Thunderbird/Support/faq: Difference between revisions

<dl>

<span id="q1.1"></span><dt id="about">What is Thunderbird?<!--</dt>-->

<dt id="why">Why should I use Thunderbird instead of other mail clients?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>There are too many reasons to list them all here. Read [http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/why/ why you should use Thunderbird] instead of other mail clients on the market.

<dt id="free">Is Thunderbird free?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>Yes! Thunderbird is open source software, meaning that anyone has the right to download and use the program for free, and view and modify the source code under the terms of the [http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/ license].

<dt id="download"><span id="q1.4">Where can I download Thunderbird?</span><!--</dt>-->

<dd>To download Thunderbird, go to [http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/ mozilla.com].

<dt id="install">How do I install Thunderbird?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>See the [http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/2.0.0.23/releasenotes/#install release notes]

   for more information.

<dt id="uninstall">How do I uninstall Thunderbird?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>See the [http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/2.0.0.23/releasenotes/#install release notes]

   for more information.

<dt id="mylang"><span id="q1.8">Is Thunderbird available in my language?</span><!--</dt>-->

<dd>Possibly. Since Mozilla Thunderbird is an open-source project, contributors are constantly translating Mozilla Thunderbird into other languages. You can check if Mozilla Thunderbird is available in your language in the [http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/all.html localized builds list].

<dt id="profiles">Where are my mail, passwords and other personal

   See the next frequently asked question for more information on how to manage

   the profiles.

<dt id="profilemanager">How do I start the Profile Manager?<!--</dt>-->

   href="profile">profiles</a>. To start the Profile Manager,

   follow the steps in the [profile#new Manage Profiles How-To].

<dt id="moveprofile">How do I move my profile or restore a backed up copy?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>It's possible to move the location of a profile folder. This could be useful if you have a [profile#backup backed up profile folder] somewhere on your hard drive and want to tell Thunderbird to use that as your profile. Read about  

  [profile#move moving an existing profile or restore a backed up profile] for detailed instructions.

</dl>

<p class="toplink">[# Back to Top]

<dt id="migrate_from_mozilla"><span id="q2.2">How do I migrate my Mozilla mail and settings to Thunderbird?</span><!--</dt>-->

<dd>Thunderbird includes an auto migration tool that imports your Mozilla 1.x or Netscape 7.x profile directly into Thunderbird without you having to do anything.

<dt id="webmail"><span id="q2.3">Can I access my Yahoo!, Hotmail, Lycos (Europe), MailDotCom, Gmail, and Libero WebMail account through Thunderbird?</span><!--</dt>-->

<dd>Yes. The Webmail extension integrates web site based email accounts into Thunderbird, allowing Thunderbird to download and to send emails using the web site.  Some services may require a subscription for this type of access.  Current information on the Webmail extension, supported services, and other add-ons for web based email can be found at the <a href="http://webmail.mozdev.org/" title="MozDev WebMail Extension Home Page">WebMail</a> development site.  

<dt id="aol">Can I access AOL and Netscape e-mail using Thunderbird?<!--</dt>-->

More information on using third-party email clients may be found on AOL's Help pages, <a href="http://help.aol.com/" title="AOL Help">http://help.aol.com</a> select <span class="mnu">E-Mail &gt; Third Party E-Mail Applications</span>.  

<dt id="kmail">How do I import e-mail messages from kmail (Linux)?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>Make a new folder in kmail and name it inboxmbox. You'll see a dialogue in which you can save it as an mbox folder. Copy all posts in your kmail inbox folder to the new inboxmbox folder. Exit kmail. Next, copy or move inboxmbox to the subfolder <span class="file">Mail/Local Folders</span> in your [edit.html#profile profile folder]. When you open Thunderbird you'll see the inboxmbox folder under Local Folders. Copy the messages into your Inbox folder if you like.

in "Raw Message Source" format. The resulting file will be an <span class="file">mbox</span> file, that you can copy to  

your Thunderbird profile.

