Font settings in Thunderbird

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION...
(please don't categorize this page yet)

This article provides an overview of the various font/character settings in Thunderbird, which are often a source of confusion for new users. Broadly speaking, font settings can apply to three things in Thunderbird: message display, message composition, and the Thunderbird user-interface.

Message display

This refers to what messages look like when you view them. (But can also affect outgoing mail, in terms of font selection but not size.)


Things to include:

  • plain text vs. HTML
  • character encoding
  • using Serif for Proportional display seems to be broken in 1.5rc2 (works only when composing)
  • text size zoom (via menu or keyboard)
  • view > message body as > original html/simple html/plain text

Message composition

This refers to the font/character settings that you use in messages that you compose and send to others.


Things to include:

  • plain text vs. HTML settings (incl. account-specific HTML/plain text choice for comose)
  • terminological inconsistency in the UI: uses both proportional/monospace AND variable width/fixed width
  • non-bug bug where using a proportional font with plain text doesn't wrap properly
  • sigs
  • character encoding (note that outgoing encoding is under Display rather than Composition!)

Thunderbird user-interface

This refers to the font settings that are used in the menus, folder pane, message-list pane, and other parts of the Thunderbird user-interface.