This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Lolu chungechunge lwabekwa kunqolobane. Uyacelwa ubuze umbuzo omusha uma udinga usizo.

New trees for messages

  • 1 baphendule
  • 0 zinale nkinga
  • 1 view
  • Igcine ukuphendulwa ngu Toad-Hall

more options

Since a while, after one of the unexpected updates, I found in each italic textnewitalic text file that mails get connected to previous mails if they are an answer to that previous file. In result, you only see the first mail of a dialogue with an arrow, and you only see the "answer mails" if you click the arrows. By this, all other mails pop up, but now they are not in in the reight order according to date! So, if you open your file, you 1) do not see all mails at once, so if you are looking for a specific one, you first have to click on all arrows to open the hidden trees of answer mails and then you still do not have them in the right order of sending time - this is a massive negative feature! Worst of all, I could not find any way to opt out this function so that all mails appear again in the order of dates they were sent or received. Has any one an idea how to get to he previous "simple" method for showing the mails? And note: The trees for the old files show in the "old way" - each mail listed individualla without beeing linked to and hidden under a previous one. Does anyone know how this awful new feature can be shut off?

Since a while, after one of the unexpected updates, I found in each ''italic text''new''italic text'' file that mails get connected to previous mails if they are an answer to that previous file. In result, you only see the first mail of a dialogue with an arrow, and you only see the "answer mails" if you click the arrows. By this, all other mails pop up, but now they are not in in the reight order according to date! So, if you open your file, you 1) do not see all mails at once, so if you are looking for a specific one, you first have to click on all arrows to open the hidden trees of answer mails and then you still do not have them in the right order of sending time - this is a massive negative feature! Worst of all, I could not find any way to opt out this function so that all mails appear again in the order of dates they were sent or received. Has any one an idea how to get to he previous "simple" method for showing the mails? And note: The trees for the old files show in the "old way" - each mail listed individualla without beeing linked to and hidden under a previous one. Does anyone know how this awful new feature can be shut off?

All Replies (1)

more options

You are talking about 'threading'.

For some reason the developers decided to make threading a default setting. This is a real pain for those who do not use it and for those who had never even knew about threading, it has caused so much annoyance and I've had to answer so many questions posted by people like yourself.

1. Turn off the auto setting which is used when you create new folders. In Thunderbird

  • Settings > General
  • scroll to bottom
  • clickon 'Config Editor' button
  • opens in a new tab

Use the search to look for the following lines

  • mailnews.default_news_view_flags
  • mailnews.default_view_flags

By default they are set to number 1 - you need to set them as zero 0

  • Click on the far right pencil icon to allow editing.
  • Remove the number 1 and replace with a zero 0
  • then click on the tick icon to save.

so it says:

  • mailnews.default_news_view_flags=0
  • mailnews.default_view_flags=0


2. Set Inbox folder to sort by unthreaded. - do not assume it's status do this:

  • Select Inbox
  • 'View' > 'Sort by' > select 'Unthreaded'

3. Set other folders to use the same as Inbox.

  • Inbox is still selected and now using sort by unthreaded.
  • Right click on the column header and bear the bottom select:
  • 'Apply current view to..' > 'Folder and it's children' > select 'mail account name' and then 'mail account name' (john@example.com)