Thunderbird Community Forum

Many moons ago I used Microsoft's Outlook as my email program. When I would open Outlook, it would retrieve all of my emails from my ISP's server, permanently removing the emails from the server while downloading them into Outlook.

When I installed Thunderbird recently, it was to do the same thing. My ISP had sent me several notices that my email account was close to full, so I was looking for an email program that worked the same way Outlook does, and removes my emails from my ISP's email server as it downloads them to my PC.

The first issue I'm having is that Thunderbird does not appear to do this? Or do I simply have my Thunderbird account/settings set up incorrectly?

My next issue is directly tied to the first one. Every time I open Thunderbird it starts re-downloading all of the emails that it has previously already copied into my Thunderbird Inbox, but that are still in my email account on my ISP's email server. This is probably 15 years worth of emails and equates to thousands of emails I'm saving, and every time I open Thunderbird it starts re-downloading them again. I simply want to be able to save them to my local email client (Thunderbird) and store them on my PC's hard drive.

The final issue is also tied to the first two: As soon as it starts downloading the emails again, Thunderbird (and only Thunderbird) lags heavily and almost continuously. It lags so badly that it becomes incredibly difficult to write a new email in Thunderbird, and so I end up closing the program and logging into my ISP's email server and using their client to write my emails, or conducting my email business via my phone, which takes longer and is more challenging due to continuous fat-fingering of the phones tiny little keyboard.

So, am I missing something, or do I have some settings in Thunderbird set up incorrectly? Or does Thunderbird simply not work the same way Outlook does (or at least use to)?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice anyone is willing to give.

~ Doug

Hello, I downloaded Thunderbird in order to clean up storage on gmail account. Mainly, I wanted to delete files but keep the messages, a feature I thought Thunderbird provides. I deleted the files but they still appear on my gmail account and space size hasn't changed. I double checked the settings on both Thunderbird and gmail, as well as read and followed posts here, but it still doesn't work. I'm wondering whether I'm missing something... Any idea?

I'm finding threads that include the correct emails for the subject, but also additional emails that do NOT relate to the original subject. How do I pull the other "subjects" from being in the wrong thread and create their own thread. See the highlighted emails in the attached image. Each color represents a separate thread that should stand on its own.

Thanks.

The spam people say to "limit outbound port 25 to mail servers". I have a profile listed on the webpage called "Outgoing Server SMTP Settings" from long ago .... This is the one (I have a few profiles) that is designed (Default)

Server: shawmail.vc.shawcable.net Port: 25 (default 587) Connection security - none

All my other profiles use: Server: smtp.shaw.ca Port: 587 (default 587) Security: STARTTLS

Q: Might this be the problem? Can I simply delete this profile - even if it is the designed 'Default'.

Thunderbird 115.4.1 (64-bit) on macOS 14.6.1 Server Type : POP Mail Server

In the MAC hard-disk, size of the many of the folders stored in local directory, are much larger that the size on TB.

For reference, On TB, "_cc folder" is 3.8 GB On Mac Finder, "_cc folder" is 13.63 GB

I have right-click the folder and press "compact". The folder on TB reduces in size. But, the folder on the Mac harddrive does not reduce in size.

Now, I am unable to update my Mac OS, because these emails files have occupied most space.

Request your advice.

Thanks

I'm trying to connect to my MS Exchange 2019 onsite server to get access to email/calendar.

I can receive emails but cannot send, probably because there's no password field for the smtp server. My Incoming mail is different from the Outgoing mail server hence I need to enter the password. But the only field there is for the username which is never going to work. My Exchange server is set to use SSL/TLS.

This I tried with the Owl addon. But same issue when configured for imap. I need to use my internet provider's smtp server. Everything I need for that is there, except the password field.

I am unable to download new email from my Yahoo/ATT account. I get no error message when I try. Previously worked without a problem for several months after having installed Thunderbird on my new PC running Win11.

Hi, I use Thunderbird to recieve my emails and I save my emails on my mac but I see that the content of almost all emails from december 2023 to august 2024 are disappeared. The emails are not lost. It is only the content and the header? It is strange.

Hello,

interesting behavior with a CalDaV calendar entry/date.

