few have not yet used an email system and related services, but not everyone knows that convenience can be increased in this area as well. There are two ways to email. The now more common, browser-operated, more compatible type, and the slightly more configurable, but in the long run quite convenient version. When the user does not log in to his e-mail account with his web browser but handles e-mail with a suitable so-called e-mail client.
There are quite a few such client programs that used to be called Outlook Express, but it is now obsolete. But of course, there are not only Microsoft email applications, but it is also well known even Eudora or even Thunderbird software. Thunderbird has quite a few smart features in it that make the initial setup easier, and after a little review, almost everything works well with it. Thunderbird is easy to download, quick to install, and if you go beyond a few handling hassles.
Thunderbird is a mail client application (MUA – Mail User Agent) that functions the same as Outlook Express, Eudora Mail, Evolution, Sylpheed, and the like. This Thunderbird is a product derived from Mozilla. Initially, Mozilla always packs its applications with the Browser and Mail Client. However, Mozilla tries to break down its products and make them far more attractive and lightweight.
The Project Browser is called: Firefox, whereas the Project Mail Client is named: Thunderbird. Thunderbird is produced for several operating systems, including Windows, Linux (Unix), and MacosX. Thunderbird can switch themes and can be added with plugins. Thunderbird can also import settings and mail from Outlook Express, Mozilla, or Netscape. Thunderbird can function as an RSS feeder, which is to read or check RSS-style blogs.
For those who have used other email clients in the past, it’s important to mention that Thunderbird is similar to the Outlook Express interface in many ways, but in line with today’s trends, we get a different kind of web view. This means that when writing emails or sorting through settings, you don’t get traditional dialogs, but HTML-like pages that you can use as a web browser.
For example, in an edit box, the form is activated for Jaws and the input method is for NVDA. And instead of the standard Tab key, you can use the up / down arrows to scroll through everything like a web page. At first, it is not particularly friendly, but in a minute you will get used to it, and after that, we will not run into too many problems.
Features of Mozilla Thunderbird
You can experiment with the look of the Thunderbird application with a very large selection of skins based on the latest movies, famous sights, and Japanese tattoos. It also allows you to choose from a variety of themes, with the function of making each icon appear unique in Thunderbird. Here are some features of Thunderbird:
1. Smart folder
The Smart Folders help you manage multiple email accounts by grouping your desired folders such as Inbox, Sent, or Archive into a single folder. So the next time you expect to receive an email, instead of checking each mail account’s inbox, you can simply check the smart folder, which can contain all of your incoming emails in one place, even though it belongs to different accounts. Thunderbird allows users to create new folders or rename existing folders.
2. Add-on manager
The add-on manager recommends that you download the best add-on (s) for your convenience. You no longer have to visit the add-ons website. The ratings, recommendations, descriptions, and pictures of the add-ons in action will help you make your choice.
3. Cutting out the scrap
Thunderbird’s popular junk email tools have been updated to be ahead of spam. Every time you consider a particular email to be spam, Thunderbird automatically learns from your choice and continually improves its spam and junk filtering mechanism that best suits you. Every email you receive goes through Thunderbird’s most advanced junk mail filters.
4. Phishing protection
Thunderbird protects its users from email fraud that tries to trick users into disclosing personal and confidential information by indicating that a message is a potential phishing attempt. As a second line of protection, Thunderbird warns you when you click a link that takes you to a different website than the one indicated by the URL in the message.
5. Automatic updates
With Thunderbird, you don’t have to worry about whether you are using the latest version or not. An update message is automatically displayed, informing you of the available update. The automated update system offers updates for Thunderbird under Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux in over 40 different languages. All in all, it’s an automated process.
6. One-click address book
Adding people to your address book has never been easier. Clicking on the star symbol next to the email address from which you just received the email enables you to add it to your address book immediately. With two clicks, you can add more details like a photo, birthday, and other contact information very easily.
7. The memory of the facility
If the text of your message is, please find the attachment or something that conveys that a document has been attached, and if you forget to attach it in your email, Thunderbird will come to your aid. The attachment reminder looks for the word attachment (and other words such as file types) in the body of your message and reminds you to add an attachment before clicking Send.
8. Activity manager
Would you like to know what happened between your email service provider and Thunderbird? Greet the Activity Manager, which records all interactions between Thunderbird and your email provider in one place. It’s all in one place if you want to know the events in your email.
9. Quick filter toolbar
Are you concerned about searching the entire inbox for a specific email? Use the Quick Filter toolbar to filter your emails faster. It gives you results if you enter the search field without having to press a key later. You can also pin or save a filter and use it across multiple folders.
The advantages of Mozilla Thunderbird
1. It has a Tab Feature that allows you to view e-mails in a multitab, like the Mozilla Firefox Browser. This is an innovative breakthrough and makes it easy for users to read e-mail.
