook, which will suck.
I've been doing some digging around and located this bug: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=606918
It seems someone has found a way around the issue. Look at comments two and three. The ' attachment 563994 ' is a download file called "Send with Thunderbird" Service.
Worth a try.
Toad-Hall, thanks for your effort. I tried using that "Send with Thunderbird" service zipfile. Perhaps there is some assumed Mac knowledge on the part of the contributors to that thread. The OP said, "unzip it ... into /User/Library/Services. ... now ... rightclick on a file in the Finder." First of all, none of the directories in the hierarchy /User/Library/Services exist. That post is 8 years old, so perhaps the version of MacOS (apparently 10.6 Snow Leopard) may have organized things differently. Nevertheless, I created the directory hierarchy, unzipped the archive and tried it. I got nothing when right-clicking on a Finder file. I also tried after rebooting.
The author of comment 1 said, "I added the service with the Automator, and it works fine." Automator is a facility for creating scripts, "you just use any of the hundreds of actions available in the Automator Library to create workflows." Again, perhaps there is some assumed knowledge going on here. I have no idea what needs to be done in Automator to create this service. Thunderbird is not one of the "hundreds of actions." The author apparently assumes the reader just knows what to do.
So, thanks but I'd need much more hand-holding that that post provides.
Okulungisiwe ngu Mark Foley
I've created (with a little help) a simple service with Automator. To test it, you need to unzip it, than put it into /User/Library/Services.
You said: Nevertheless, I created the directory hierarchy, unzipped the archive and tried it
No, you do not need to create it because it already exists. 'Libary' is a hidden folder which you need to make visible: Read comment by jkoerber https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/showing-library-in-high-sierra.2079268/#post-26244680
Toad-Hall said
No, you do not need to create it because it already exists. 'Libary' is a hidden folder which you need to make visible: Read comment by jkoerber https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/showing-library-in-high-sierra.2079268/#post-26244680
I can see all folders -- I'm using command line as root. There is a /Users folder (no /User folder). Under /Users there is no Library folder. There is /Library and /Users/username/Library, but no /Library/Services. There is /Users/username/Library/Services. As soon as a get a chance, I'll unzip into that folder and see.
Later ...
Nope. That did nothing. It seemed too easy anyway. Probably there is something else that has to be done after unzipping into the Services folder -- or that version of MacOS worked differently than 10.13.6. :(
Okulungisiwe ngu Mark Foley