Scenario: Create a calendar-entry (date) with an alarm-setting (1h before...). Wait until the new entry is synced to the CalDAV server, in my case a Nextcloud. Close TB. Got to the Nextcloud calendar, or to and other client with that CalDAV Calendar, and remove the alarm, I do frequently in case the date paste... Start TB. After sync of the calendar, TB is telling you, that the date was changed at the server and asked "how to handle the detected conflict" (see screenshot). But 1. it isn't a conflict, just a normal change, which should change the local, "old" date 2. acting on the conflict resolution by pressing the button "Skip changes, load new" (Änderungen verwerfen und neu laden), I'm expecting to get the server version exchanging the local, old one... It does not: The local version will stay with the alarm. These date will not sync to server until TB is restarted. The alarm is now back on the server.

If the alarm is removed at the server (or on another client) while TB is running, the alarm is removed locally as "normal" change by synchronization...

I guess it is a bug!?

I'm using TB Version 128.4.3esr; build-id: 20241108210256 on Windows 11 (64bit). But this is also with TB under Linux (ubuntu, mint)

Gruss Ralf

my thunderbird quite downloading messages. I don't get any errors or warnings or anything. It won't download when thunderbird first opens and it won't download if I click download. It doesn't do anything at all to tell me if I have an error. It just doesn't download. My email works online and on iphone still. Win 11 Mozzila browser i7

Hi, I download some e-mails. After checking the emails, I want all of them to be deleted from thunderbird but... ...I want only specified emails deleted from server.

In Mac's "Mail" program, there was a special window, where I could see all e-mails on server and just select which I want to remove from server.

In old Outlook, I've used "Rules". There I could set the parameters for specified e-mails and then tell outlook to "leave that message on server" or "Don't download that message from server".

How to do it in Thunderbird?

- Thunderbird 128.4.3esr (64-Bit) - WIndows 10

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I have been using Thunderbird for years, and it's usually worked great. Please read through what I have done so far:

---

When I opened Thunderbird today, I was greeted by an empty screen, no E-Mails.

When I receive Mails, I still get notifications and when I click them, a new fullscreen tab with the E-Mail is displayed and when I close it, I'm back to the empty screen.

I have restarted my computer since. I was able to access my E-Mails via other clients, so I could do my work, but it's still really disrupting right now.

Attached you find multiple images, one of the empty screen, one of the other tabs working (contacts) and one of my accounts being properly setup.

---

Now, when I used the troubleshooting mode to reset my toolbars, it suddenly started working again. However, a new problem: Now the grouped view no longer works, and this time I was unable to restore the functionality.

When I try to enable it, nothing happens and when I open that menu again, the checkbox is gone.

This is the dev console output when I try to enable it:

``` Error intiating smart mode. : Component returned failure code: 0x80550005 [nsIMsgFolder.msgDatabase]

   get dbFolderInfo resource:///modules/VirtualFolderWrapper.sys.mjs:241
   get searchFolders resource:///modules/VirtualFolderWrapper.sys.mjs:121
   init chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:1057
   _initMode chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:2110
   _toggleMode chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:2092
   set activeModes chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:1995
   toggleFolderMode chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:1856
   oncommand about:3pane:1

about3Pane.js:2112:17 Uncaught : Component returned failure code: 0x80550005 [nsIMsgFolder.msgDatabase]

   get dbFolderInfo resource:///modules/VirtualFolderWrapper.sys.mjs:241
   get searchFolders resource:///modules/VirtualFolderWrapper.sys.mjs:121
   init chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:1057
   regenerateMode chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:1074
   _initMode chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:2117
   _toggleMode chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:2092
   set activeModes chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:1995
   toggleFolderMode chrome://messenger/content/about3Pane.js:1856
   oncommand about:3pane:1

```

Troubleshooting mode does not help here.

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I would really like to see this fixed, as I use Thunderbird mainly via the grouped inbox. Thank you for any help on this.

Thunderbird, running on a PC/Desktop started/ran fine, first thing this morning.

After about 1 hour, a text message arrived from BT advising that, "as someone unauthorised tried to access your email account - we've blocked it", together with instructions to create new password.

New password created --- then able to RECEIVE, but not SEND.

One hour (almost) spent on phone with BT Tech Support - checking port numbers, deleting/creating passwords, and, and, and - resulting in (a) still unable to SEND, but can RECEIVE via T'Bird, (b) able to both send AND receive by (bypassing T'Bird) use of BT Email Website.

T'Bird is configured POP3, and two other email accounts (Non-BT) are running successfully via T'Bird on the same PC.

Error messages following send in T'Bird below.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thank you,

Ian