tink12 said

My sister and I email back and forth, and we alternate colors to reply in the existing text. So I'll start in black, she'll reply - line by line - in red, and I'll reply in blue, etc. All of a sudden EVERYthing is black! Even in old emails - and we have 1-2 kinda lengthy ones! With her service, she can change background color line by line too, so I'll cut into it and change text colors in her background color. Now it all looks alike and it won't let me add color to existing text. Help!! This is a new and big handicap!!

This is from me too. I now realize I can't use color text at all! Not even in a new message! What's happened to my color????

Are you composing in Text mode vs HTML?

Open a Write window and look at the Menu Bar. Does it go File-Edit-View-Insert-Format or is Insert and Format missing?

'All of that is there. I have a another bar too, that has the color thing, buttons for bold, italic, bigger, smaller, etc. I've always been able to use that button, but now nothing. Even in a new email. It shows the color, but when I start writing it switches back to black! Is that Text mode? I'm not using Firefox, I'm using Thunderbird.

Insert and format is missing when doing plain text. You cannot format text or insert anything in plain text. That is why it is called plain text. Since you have those choices plus the format toolbar you are using HTML. Not sure why you cannot use them.