2. It has Search Features that are both multitab and equipped with filters and indexes that allow you to search for e-mails you want more quickly.
3. It has an Archive feature to filter e-mails that you still need and that you will keep.
4. It has additional features such as the ability to change e-mail themes and a myriad of add-ons that can be installed in the Thunderbird application.
Comparing Mozilla Thunderbird and Outlook
When looking for the right e-mail program for the PC, you regularly come into contact with two applications. On the one hand, Microsoft has its Outlook application – on the other, Mozilla and its Thunderbird. Both email clients impress with a fantastic range of functions. But there are drastic differences.
1. Both Outlook and Thunderbird are secure
The most important factor in an e-mail program is security. A large number of viruses, Trojans, or malware, in general, are still introduced via email. Accordingly, the email program should be safe and clean. Neither Outlook nor Thunderbird has individual advantages here. Both services not only allow individual settings for incoming mail so that, for example, images are not directly loaded, but you can also conveniently set up everything according to your own security needs using the central settings.
2. Outlook wins in user guidance
When it comes to functionality, Outlook appears overloaded at first glance. Admittedly, it takes some getting used to before you can easily find your way around Outlook. At first glance, Thunderbird looks much tidier here. But this is also the biggest disadvantage. Creating new appointments and tasks is also quick and easy.
The clarity is quickly gone. It would have been easier to deal with Outlook right away. Once the workflow has been recorded, everyday tasks go incredibly quickly here. However, the initial setup of a mail account can be easily mastered by both services. For most users, however, it should be decided what the status is immediately after installation. Both services are already extremely secure in the basic settings. So you don’t have to adjust lengthy settings first.
3. Outlook does more than Thunderbird
While Outlook naturally comes with extensive functions such as calendar, synchronization, tasks, mail, and much more, this is slightly different from Thunderbird. Thunderbird also masters emails, tasks, and notes. However, if you love it individually, you can only access additional functions via add-ons. If Thunderbird is updated, but the add-ons are not, you are left behind. Outlook can clearly show its strengths here.
In addition, the well-known and large manufacturer Microsoft promises regular product updates from Outlook, also about the range of functions. You can get them from Thunderbird, but sometimes only with a delay. One should not forget about this aspect: The development of Thunderbird was stopped at the end of 2012. Since then there have only been security and stability updates. Everything else is at a standstill.
4. Facility
When it comes to setting up, the two programs hardly differ from each other, because they both have a pleasantly convenient setup wizard that takes almost everything off your hands at the start. With the Outlook alternative Thunderbird, simply click on the New option under File. Then the Existing email account and a new window. Simply enter your name, email address, and the existing password and the program will search for all the information yourself. Now you can choose between IMAP and POP3 and the email account is imported.
5. Scope
When installing it for the first time, you notice how small the Outlook alternative is. With around 27 MB, the program is an absolute flyweight, if you compare it with the Microsoft software, which is 29 times as large, and which is very large with 783 MB. If you are worried that the size of the programs will be directly reflected in your performance, you can rest easy. With the practical add-on manager, Mozilla Thunderbird can be expanded with many functions, such as a calendar.
These can be easily found and downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. In this way, all important functions can be added as required. This creates a personalized email program that is tailored to the individual user. The seemingly immeasurable flood of possibilities and functions that can overwhelm one or the other when using Microsoft Office for the first time does not appear.
6. Outlook is better for commercial purposes while Thunderbird is better for home users
The Mozilla Thunderbird shows its strengths when it comes to customization through add-ons. In addition, the surface for private users is structured. It can only become confusing when there is a greater need and the possibilities are used. The lack of further development of Thunderbird is critical. There are still updates, but the range of functions will not be expanded for the time being. Since Thunderbird is free, you can get over it. For home users, it is Thunderbird.
If you already know Outlook and are used to the range of functions from the office, you will quickly get used to it. In addition, the range of functions is also more than sufficient for the self-employed, for example, if they are active in the home office. The outlook is recommended for commercial users, not least because of the broad support from Microsoft in the form of updates and further developments.
How to use Mozilla Thunderbird for the first time after installation?
1. Mozilla Thunderbird is based on open source or free, you can use it freely. The application can be installed on the page: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/.
2. After it has been installed, run the program through the shortcut on the desktop or search from the start menu. Usually, after the installation is complete it will appear Account Wizard view, select the email account menu to create an email client service.
3. Then fill in the requested data such as your name, email address, and password. Then press the Continue button.
4. In the next window, specify the protocol configuration options you want to use, POP3 or IMAP. A slight difference in POP3 vs. IMAP is fundamental, if you choose the POP3 protocol (Post Office Protocol version 3) then all e-mails that you want to open and read will be downloaded and stored on the computer you are using and can be reopened without an internet connection. As for the IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) protocol, in addition to downloads, an e-mail will be stored on the server and there is synchronization between the e-mail clients.
