Thunderbird is a cross-platform email client which offers users access to IMAP and POP3 email accounts while sending and receiving via SMTP (or an alternative method such as newsgroups and chat).
This is an effective alternative to Outlook but does not integrate well with other tools. Available on all three operating systems – Windows, Mac and Linux.
Features
Thunderbird is a robust email client, boasting many features. It can accommodate multiple accounts from various services and be used to manage contacts and calendars; furthermore it comes equipped with some security measures and spam filter. Available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux as well as mobile devices running Android or iOS OS systems.
Thunderbird has undergone some visual upgrades that make it simpler and faster to use, including using a lighter theme with colored icons in its Folders pane and having less clutter on its toolbars and smaller toolbars.
Within the Mail tab, you can now easily collapse the message body pane to save screen space and perform actions on multiple messages at once. In addition, emails can now be sorted and grouped by label making finding what you need more efficient than ever!
Thunderbird provides another great feature – the Import and Export Hub – which makes moving accounts and data into and out of its program simple and efficient. By using it, you can migrate seamlessly from other email clients, other Thunderbird installations or even other Mozilla products like Firefox browser.
Other notable features in the latest version of the program include a revamped message header that makes it easier to focus on relevant information, a star button that lets you mark relevant messages as calendar events and tasks, and Matrix — an open-source chat protocol — being supported out-of-the-box.
Thunderbird can be personalized by the user to fit their individual needs, and is available in multiple languages. As it’s open source software, developers have created addons to expand its functionality – which are downloaded via the Addons Manager – similar to an app store with ratings, reviews and screenshots for each addon available for download. Popular examples of addons are Quicktext which enables users to quickly create templates to insert into messages; and ThunderHTMLedit which adds an HTML editing tab into email composition windows so users can edit HTML code directly.
Usability
Thunderbird may fall behind other email clients when it comes to usability, due to software glitches, its outdated interface and a lack of intuitiveness. As a result, many users have switched over to more modern email clients such as Gmail; others have completely stopped using Thunderbird altogether while searching for replacements that may provide similar functionality – but can these alternatives deliver?
Mozilla originally adopted an all-in-one suite approach to software, but soon realized they required multiple applications with different features. While this decision allowed community input into their platform, it also prevented it from keeping pace with developments on other email platforms.
After several years, Mozilla’s development structure shifted considerably and they began investing less in Thunderbird project, leading to its platform falling behind and missing regular product updates. Furthermore, there was no dedicated staff or roadmap in place so managing its evolution became difficult.
Recent developments demonstrate Mozilla’s dedication to revamping their platform, as evidenced by their efforts to increase usability by hiring full-time staff dedicated solely to this task and revamping code to make the system more responsive and user-friendly.
But despite these improvements, it still has its limitations. For instance, its search function is ineffective: its global search bar doesn’t account for spelling mistakes, only suggesting names when typing keywords; also not providing suggestions for related words making the task of finding emails even more time consuming.
However, good news has arrived in the form of new and improved email clients that build upon Thunderbird’s features, while going beyond them – these platforms now provide unified workspaces with calendar, notes and tasks; plus they integrate with Microsoft tools like SharePoint and Teams seamlessly.
Add-ons
Just like its popular browser counterpart Firefox, Thunderbird can be extended with various add-ons that provide additional features for managing email, improving the user interface and making Thunderbird more efficient. These add-ons may help organize your inbox, schedule emails to be sent later or even back up and restore your entire installation of Thunderbird.
Organization is key for increasing efficiency and productivity. Thunderbird makes it simple to filter email with folders and filters, but there are additional add-ons that make managing your inbox simpler: QuickFolders allows you to set tabs for different categories of emails so you can quickly access specific ones; Email Address Organizer adds an extra column in the message pane with full email addresses of senders/receivers so you can see at a glance which account they are using.
If you find yourself dealing with many attachments, Show In/Out and Attachment Extraction are sure to save time. Show In/Out replaces sender and recipient columns in Thunderbird with an icon showing whether an email was received or sent; so that at a glance you can know which are new. Attachment Extraction automatically extracts all attached files from a selected message for easy deletion, detachment, or marking as read without having to select them individually.
Signature Switch is an invaluable add-on that makes managing email signatures much simpler, while Synchronize Mail Folders consolidates multiple mailboxes to give you easy access to all of your emails from one central location. Furthermore, XNote allows users to attach persistent sticky notes directly to individual messages for fast recording reminders or details related to any particular email message.
MozBackup allows you to back up and restore all aspects of your Thunderbird installation, such as bookmarks, emails, contacts, history and extensions. Another helpful tool is Contacts Sidebar; this displays all your online contacts from Facebook, LinkedIn and Gmail within one convenient sidebar window.
Security
Thunderbird is a stand-alone email client that provides increased security over web-based email services. While most browsers store emails in the cloud, Thunderbird stores them locally on user devices and provides full control over privacy settings and full control over privacy concerns. Together with the Cypherdog Encryption plugin, these features allow users to protect sensitive information and reduce risks of data breaches allowing businesses to operate safely.
Cypherdog Encryption for Thunderbird works seamlessly with the email client, offering several powerful features to protect user privacy and email data. These include:
End-to-end encryption: This feature ensures email messages remain unreadable for anyone intercepting them during transit from sender’s device to recipient device, protecting personal data such as images or files shared as attachments. Secure public key storage: With this feature in place, passwords and authentication credentials can be safely stored to prevent potential attackers from exploiting them.
Thunderbird stores deleted messages automatically in its Trash folder, which can only be emptied when Thunderbird closes or quits – this helps prevent unauthorized access to messages or data stored there in case a lost or stolen device is used to access them.
Thunderbird features an update system designed to keep it current, protecting against security vulnerabilities. When available updates become available, this system notifies users and gives instructions on how to install them.
Thunderbird offers an expansive plugin ecosystem to extend and personalize its functionality, and the Add-ons Manager provides an intuitive solution to find and install these extensions easily. It features ratings, descriptions, recommendations, and ratings of each add-on to make user selection simpler.
Users can customize security settings according to their preferred levels of protection in the Preferences/Options dialog box under the Security tab.
Thunderbird provides another crucial security feature by restricting how often its application can be launched, helping prevent users from accidentally running it more than necessary and potentially spreading malware.
