Are you talking about an IMAP or POP mail account?

Right click on pop mail account name in Folder Pane and select 'Settings' Select 'Server Settings' uncheck these:

• 'check for new messages at start up'
• 'check for new messages every x minutes'
• 'Automatically download new messages'

IMAP accounts are different and a lot depends upon whether you have downloaded headers or full copies and also whether the server automatically choose to push new emails. If you have not downloaded full copies in all folders then perhaps now would be a good idea to do it. Note: folders synchronise with server in order to download and display emails, so selecting a folder and email still force a connection.

These settings should stop auto checking and downloading, but it has been reported that if server support IDLE then it may auto push the email anyway. Right click on imap mail account name in Folder Pane and select 'Settings' Select 'Server Settings' uncheck these:

• 'check for new messages at start up'
• 'check for new messages every x minutes'
• 'Allow immediate server notification when new message arrives'

In both cases, I would recommend you ensure you have full copies downloaded and stored in Thunderbird and then put copies of all emails into the 'Local Folders' mail account and then remove the original account.

Thank you Toad-Hall for your detailed instructions. I do have them all set up as IMAP so just unchecking the values you described works to disable each for now and recheck when/if I start to use that email address again and wish it to be included in the Thunderbird emails. FYI, I do have several Local Folders set up and put copies of important things I think I want to reference in them.

I would like to add an additional procedure to this solution for pop accounts that involves additional steps.

The three steps above do not necessarily deactivate the account.

As long as password is remembered by Thunderbird, then Thunderbird will continue to check the account.

I can think of at least 2 ways to eliminate the password.

From Tools

(1) go to Thunderbird Options, find password management, locate the account and remove the password (may be simplest way)

or

(2) go to Thunderbird Account Settings, then Server Settings, change the User Name so that password management cannot do an auto login to the account

(3) The next time Thunderbird checks the servers, you will be prompted for an account password

(4) select the option to enter a new password and then enter a null field (delete any characters in the password window)

By setting the password to a null field, this the checking of this account's email will be bypassed

Paul Collins