I-Thunderbird Community Forum

I use Thunderbird with Threaded View enabled and would like to keep using it.

What I am looking for is a way to have Thunderbird automatically keep older threads collapsed, while allowing threads that contain new or unread messages to remain expanded or become expanded automatically.

For example, a thread receives a new message - it is fine for that thread to be expanded. All other existing threads without new activity should remain collapsed. When Thunderbird is restarted, I would like older threads to stay collapsed rather than having many previously viewed threads expanded.

Is there a setting, hidden preference, add-on, or workaround that provides this behavior?

I am using Thunderbird on Kubuntu Linux.

I use Thunderbird 140.11.1esr with Ubuntu 24.04. I also use LibreOffice 26.2.

When using LibreOffice, if I want to delete a number of contiguous characters, I put the cursor at the start of the characters I want to delete, press the delete key and hold it. Holding down the delete key means that delete works its way through all the characters I want to delete.

When using Thunderbird, if I want to delete a number of emails, pressing down and holding the delete key doesn't result in the deletion of a number of emails. Instead, I have to keep pressing delete again and again.

Is there some setting in Thunderbird that I can change that will result in delete automatically working its way through all the emails I want to delete?

Thanks,

Leslie

I use Thunderbird on dark mode, so by default, unformatted text (where I haven't explicitly set text color) appears as white text on a black background in my compose window. The same unformatted text, when sent to someone viewing it in light mode, appears as black on white to them and remains readable. When I use white text in my compose window, it looks identical to me, but remains white when sent and is thus unreadable white-on-white to those using light mode. Is there something in the composition window that indicates whether I'm typing with formatted or unformatted text? (No, the color selector tool does not do this. When typing unformatted text, it displays the last selected colors, regardless of whether they are being used.)

If there's no way to distinguish this, could someone please add a UI element for it?

I use vertical view. Hate threading so that's turned off. I use a medium to large message pane. Recently been having issues with column visibility. Not sure if this is new or whether it's that I've come to a Linux client from a Windows one and there's a setting I missed when I set up the client.

Essentially dragging the column divider doesn't work properly (for me). The columns always seem to auto adjust width. Similarly if I resize the message pane the columns don't remain fixed they auto adjust.

I don't find this helpful. I prefer to set up the columns to display the amount I want/need in subject and From and I truncate the date to simply not display time.

How do I set column widths to remain where I put them? Or is this function now lost.

I am using Kubuntu 26.04 and I am using the monthly stable channel version of the Thunderbird Snap. In KDE system settings, the default email client is set to Thunderbird. Upon every startup of Thunderbird, it ask if I want to set it as the default client for email, newsgroups, feeds and calendar and when I click yes and close Thunderbird and reopen it it does the same thing, over and over. Otherwise the email program operates just fine otherwise. My email accounts are all setup properly and functioning and working and it downloads email just fine. It just has that annoying popup upon every startup. I've included two images to show what I mean. I like the Snap version and prefer that container format. I would like someone who is smarter than me to file a bug on my behalf.

Hi! I use Thunderbird at home, but at work I have to use Outlook. This M$ sh... uses Ctrl-Q to mark emails as read. After a long day at work, I go home, sit down at my computer, and automatically keep pressing Ctrl-Q instead of R. I'm sure I'm not alone in having this problem. Could you please allow users to choose which hotkey exits Thunderbird, or at least disable the hotkey?

So I have a list of folders some of which are the default folders some are custom created.

When I try to re-order these it is very hit or miss: I select a folder, drag it to where I want it to go, wait for the blue placement line to appear and it may or may not re-locate. Or I simply can't move the folder I want to move and so I move folders around it in order to achieve the layout I want.

It is as if success depends on whether Thunderbird is in the mood for a particular move to happen and I find it really frustrating. It should or shouldn't work, it shouldn't be that it works sometimes.

What is going on with this?