<dt id="mac_ab">How do I import the address book (MacOS X)?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>You can use the [http://gwenhiver.net/address-book-exporter.html Address Book Exporter] application to export your address book to a plain text file. Then, in Thunderbird, select <span class="mnu">Tools > Import...</span>, select Address Books, click <span class="button">Next</span> and to import a text file.

<dt id="import"><span id="q2.9">How do I import e-mail messages from another mail program?</span><!--</dt>-->

<dd>Go to <span class="mnu">Tools &gt; Import</span>, which will bring up a dialog to guide you through the process.

<dt id="export"><span id="q2.10">How do I export e-mail messages to another mail program or computer?</span><!--</dt>-->

or another installation of Mozilla, simply put the mail file into

the other installation's <tt>Mail</tt> folder.

</dl>

<p class="toplink">[# Back to Top]

   You can even place toolbar items on the menu bar! This will allow

   you to place everything on one row, saving lots of screen real estate.

<dt id="default">How do I make Thunderbird my default mail program?<!--</dt>-->

<code><em>absolute path of Thunderbird install directory</em>/mozilla --mail</code></li>

</ul>

<dt id="spam"><span id="q2.4">How do I use the spam filters?</span><!--</dt>-->

<dd>Mozilla Thunderbird comes with build-in spam filters, effectively moving (or removing) unwanted e-mail messages from your mail folders. There is a great article at [http://developer.mozilla.org/ Mozilla Developer Center] explaining [http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Fighting_Junk_Mail_with_Netscape_7.1 how to fight junk mail with Netscape 7.1]. This article applies to Mozilla Thunderbird too.

<dt id="spellcheck"><span id="q2.5">Does Thunderbird come with a spell checker?</span><!--</dt>-->

<dt id="keyboard">What's the keyboard shortcut for [random feature]?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>See the [keyboard Keyboard Shortcuts] table on this

<dt id="themes">Can I use different themes for Thunderbird?<!--</dt>-->

   <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird/themes/" title="Mozilla Thunderbird Add-ons: Themes">Themes

   section</a> for a list of the available themes.

<dt id="emvirus"><span id="q2.8">Is Thunderbird susceptible to e-mail viruses?</span><!--</dt>-->

JavaScript is switched off by default for mail and news, so an e-mail cannot run script code just by being opened.

As with any mail program, take proper caution before running any file that you receive in e-mail. Appropriate anti-virus software should also help keep you safer.

<dt id="notifier"><span id="q2.11">Is there a mail notifier in Thunderbird?</span><!--</dt>-->

<dd>Yes, the Windows version of Thunderbird includes mail notification in the system tray while Thunderbird is open.

<dt id="startupinbox">How do I set Thunderbird to go directly to my Inbox?</a><!--</dt>-->

     on Linux), select your default mail account, click "Server Settings", and check  

     the <span class="checkboxon">Check for new messages at startup</span> option.

<dt id="use_encrypt"><span id="q2.12">How do I use S/MIME, PGP or GnuPG to send and receive signed or encrypted messages?</span><!--</dt>-->

     Hooks to PGP or GnuPG are not included in Thunderbird, but are under development  

     at [http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ Enigmail].

<dt id="imap_pw"><span id="q2.13">I changed my IMAP password, how do I get rid of a cached password?</span><!--</dt>-->

     you want to delete and click <span class="button">Remove</span>. When done, click  

     <span class="button">Close</span> and restart Mozilla Thunderbird.

<dt id="masterpassword">How can I access/change the Master Password?<!--</dt>-->

<dd>

Go to <span class="mnu">Tools &gt; Options...</span> (<span class="mnu">Edit &gt; Preferences...</span> under Linux), select the Privacy section, click the Passwords tab and finally click the <span class="button">Set Master Password...</span> button.

</dl>

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