Thunderbird : Tips

General tips

• Check out the keyboard shortcuts for Thunderbird.
• Launch Thunderbird using command line options (list is for the Mozilla Suite; not all options work with Thunderbird).
• Read these tips for using antivirus software with Thunderbird.
• Make regular backups of your email messages, address books, and account settings.
• For best performance, compact folders periodically.
• When something's amiss, try creating a new profile.

Visual customizations

• Try a new theme to give Thunderbird a different look.

• Customize the toolbar: add/remove buttons, change the placement of buttons, etc.
• Arrange the columns in the message-list pane.
• Show expanded columns in the folders pane for number of unread messages, total, or size.
• Change the order of accounts in the folders pane.
• Change the fonts used in the folders pane, message-list pane, and menus.
• Change the background color in the preview pane and other panes.
• Change the color of links in messages or turn off the underlining of links.
• Change the signature display color (so that everything below "-- " isn't gray).
• Change the menu highlight color (by inserting code into your userChrome.css file).
• Get rid of the colored quote bars and use ">" instead.
• Change the display format for date and time for messages from today, the past week, or all previous dates.

Extensions

• Try new extensions to give added functionality to Thunderbird; you'll be surprised.
• Uninstalling extensions
• Safe Mode: use this to start up Thunderbird with all your extensions disabled (useful for debugging)

Other customizations

• Change the keybindings.
• Use plain text and disable HTML & MIME.
• Disable the warning dialog when you try to send a message without a subject.

Platform-specific tips

• Mac OS X

More great tips are available at mozilla.org's Thunderbird Help: Tips & Tricks page.