When I later click on the same message, INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE MESSAGE THAT'S ALREADY OPEN, THUNDERBIRD *INSTEAD* OPENS A SECOND (NEW) COPY OF THAT EMAIL

When that message is already open, why would you want to (double-) click at it again in the first place?

Never thought about it, but probably because I can find exactly what message I want in the inbox, date, sender, subject, etc. The tab only provides a couple words. I've always opened messages like this and never had a problem.

However, how I open mail is not the issue. The issue is that Thunderbird now opens a second copy of emails rather than going to the email that's already open. THIS DID NOT USED TO HAPPEN. I've been using Thunderbird for...ever, and I've never seen this problem before. I didn't suddenly start using Thunderbird differently from the way I've used it for many years.

I was under the impression that this was not a new problem, so was surprised when you said it was a recent issue. I've located a bug report and posted some information.

This is a link to that bug report, just in case you want to follow it.

• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=551363

Hi Toad-Hall. The reason I said it was a new problem is because it's new to me. I've used Thunderbird for years, and have never had this problem. Just yesterday, I found 6 tabs open for one message, and it was a marketing email, not a personal conversation. I don't know any reason I would have opened a marketing email six times.

Although I'm starting to go a little crazy from this, I'm pretty sure I'm not opening messages multiple times. As I watch my email behavior, I see that I DO go to the tab to revisit an open email vs opening from my inbox list. That's how I started noticing there were so many tabs and that there were so many duplicates. I started having to scroll the tabs across the top via the right and left arrows because there were so many, and I NEVER had to do that before.

Do you think it could be related to a Thunderbird update? I know it updated just a few weeks ago, and I saw yesterday that there is a new update waiting.

To the best of my knowledge Thunderbird has never kept track of open tabs. Even the options say open in a new tab, not open the existing tab. Firefox will suggest switching to the open tab, Thunderbird has never had this capability.

Perhaps how you open mail is not at issue, but why you leave the tabs open probably is. I see lots of folks that tend to use tabs as a default "actionable" list, and then get quite incensed when a restart does not bring back all the open tabs. Tabs management in Thunderbird is at best primitive and always has been!

I suppose I do treat open tabs as an actionable list. But I'm not doing anything now than I haven't done for years. Yet I find six tabs open for the same message and no idea why.

Perhaps it's time to consider moving on to a new email program. Suggestions?

Hang on a minute, maybe we not on the same page.

Let's start over and discuss a few things to get clarity.

A double click by you using the mouse, means the mouse communicates with the computer. The computer receives the signal and performs the action required in the program that has focus.

If, you performed a slightly lengthy single click on that email maybe you are scanning up and down list and the computer interprets that as a double click then a tab could get opened. So, if that is the cause, then the issue is with the mouse. It could be mouse needs a clean as it is sticking a bit or perhaps you have developed a habit that you are unaware of and are causing a double click to be perceived. I did have someone who had a mildly shaking hand cause a perceived double click when they were only doing a single click. Modifying the double click speed in the mouse settings resolved their issue.

That aside.......you did say When I click a message in my inbox to open it, Thunderbird opens it and creates a tab for it. When I later click on the same message, now opens a second copy of emails

Let's get something clear - This is not new and has always been that way when opening in a new tab. It would not occur if you were previously using the option of opening in an existing window.

If you open an email - double click to open in a new tab, then it should only open the once.

If you subsequently and deliberately open that same email again, it will appear in a new tab, so now you have two tabs for identical email. To get six identical tabs would mean you have chosen to open and read that email six times which is entirely possible, but maybe unlikely.

However, do you mean you are opening the email once, but see it open immediately in six identical tabs ? That is an entirely different problem, but I think you would instantly notice if that was occurring.

But you seem to imply, you discover the opened tabs at some point in time.

Are you in the habit of opening an email in a tab and leaving it open, exiting thunderbird for the night. The next day you start up Thunderbird and want to read same email, so you open it in a tab not realising that the session from previous opening was saved and you already have that email opened in a tab from the previous day?

The point is this, we are trying to identify and understand what it is that you are doing without witnessing your actions.

Hey ... I think I found the problem.