Using a new, clean install of Xubuntu 26.04, with thunderbird 140.10.2esr 64 bit, ubuntu snap build 1.0. In settings: play a sound when new message arrives, no sound is heard. When clicking "play" to test the sound, there is no sound. Also, if "use the following sound file" is checked, there is no sound when "play" is clicked. (I have tried various .wav and .mp3 files.) I have installed pipewire-alsa, but that didn't help. Any ideas?

Threading - why does it keep coming back? I have just realised it's back again on my Thunderbird and I never knowingly turned it back on.

Why does Mozilla keep trying to force it on users?

This has been an annoyance for users for several years now and the message has still not got through it would seem.

For an open and user-facing organisation, this is strange behaviour that I just do not comprehend. Include it if you want, but make it optional and easily so.

I know this is only the community forum, not Mozilla, but one would think that a wise organisation would keep an eye on what their customers were saying & feeling.

- Linux ver 140.7.1esr (64 bit) my folders are now out of alphabetic order among other things Trash us now under 'T' instead of grouped near the sent folder and my Computer folder has a mind of it's own. It's not under C even after I changed the name. It is just stuck. Wha? tnx

For the last 2 months I have been working to configure Thunderbird to fully replace my Gmail UI usage after their recent change to workspace options and using data to train gemini. When you deactivate those gmail features the first thing you lose are tabs for your Inbox, your Updates and your Promotions.

So far I have used tags, ThunderAI, Ollama and a locally hosted LLM to replicate the sorting of my inbox, but now I would like to be able to configure the Thunderbird UI to allow separate tabs in the menu bar for different folders, in this case Inbox, Updates and Promotions. With Inbox still being the gmail hosted main inbox and Updates and Promotions now being local folders stored in my local thunderbird installation.

Can the Thunderbird UI be configured to display folders as tabs as a default setting? I tried the "folder selection" button under customize on the toolbar but that just gives me a drop down, which is not what I want.

I have two Gmail accounts and one school account that uses Office 365. In the left panel where the inbox, drafts, etc. are, the Gmail accounts are listed in blue but the school account is listed in white. I can't see any reason for this difference in the accounts' settings. What does the difference indicate?

Since the last update , Tbird is either a default window occupying ~1/3 of the screen , or full screen. The horizontal divider between message list and messages works. resetting/changing font size didnt solve it neither did

changing toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets from false to true

or creating a new profile

OS linux mint 22.3 Tbird 140.10.0esr

I’d like to request a feature for Mozilla Thunderbird on Ubuntu/Linux:

A native system tray (AppIndicator) integration with the ability to: • Run in the background without keeping a window open • Minimize to tray instead of the taskbar/dock • Option to start minimized to tray on system startup • Show unread mail count directly in the tray icon

Right now, users rely on third-party tools like Birdtray, which work but feel like a workaround rather than a seamless experience. A built-in solution would improve usability significantly especially for those who prefer a clean desktop while keeping Thunderbird always running in the background. I think this feature would bring Thunderbird closer to the behavior users expect from modern messaging/email clients on Linux desktops. Would love to see this considered in future updates!

I recieve several emails a day from a submission form on my website that contain what looks like Russian words. I would like to create a message filter to move these messages directy to the trash based on one or two characters that do not appear in the english language. I thought I had done it, but the filters don't appear to work.

" attach the signature from a file instead "

I put the URL in there and it does not retain it and use it as signature image. It is a jpg. It browses in a URL on my browser and loads fine but T/B refuses to allow it.

Suggestions ?

Upgraded from `102.15.1` (deb) to `140.9.1esr` (flatpak).

Now for all my Imap folders the default action (double-click) is `Edit Draft` instead of `Open`. This is confirmed by right-clicking and having `Edit Draft Message` in bold at the top of the list.

How can I fix it?

- imported old profile with `⁝` -> `Tools` -> `Import`

- found https://support.mozilla.org/gl/questions/1364428 and tried the addon it recommended but none of the imap folders were flagged as draft.