I presume you have created identical Pop mail accounts on several computers, but only want one of these computers to receive.

To stop download: Tools > Account settings > Server Settings for the mail account Do not select any of these - remove the check: 'Check for new messages at startup' 'Check for new messages every x minutes' 'Automatically download new messages'

then click on OK.

However, you should note that it is still possible to manually download by using the 'GetMail' button or via 'File' > 'get new messages for' . You could remove the 'GetMail' button/icon from the 'Mail toolbar' to stop accidental clicking. View > Toolbars > Customise or 3bar menu icon > Options > Toolbar Layout

then drag the icon off the toolbar into the customise window.

Yes, you are correct that I have identical Pop accounts on several computers.

I had already had those options Unchecked- but the computer(s) still receive incoming emails.

There was an older version of TB that had a box you could check to stop incoming emails. Once TB got upgraded I lost that option.

Any other ideas on how to stop the incoming emails?

Thank you! Brian

Did you unselect those options and click on OK to save changes to Account Settings and then close and restart Thunderbird to see if the auto check on startup was initiated?

If you are not auto checking on startup and not auto checking every xx minutes and not auto downloading

Then the only other way they are downloading is if you are manually downloading. Hence why I suggested you remove the GetMail' button to stop accidentally clicking on it.

I must admit it does sound an unusual setup, because if there are no incoming mail then you can never read mail nor Reply nor forward an email. You can only Write a new message and then there is no log of that sent email on the main computer which receives mail. I assume this is what you desire.

Just had a thought. Can you confirm that each computer uses it's own Profile kept on that same computer and there is no file sharing between computers.

Can you also confirm that you do not have any Message Filters which perform the action to Fetch from Pop server. I suppose you would not need any Message Filters, but just checking.

stop incoming emails - there is a 'Stop' icon you could put on the toolbar to stop action. This is in the same place as I suggested removing the GetMail button. View > Toolbars > Customise

Another idea: As you are only using to send emails, you could set up Thunderbird to startup 'offline'. I suggest this because you only need to be in 'online' mode just for actually sending the email. Emails cannot download if in 'offline' mode even if you accidentally click GetMail. You would get pop up message saying you are offline and ask if you want to go online to get new messages, which you can decline.

This means you would Create emails and use Send Later. This puts emails in Outbox. Then go 'online' and send unsent emails. Then go 'offline' again.

To set thunderbird to startup 'offline': Tools > Options > Advanced > Network & disc space tab click on 'Offline' button

If you were in offline mode when you exit: 'Remember previous online state' will open 'offline' If you were in online mode when you exit: 'Remember previous online state' will open 'online'

Regardless of 'offline' or 'online' mode when exiting: 'ask me for online state at startup' will prompt to ask before opening thunderbird, so you can select 'work offline'

'Send unsent messages when going online?' select either 'yes' to auto send or 'ask me'

'download messages for offline use when going offline' select 'no' click on OK then click on OK to save Options.

To go 'offline': click on the two blue screen icon in bottom left of status bar.

To go 'online' click on the two black screen icon in bottom left of status bar.