5. When finished setting, press the Create Account button, and you’re done. You can view your email account in the panel shown on the left side of the Thunderbird application.
Create more mail accounts at Thunderbird
While creating a new mail account immediately after installing Thunderbird is simple, you have to look for something when adding later.
- To do this, first, display the menu bar in the open mail program by pressing the X key on the keyboard and then click on Tools -› Account settings – ›Account actions – Add email account.
- In the next step, enter your name, email address, and password and confirm with Next.
- For common mail providers, Thunderbird automatically takes over the settings from the ISP database and reasonably suggests IMAP as the configuration.
- All emails remain stored on the provider’s servers, which considerably simplifies the use and synchronization of multiple devices. Mostly everything is done with a click on Done.
- If the automatic transfer does not work for the incoming and outgoing server, click on Manually edit and search for your provider’s data on the Internet. This is especially true if you use a mailbox from your domain.
Manage and sort your account
If you set up another mail account, Thunderbird will no longer be able to change the order of the accounts. An old, perhaps hardly used, is at the top, while the new one appears at the bottom. You can change that with one of the many add-ons for the Mozilla program.
- To correct this, press the X key again and click in the menu bar on Tools -› Add-ons – ›learn more…
- This opens the website with the extensions in the browser. Now type Manually sort folders in the search field and save the add-on via Download.
- Back in the Thunderbird add-ons management, select the Extensions on the left and then click on the gear icon in the top right, followed by Install add-on from the file.
- Select the previously saved XPI file, open it and confirm with Install now and Restart now. You can then change the order of the accounts by pressing the Settings button in the extension manager for the new add-on, selecting the Sort accounts tab, changing the order using Up or Down, and Thunderbird new start.
- Similarly, the order of the directories can be arranged differently for each account via the Sort folder.
USB stick: Thunderbird Portable
If you don’t want to do without your usual Thunderbird on another computer, for example with friends, parents, grandparents, or children, use Thunderbird Portable on the USB stick. The version can be started directly by double-clicking without installation.
Sync Google Calendar
The calendar extension alone is of little use if you are already using another calendar for private or business purposes. The new calendar only makes sense if it automatically synchronizes the entries with other tools.
- To ensure this with the Google calendar integrated into all Android smartphones, install the Thunderbird add-on Provider for Google Calendar.
- Then open the calendar view again in Thunderbird and right-click in the free white area under Calendar.
- Then select New Calendar -› In the network – ›Google Calendar in the context menu. In the next step, type in your Google mail address and allow access and management through Thunderbird with Allow.
- Then activate the mail account belonging to the Google calendar again.
Import Outlook appointments
, Unlike the Google calendar, the automatic synchronization between Thunderbird and Microsoft Outlook does not work. Rather, the Outlook calendar data can only be imported via the Lightning extension, i.e. displayed in it. For the import, unzip and start Freemical on the computer on which Outlook is running. The tool automatically recognizes the Outlook calendar after starting and exports all appointments as an ICS file by pressing the Free them button. This file can now be integrated into the Mozilla program in the calendar tab of Thunderbird after showing the menu bar (button X) via File -› Open – ›Calendar file – a permanent automatic synchronization is not provided.
Switch from POP3 to IMAP
If you still access your emails based on the older POP3 protocol, in which the messages do not remain on the server of the mail provider, or only to a limited extent, you can switch over to the more modern IMAP protocol with Thunderbird. The advantage of IMAP is that you always have access to all messages on multiple devices, i.e. on your smartphone, tablet, and various PCs, and all content is at the same level.
Show only unread mails
- You don’t always have the time to answer every email immediately. However, if you have already read such a message, you can right-click on Mark -› Unread in the context menu to return it to the new and bold text.
- Depending on the scope of the correspondence and individual view settings, these unread messages then disappear from view. The only remaining indication of this is the bold representation of the inbox with the number of unread mails in brackets.
- Instead of scrolling through all the emails, press the X key to hide the majority of the messages read via View -> Topics -› Only unread posts in the menu bar.
- If you are working with several accounts, the Unread Folders view is also practical. To activate this, first, click in the menu bar on View -› Toolbars -> Accounts / Folder View and select the Unread Folders option in the folder bar on the left using the small arrow at the top. This setting filters out all incoming mailboxes with new messages only.
Import emails from Outlook
If you have installed Outlook and Thunderbird on a computer in parallel, moving the mails from the Microsoft application is very simple:
- Click on Tools -> Import -> Import all / Next in the menu bar of the Mozilla tool and then select Outlook for import from. If Outlook is no longer running on your Thunderbird PC, first install the Outlook Viewer.
