
Get Started | Retrieve and View Messages | Compose a New Message | Organize Mail Center | Use the Address Book | Create a Mailing List | Create a Signature | Filter Junk Mail | Check Quota | Shortcut Keys |
The Account Wizard assists users with initial Thunderbird configuration. You may then personalize your e-mail by selecting Tools-Options and choosing from General, Display, Composition, Privacy, Attachments, and Advanced settings.
Thunderbird Default Toolbar
| Get Mail: | Retrieve new messages |
Write: |
Create new message |
Address Book: |
Select contacts to compose messages to; create new contact cards; create mailing lists |
Reply: |
Compose response to message |
Reply All: |
Compose response to message sender and all message recipients |
Forward: |
Send message to another recipient |
Tag: |
Categorize message as Important, To Do, Later, etc. |
Delete: |
Delete selected message |
Junk: |
Designate message as unsolicited |
Print: |
Print message |
Quick Search: |
Search for all messages with particular key word or name |
Thunderbird checks for new mail upon opening and periodically thereafter. When new mail arrives, the Inbox will appear in bold text with a parenthetical count of unread messages beside it. All new or unread messages will also appear in bold text.
To sort Inbox messages by date, received, sender, subject, or priority, select View - Sort by. Or, simply click the preferred label above the list of messages.
Address a Message:
Type an e-mail address in the address field. If using an LU computer, LDAP (address auto-completion protocol) is enabled by default. Type the first few letters of the LU recipient’s name, and LDAP will complete the address. If multiple names are displayed, select the appropriate one. Then, click on To: and choose preferred recipient type:
To: |
Primary recipient/s |
CC: |
Carbon Copy, for secondary recipient/s |
BCC: |
Blind Carbon Copy, for secondary |
Reply-To: |
Address replies will be sent to |
Newsgroup: |
Post to newsgroup |
Followup-To: |
Redirect newsgroup posting so subsequent threads go directly to redirected newsgroup instead of to original newsgroup |
Message Options:
In the Options menu, select any of the following:
Copy Yourself Automatically:
Attach a File:
Or, drag and drop a file from your desktop onto the Attachments icon in the Compose window.
Attach a Web Page:
Save an Attachment:
Delete Messages:
Select the message/s and press the Delete key, or click the Delete icon in the toolbar. (To recover the message, click the Trash folder, select the message, and drag it to the Inbox.)
To delete a message permanently, select the message and press Shift + Delete.
Create Folders for Filing Messages:
Use the personal address book to store contacts and to create mailing lists. Quickly add contacts by clicking an e-mail address in a received message and choosing “Add to Address Book.”
Create an Address Book Card:
Import/Export E-Mail Addresses:
Import address books from other e-mail clients or export address books to PDAs or cell phones.
Import addresses from other e-mail clients:
Import an Excel file of addresses: (You must first save the excel file as a comma delimited .csv file)
Export addresses to a file:
If you regularly send messages to a particular group of recipients, consider creating a mailing list:
Set up a signature to automatically include contact information (such as name, title, phone, website, etc.) at the bottom of outbound e-mail messages.
Click OK. The next time you compose a new message, your signature will be included.
Use the Junk icon to mark incoming, unsolicited messages. Thunderbird will not classify messages from your address book contacts as junk; add contacts to easily insure valid messages are not junked.
Create a Junk Mail Folder:
Tip: Empty the Trash to free up space
| Ctrl+P | Print selected e-mail |
| Ctrl+M | Open a Compose window |
| Ctrl+T | Check for new mail |
| Delete | Move selected message to the Trash folder |
| Ctrl+R | Reply to original message |
| Ctrl+Shift+R | Reply to all in the original message |
| Ctrl+L | Forward message |
| Ctrl+A | Select all |
| Shift+Delete | Delete message without moving to the Trash folder |
| Ctrl+2 | Open the Address book |