Email and messaging

Thunderbird and Gmail

Thunderbird can be set up to work seamlessly with Google's Gmail. Messages will be synchronized between your local version of Thunderbird and web-based Gmail.

Blocking a sender

This article explains how to block a particular sender in Thunderbird.

Filelink for Large Attachments

Messages with large attachments are often rejected by mail servers. Thunderbird can use web-based storage services to send large file attachments.

Import settings and data into Thunderbird for Android

How to import email settings from K-9 and Thunderbird for Android

Automatic Account Configuration

Setting up a new account with Thunderbird is fast! Setup is quick for most e-mail providers with only your username and password required.

The difference between IMAP and POP3

Thunderbird gives users the choice between using IMAP or POP3. This documentation will explain the major differences between these protocols.

How to create and use mailing lists on Thunderbird

A mailing list is used to send one email to a group of contacts. This article explains how to create and use mailing lists in Thunderbird.

Archived Messages

This article explains how the "archive" feature of Thunderbird works.

Using Thunderbird with Google Calendar

This article describes how to use Google calendars together with Thunderbird.

Cannot receive messages

If you cannot receive messages, this page provides a series of steps you can use to check for common problems.

Manual Account Configuration

This article will show you how to manually configure the basic settings you need to send and receive emails with Thunderbird.

Make Thunderbird the Default Mail Client

If Thunderbird is specified as your system's default email application, it will integrate with other applications (such as word processors and web browsers).

Ignoring threads

The Ignore Thread (or Subthread) feature is very useful for mailing lists. It lets you skip reading the rest of a conversation you're not really interested in.

IMAP Synchronization

IMAP stands for the Internet Message Access Protocol. It enables a mail client (such as Thunderbird) to access messages stored on a mail server. It is more modern and fully featured than POP (Post Office Protocol), which is the other major protocol for accessing mail messages. Most email providers now support IMAP. To see whether your account uses IMAP or POP, check the Server Settings page in the Account Settings.

Getting started with Thunderbird

Getting started with Thunderbird for webmail users

Switch from POP to IMAP account

This article explains how to switch from a POP to an IMAP account in Thunderbird.

Cannot send messages

If you cannot send messages with Thunderbird, this page provides a series of steps you can follow to check for common problems.

Hyperlinks in Messages Not Working

When clicking hyperlinks in email, your default web browser should open and display their content. Learn why that may fail and why links may not be clickable.

Changing IMAP to POP

As of Thunderbird 3, the new Automatic Account Configuration Wizard can help you configure your connection to your email provider, but only if your provider is in Mozilla's database of Internet Service Providers or recognized by Thunderbird. While most of the large providers are included, many smaller ones are not yet in the account configuration database.

What is the winmail.dat attachment?

When sending messages from email clients that use the Microsoft Exchange server, a file attachment called winmail.dat may be added. Learn how to prevent this.

Unify your POP email accounts with a global inbox

We'll show you how to merge inboxes from various POP accounts to make what is called a global inbox, where all of the mail can be displayed in one place.

Configure an account

Glossary of Terms including types of Accounts

This article describes the types of accounts (IMAP, POP, RSS, NNTP) supported by Thunderbird.

Open Search

Instantly take part of a message and search for it in Bing, Yahoo, Twitter or other websites.

Maildir in Thunderbird

Optional support for Maildir allows you to store email as individual files, unlike the default single file format. Learn about Maildir in Thunderbird.

New in Thunderbird 102

Detailed introduction to the most interesting new features, improvements, and changes visible to users in Thunderbird 102.0.