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How to change my password and my incoming and outgoing mail servers

windwriters
windwriters
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Hi I have used Outlook Express for years and I know how to configure "everything" I need within the settings pages because their settings pages are all "logical" with everything out in the open.

However, Thunderbird "hides" their settings behind buttons and confusing screens.

There are many tutorials that explain how to set up Thunderbird from the beginning, and show how to set up a new email account. But I have not been able to find a tutorial on how to change my email account password "after" I have been using Thunderbird for awhile.

I also see no way to change the incoming and outgoing servers. For example, I have changed from one hosting company to another hosting company and I need to use the new mail servers from the new hosting company and I do not see any tutorials anyplace that cover ongoing or day-to-day activities with Thunderbird.

Can you please change your settings screens to make Thunderbird easier for new people to find these normal and necessary items?

Also can you please point me to a tutorial that shows me how to change my email account password and change my incoming and outgoing servers?

Thanks so much!

Edward

Hi I have used Outlook Express for years and I know how to configure "everything" I need within the settings pages because their settings pages are all "logical" with everything out in the open. However, Thunderbird "hides" their settings behind buttons and confusing screens. There are many tutorials that explain how to set up Thunderbird from the beginning, and show how to set up a new email account. But I have not been able to find a tutorial on how to change my email account password "after" I have been using Thunderbird for awhile. I also see no way to change the incoming and outgoing servers. For example, I have changed from one hosting company to another hosting company and I need to use the new mail servers from the new hosting company and I do not see any tutorials anyplace that cover ongoing or day-to-day activities with Thunderbird. Can you please change your settings screens to make Thunderbird easier for new people to find these normal and necessary items? Also can you please point me to a tutorial that shows me how to change my email account password and change my incoming and outgoing servers? Thanks so much! Edward

Chosen solution

You can Change your Setting from

  • Thunderbird > Tools > Account Settings
  • After Clicking the Account Settings > You get an pop-up
    • Left side panel you can see the list of emails you configured
    • Same left panel last option is Outgoing server settings

Thunderbird is client between user and mail server. it never saves any of your personal belonging. if you wan to change your password, go to your mail server and change it via browser

Read this answer in context 👍 5

All Replies (5)

iamjayakumars
iamjayakumars
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Chosen Solution

You can Change your Setting from

  • Thunderbird > Tools > Account Settings
  • After Clicking the Account Settings > You get an pop-up
    • Left side panel you can see the list of emails you configured
    • Same left panel last option is Outgoing server settings

Thunderbird is client between user and mail server. it never saves any of your personal belonging. if you wan to change your password, go to your mail server and change it via browser

sfhowes
sfhowes
  • Top 10 Contributor
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http://kb.mozillazine.org/Setting_and_changing_email_passwords

Substitute 'Security' for 'Privacy'.

Incoming server: Tools/Account Settings/accountname/Server Settings

Outgoing server: Tools/Account Settings/Outgoing Server (SMTP)

Note that you can't change an account from POP to IMAP, or vice versa; you have to recreate the account.

windwriters
windwriters Question owner
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If I recreate the account will I also lose all my messages that are contained within the email inbox for that account ?

Thanks so much to both of you for getting back to me so quickly.

sfhowes
sfhowes
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Messages are not deleted when you remove an account (in order to recreate it); they are kept in the profile folder. But to make them easier to access, copy them to a subfolder of Local Folders.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Convert_a_POP_account_to_a_IMAP_account

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Recovering_deleted_mail_accounts

iamjayakumars
iamjayakumars
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If you wan to create an account, you must the delete the existing account.

So take backup of your emails if your using POP3

Two ways you can do it

  • Copy all the emails to Local folder
  • Back up your Mail folder from your profile


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