If you are running Windows Vista or later, click on the small arrow to the left of icons in the system tray, and then click on "Customize..." in the popup window. Scroll through the list in the dialog until you see Thunderbird, and select the "Show icon and notifications" behavior in the dropdown next to the Thunderbird icon. Then click OK to save your changes.

I have never seen it stay until messages have been opened but you can lengthen the time it does display.

From the Menu Bar select Tools-Options-Advanced-General Click Config Editor Promise to be careful Enter this into the search filed alerts.totalOpenTime change the time value. I bumped mine up to 6000.

No menu bar? Press the alt key to make it appear.

suebmu said

Had Thunderbird reinstalled when hard drive replaced. Now the tray icon re new messages only stays there very briefly, rather than till the messages have been opened - which is what I am used to and what I want back. Why has this feature disappeared? I had it before.

tjohnson2 said

If you are running Windows Vista or later, click on the small arrow to the left of icons in the system tray, and then click on "Customize..." in the popup window. Scroll through the list in the dialog until you see Thunderbird, and select the "Show icon and notifications" behavior in the dropdown next to the Thunderbird icon. Then click OK to save your changes.

Many thanks - seems to have done the trick.

I am on Windows 10. There is no mail icon in the activity center and all the Options are checked correctly. It will make a sound and immediately the mail icon appears and then immediately disappears. I have followed the above suggestions but cannot fix this problem. Thanks