- The software converts Outlook data into a format that is readable by Thunderbird. After starting the program, use File -› Open Outlook data file to load the data backup previously exported to Microsoft Outlook in PST format and activate the top directory level of your Outlook data stored in the PST file.
- Now press the EML button highlighted in red, define the export directory for the various subfolders with the EML files in the next step and click on the Start button. Depending on the amount of data, the conversion takes a few minutes.
- Then install the Add-on ImportExportTools in Thunderbird and restart the mail program. In the folder directory on the left, right-click on the directory into which the Outlook content is to be imported, for example, an inbox.
- In the context menu, select the Inbox folder created by Outlook Viewer via ImportExportTools -› Import all messages from a directory – ›Only from this directory.
- While the contents of a POP3 account are imported in a few minutes, the synchronization with IMAP, including uploading to the provider server, can take a lot longer.
Filter: Sort mails immediately
The term filter used by Mozilla is to sort messages automatically, as with the Outlook rules.
- To set up, mark your (in the case of several: one) email address in the folder bar on the left, not the inbox below.
- In the start and configuration window that appears on the right, click on Create filter -> New under Extended functions.
- After confirming with OK, you can also apply the rule to the already existing mails by setting the appropriate mailbox and folder under Apply selected filter(s) and then clicking on Execute now. The options for setting and combining multiple filters are almost limitless.
Password Manager in Thunderbird helps to Remember, delete and change passwords
Thunderbird eases your job by remembering your username and password for each account and outgoing server and storing them in the password manager. If you try to access a server in which you don’t have a username or password saved, Thunderbird will ask you to enter the username and password and offer to remember what you’ve entered.
View saved passwords
- At the top of the Thunderbird window, you can see the Tools Menu. Click that menu and tap on Options, or click the three vertical lines and choose Options.
- Enter into the Security panel, tap on the Passwords tab, and click Saved Passwords.
- To view the passwords you have saved, tap on Show Passwords. When you close the window, your passwords will be automatically hidden by the Thunderbird.
- You can use the search box to find a particular account or username. Tap on the X in the search bar to clear your search and see the full list again.
Delete or edit passwords
- Open the password manager as mentioned in the above steps.
- To modify the username and password for a server, right-click on the server’s entry from the list and tap on Edit Username or Edit Password.
- To remove the username and password from a server, select the server’s entry you want to remove from the list and click Remove.
- If you want to remove all stored usernames and passwords, tap on Remove All. After confirming this choice, all of your saved usernames and passwords will be removed.
Change email password
Mozilla’s open-source, cross-platform email client, Thunderbird, is a popular and comfortable alternative to Microsoft’s Outlook and a favorite of many small businesses. The application is impressive, but not always intuitive for the user, especially the first-time user. For example, unlike many other email clients, Thunderbird does not allow its user to enter the server’s password when configuring an account. Instead, the software will prompt for a password the first time it needs one.
If you save the password in Thunderbird’s Password Manager, the application will automatically enter it on future logins so it’s easy for future use. If you ever modify your email provider’s password or if you accidentally entered and saved an incorrect password you’ll need to reset the password in Thunderbird. The only way to do this is to delete it in the Password Manager and enter a new one when prompted. To change the password, do the following steps:
- Start Thunderbird and select the settings under Tools. Click on the Option.
- Now switch to the Security tab.
- Then select the Passwords tab here.
- Then click the Saved Passwords button.
- Find your IMAP password and your SMTP password from the list. Select Remove to delete the passwords.
- Now restart Thunderbird, you will be asked to enter a password. So you can set a new and secure password directly. To additionally protect your emails, you can also set a master password in the Passwords tab. So nobody else can read or change your passwords.
- Note that this will change the email password for Thunderbird, but not for your email provider. If you use Yahoo or Gmail, for example, you also have to change your password at these providers to protect your data.
Things that you should know if you want to change the password in Thunderbird
- Thunderbird is a desktop-based email client, so editing the password in Thunderbird will not change it on your email provider’s server. The goal of saving the password in Password Manager is to make your job easier by allowing you to check your email without having to re-enter the password in every new Thunderbird session. If you wish to modify your email provider’s password, you will have to do so using a browser. Then, of course, you will need to delete the old password from Password Manager and provide the new one.
- The Saved Passwords window will not display any actual passwords unless you click the Show Passwords button in the bottom right corner. If you find it helpful to see the passwords, click the button, then Yes when the confirmation pop-up window asks if you’re sure you wish to show your passwords.
- Thunderbird will show all saved passwords when any user clicks the Show Passwords button in the Password Manager window. It is not a good idea, therefore, to save passwords on a computer shared with others, such as in an office environment.