6 Common Thunderbird Email Problems with Simple Solutions

brief history of thunderbird

thunderbird is an easy-to-use local email application available in the browser and on mac, windows and linux systems. Since its inception, Thunderbird has been managed by Mozilla Messaging and Mozilla Corporation. mozilla still hosts various resources.

Although thunderbird acquired its subsidiary in 2020, the app has had shaky prospects for many years. With uncertain times since 2012, Mozilla abandoned the email app and untethered it from its Firefox service in 2015. But Mozilla brought back support for Thunderbird in 2017.

According to litmus email analytics data, the email client only captured 0.5% of email opened across devices during Q1 2019. Although engagement increased from 0.1% in In the second quarter of 2018, Thunderbird lagged behind Apple Mail (7.9 percent) and Outlook (9.2 percent).

With all the uncertainty coupled with performance issues, the development of the app has been rocky. the instability has caused several problems in the use of the application and bug fixes. Please note that bugs throughout the app need developers for proper fix. but other common client-side problems are relatively easy to fix. Some common problems and their solutions are listed below for user convenience.

thunderbird troubleshooting: common thunderbird email problems

Despite the simple and highly efficient nature of thunderbird, users may occasionally face some performance issues and bugs. Let’s consider six common thunderbird email problems and their solutions.

email account setup issues

While setting up email account, some users may face operational issues like thunderbird not connecting to server. you can quickly fix the problem as follows.

how to fix

1. verify password

First, check if you are using the correct password by logging into your account through the webmail interface. for example, if you have a gmail account:

1. Go to gmail.com.
2. Type your email address, then your password.
3. If you entered a previous password, Google will ask you to reset it. it.
4. You can reset your password by clicking “forgot email?” message.

2. check server configuration

if your password is correct or you have set a new one and problems persist, go to thunderbird and start the server setup. you can find them by following this path:

1. click the email account that is experiencing problems.
2. under options, click account settings.

1. select server settings in the left tab.

To ensure you have the correct server configuration, please note the following details.

1. have the domain name (eg mail.example.com) after the server name, which is mail.
2. make sure the port is 993 for imap or 995 for pop.
3. set the connection security to tls/ssl.
4. use the user’s full email address as the username.
5. use password as authentication.
6. server does not support encryption.

the server does not support encryption

You may get a warning about the server not supporting encryption due to some security issues. this issue can make server communications more vulnerable to hacking attempts.

how to fix

1. change settings

In the warning, you will see a change settings button. click on it and do the following:

1. change connection security to ssl/tls.
2. change authentication method to “normal password”.
3. change port to 993.

after changing the configuration, save it and start thunderbird again.

2. choose a different email provider

If changing your settings doesn’t resolve the issue, you can also choose a different email provider that offers a more secure connection.

you can’t send or receive messages

thunderbird may stop sending or receiving messages for various reasons. it could be a problem with your server settings, your antivirus program, or your internet service provider. Let’s review each case.

how to fix

1. check imap settings

you need imap to receive messages. to check imap settings:

1. click the email account that is experiencing problems.
2. in the options, click account settings.
3. select server settings under the left tab.

make sure you are using port 993, ssl/tls connection security and “normal” password.

2. check smtp settings

you need smtp to send messages. to check the smtp settings:

1. go to account settings as in the previous step.
2. click “outgoing server” on the left tab.

make sure you are using port 587, connection security “none” and password “normal”.

3. whitelist thunderbird in your antivirus software

If your server settings are fine, your firewall or antivirus probably doesn’t trust the version of thunderbird or any new updates.

whitelisting the email tool also solves the problem for many users. in windows security:

1. navigate to settings.
2. select update & security and choose windows security.
3. Go to “manage settings” option after clicking “virus & threat protection.”
4. go to “add settings” option an exclusion” via “add or remove exclusions” and select thunderbird.

for windows firewall:

1. type the word “firewall” in the windows search box.
2. select the option “allow an application through the firewall”.
3. click “change settings”.
4. add thunderbird to the list after pressing the “allow another app” button.

If you are using another antivirus program, please refer to their help section for specific guidelines. although the process should be similar.

4. back thunderbird

thunderbird 78 and higher versions require enhanced tls security standards. So with Thunderbird email not working properly, the main reason may be that your service provider does not support the newer TLS network encryption protocols. therefore, users will not be able to send or receive emails.

The solution to this problem may simply lie in rolling thunderbird back to an earlier version. you can find an older version here. to go back to a previous version:

1. in your current version, go to the menu > preferences and scroll down to updates.
2. turn off automatic updates by changing your preference to “check for updates, but let me choose whether to install them”.

1. uninstall thunderbird without removing any profiles or databases.
2. download a version prior to thunderbird 78.
3. install the downloaded version.

your accounts should show up in thunderbird after launch. If you removed thunderbird along with the database files, simply log back into your accounts.

5. contact your internet service provider (isp)

On specific ports, like port 25, some ISPs tend to block your outgoing emails. if you are unable to send email, it is recommended to switch to another port.

