Ok, a few options are in different places, and I will try to assist. First, click view>folders and tick message list header. That will position 'quick filters' and an icon above the message list pane. Click that icon and you can switch to the familiar table view (with ability to easily sort by subject from date etc) or stay with card view and click the sort option on that menu. For the tabs, click settings>general and tick to hide the tabs bar. I respect your frustration, as it plagued me as well, but the new format has received compliments and I've even begun to like it (although I also still have to occasionally recheck where menu options are). You may also want to click the top bar (called the unified tool bar) and rightclick there to customize with frequent features that you use.

Oopps. I meant view>layout and click message list header.

Thank you David. I did manage to get a bit of a grip on it later yesterday and somehow found a reference to 'table' which seemed to work. The trouble with that was I had already gone round in so many circles that I had no idea where I had found the 'table' reference. So thanks for your guidance which I can remember in case it jumps out at me again. Why is it not under the 'view' menu item - no - don't answer that! The whole purpose of an email client is to manage emails, so I suggest customising the emails view should be a main menu item.

As far as the multiplicity of tabs appearing is concerned - I realised I could just 'X' them away. I'm assuming that a new release had just landed at just the moment I tried to prevent 'threading' by following someone's 'cheat sheet' type instructions from this website. That rather confused the whole issue for me.

LOL - in my day -a millenium ago - the watchword was KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid.

You're welcome. I submitted a proposal to have a setup page for initial presentation, as I agree with you that it is not at all intuitive how to locate the many menus and to turn off threading before setting up accounts. But I am not yet hopeful.