You can also contact your isp for further assistance. For example, if you use Gmail, check your Google Dashboard for status updates, in case you experience downtime.

you can’t delete messages

If you are unable to delete messages in thunderbird, it may be due to a corrupted trash folder. Also, sometimes Thunderbird can freeze when deleting messages; in this case, try to restart the application.

how to fix

The simple solution is to create a new trash folder after deleting the old corrupted one. follow these steps to solve the problem:

1. access troubleshooting information for the profile folder from the help section of the menu button.
2. click the open folder option from the basics section from the app.
3. now close the thunderbird app.
4. go to your file manager and open the mail (or imapmail) folder depending on your affected account type (pop or imap ).
5. remember to open the folder with an incoming mail server name like pop.googlemail.com or imap.googlemail.com.
6. select the files trash.msf and trash and then delete them. these files may be named deleted or bin in some accounts.
7. As a final step, restart the thunderbird application on your system.

that’s it! the trash folder will be refreshed and you can easily delete your mail messages.

thunderbird freezes or runs slowly

Users may face mozilla thunderbird freezing, not responding, hanging or crashing due to settings or other systematic issues. These problems can be quickly resolved in the following ways.

how to fix

1. update thunderbird

Very often an outdated version of thunderbird causes problems and thunderbird may freeze on windows 11. First of all, users can fix the crashing or slow running issues by upgrading thunderbird. follow the steps below:

1. run the thunderbird application.
2. visit the help menu.
3. select the about thunderbird option.
4. the software automatically checks if there are updates. after a window opens.
5. select restart thunderbird to update once the updates are ready to install.

2. try to run from safe mode

You can use safe mode to troubleshoot and reset settings. to launch it:

1. hold down the alt (option) key and click the thunderbird icon to start it.
2. if it is already running, you can switch to safe mode by selecting “restart with plugins disabled”. …” in the help menu.
1. When the safe mode dialog appears, click “continue in safe mode”.

3. disable plugins

You can also fix the problem by disabling plugins from safe mode. perform the same actions as in the previous step, but in the dialog, check “disable all plugins” and press the “make changes and restart” button.

4. reinstall thunderbird

If your thunderbird installation is corrupted, you may experience problems with thunderbird. no need to worry. This can be easily fixed in most cases by reinstalling the thunderbird app.

Remember that applications may leave registry entries or specific files despite uninstallation. those files can cause some problems in the future, so it is recommended to delete them when you find them.

5. check email settings

1. Go to the tools menu and select the account settings option.
2. You can also select the account settings from the application menu.
3. once in account settings, choose server settings from the left panel.
4. make sure you have the correct thunderbird login information in the right panel, and that should work.

image server error message

thunderbird imap problems usually occur due to imap server settings (such as courier-imap), which may be configured to only allow a certain number of connections per ip address.

how to fix

1. reduce the number of connections

an imap server error can be resolved quickly by reducing the number of connections. to do it:

1. select the tools option from the menu, and then choose account settings.
2. under the appropriate account, select server settings.
3. click the advanced button.
4. once the configuration dialog appears, change the maximum number of connections from the server to the cache value to three or less.

update thunderbird

Updating your thunderbird to version 68.3.0 or higher should fix the error on its own.

how to contact support

If a problem is not listed above, you can also search for a solution by visiting the Mozilla Support FAQ. You can also ask a question or search for similar queries already posted on the thunderbird community support forum. if nothing else works, try contacting mozilla via facebook.

Unfortunately, thunderbird does not have a number you can call. any phone number you find online is for third party support centers.

are you still experiencing problems with thunderbird?

an issue once in a while is fine, but what if you’re constantly troubleshooting thunderbird? in this case, it’s about time you checked out other email clients. a potential option may be mailbird.

mailbird is more than an email client. helps users schedule and manage communications and tasks in addition to emails. and has human support instead of just an FAQ section.

mailbird helps to migrate all your accounts to one platform without signing up for a whole new range of services and new accounts. mailbird is an email client for windows that can easily use the functionality to effectively manage multiple email accounts. Some key features include:

1. unified inbox: connect all your email accounts and use them as one. this means you can search all accounts, manage emails, and apply other email features to all connected accounts without the need for complicated filters.
2. email tracking: make sure all recipients have open your email and you’re all on the same page about your content.
3. unified calendar: be sure to keep track of deadlines and events. this is especially useful if you send meeting invitations from different accounts. Just like with the unified inbox, you can view and manage all your calendars in one place so it doesn’t overlap with meetings or get overloaded.
4. Integrations: Increase productivity and communication with integrations from third-party apps like asana, slack, google workspace products, and more.

download mailbird

importing thunderbird to mailbird

if you want to import all your accounts to mailbird, follow the simple steps listed below:

1. The first step is to make sure you are trying to import the account that has not yet been added to the mailbird platform. after clicking on the mailbird menu button at the top left, click on the settings option. then select the accounts tab.
2. click the add button on the accounts tab.
3. click the import button.
4. choose the specific account you want to import.
5. simply enter your password below.
6. after clicking continue, wait until the import process is complete.

There you have it! your account will be transferred without problems.

conclusion

It is important to note that the thunderbird email issues discussed above often lead to inefficiencies in functionality and performance. Considering that the development of thunderbird has been unstable for a few years, you should expect to experience problems on a regular basis. It can be annoying for many users when a problem persists, although most problems can be easily fixed. save yourself the trouble and try a new email client. download mailbird for free to make sure it suits your needs.

See Also:  Configure Database Mail - SQL Server | Microsoft Docs