I have used Mozilla Thunderbird (MT) for about one year, ever since I got Windows 7 (64-bit) which no longer contains the Internet Express e-Mail program I really loved. I tried 3 or 4 others first, such as Windows Live, etc. However they did not have one or another feature I wanted. I do like some of the features of MT; especially, the ability to give listed e-mails one of several colors! This really helps in finding important ones versus ""do later"" ones, etc. you can change the color list by clicking on the TAG button above your MT e-mail list. I use this feature a lot! The big bug in MT is that the e-msg FONTS I use do not remain stable. When I write, I must go in to highlight and change the message font to a larger size . Otherwise it is tinier than I had programmed in the properties box. In addition, I see in my Yahoo groups that my messages sometimes come through with two different font styles! EXASPERATING!! Also, the e-mails often try to send themselves before I am finished writing. I have learned to catch the small send box that comes up in order to cancel the send action! But, a few times, I was too late. This usually happens when I only do two spaces at the end of a sentence, then hit enter. If I do another two or three spaces, THEN hit enter, MT lets me go to the next line or paragraph to finish my e-msg. If they would only fix these two problems, I would be elated! The recent update they sent did not. It fixed other cosmetic features, but not the font and send problems that I consider more important. I should mention that MT is an open source program with several people working on the programing, instead of a set team. Other possibilities: There is a version of MT called POSTBOX EXPRESS that is supposed to be a much more stable MT. It costs money I can't afford right now. I may try EUDORA, if they ever provide a version compatible with my Windows 7 64-bit version. But, it will be hard to leave the color feature I like in MT, and I just may stay with it! :) Shayla, California

Using Thunderbird 5.0 to replace a 2007 version of Outlook. Today I found that Thunderbird 5.0 imports directly from Outlook all e-mail (I had 3-4,000 old e-mails in numerous Outlook folders - imported into Thunderbird without a hitch - now being indexed for search (by windows 7). Contacts/e-mail address imported without a hitch. So far, very happy with Thunderbird. Will update more later.

Thunderbird is basically a great e-mail program, very flexible and customizable, and I used it for quite a while with my old computer running Windows XP professional. Then I changed the computer and upgraded to Windows 7 64 bit. I got the latest version of Thunderbird and installed it as before. It rapidly developed a whole range of odd behaviours. I got messages telling me it could not download an e-mail because it had a virus or there wasn't enough disc space (although there was loads) and asked me whether I wanted to skip it or not. No matter which option I choose it will sometimes download the e-mail 10 to 15 minutes later, and sometimes it won't. When sending mail it will sometimes refuse to save it to the ""sent"" folder because some other process is using it, sometimes that will happen all day sometimes it will correct itself after a few minutes and then do it again later. Sometimes if you delete or move an e-mail, it will move it to trash or the selected folder, but leave a copy in the in-box. Then latterly it has started not downloading, completely at random, some e-mails. I do not get a message giving me the option to skip or not, it just doesn't bother to download it, although it is marked on the server as read. Naturally I have tried all the forums and other resources to try and find an answer, but although the problems or some subset of them have been known for some time no-one seems to have a solution and I can't spend the inordinate amount of time involved trying to sort it out. I am moving to another program. So to conclude, Thunderbird is great, but not if you are using Windows 7 64 bit.

Very easy to download and install. Funcionality as good or better than Outlook. Adding the Lightning Calendar function was also easy. Completely satisfied.

What kind of toy email client can't bounce? One that needs a third party addon. One that breaks that add on moving v2 to v3. Must not be recommended or installed for non-geek relatives. They are probably proud of this. Bye bye, Mozilla.

I'm currently using ThunderBird 2.0.0.24 on a MacBook, and like it very well for the most part. I'm green when it comes to knowing much about computers, but I do like TB's ability to write in more than one font, in more than one size, in more than one color, etc. I also like the capability of saving emails to separate folders for future reference. I have TB v. 3.1.7 on a Mac Mini as well , but don't care for the fact that the message panel takes up the entire bottom half of the window, which covers up the folders listing. I'm now downloading v. 3.1.9 -- maybe that will eliminate that problem.

How this came from the same stable as Firefox I will never know. Whereas Firefox is easy to setup and use not to mention very stable this is the complete opposite. A non logical setup compared to other email clients usually resulting in it not working. An import function that doesn't and an end product that needs plugins just to bring it up to the same level as other email clients. On top of that it is incredibly unstable. Apart from it being free there are no good points about Thunderbird and you are advised to avoid it completely. Try Windows Live Mail or even Incredimail instead. Both work and this doesn't.

Was previously a good product. Too many problems with version 3 not working with IMAP.

I decided to give Thunderbird a try as an alternative to Windows Live Mail. The installation wizard forced an IMAP account on me, whereas I needed POP3. I had to go and look for a tutorial on how to do this: you have to abort the automatic setup by clicking on a ""Stop"" button and only then can you get to the POP3 settings. The name of the POP3 server has to be typed straight into a button object instead of an input field (never seen that one... goes into my top-5 of counter-intuitive designs). Even after carefully validating the server settings against the working values in my Live Mail setup, the wizard kept telling me it was unable to connect to the mail servers. Various attempts left me with a bunch of identically named e-mail accounts in the folders list and I wanted to clean them up: this took another web search because the option is again well hidden. At that point I had had it and sensibly kicked the thing off my computer. I continue to be a satisfied Firefox user ... it's hard to believe the same people could come up with this piece of rubbish.

Other reviewer states ""Does not let you set it up to use your existing email address but forces the creation of a new one as XXXXXXXX@yahoo.net"". NOT TRUE. I have easily set it up to use my Cogeco ISP email address, along with gmail, hotmail, and yahoo addresses. Not difficult at all to set up....it basically walks you through it, as long as you have your smtp settings, you're fine. This is the closest I have found to Outlook Express....which I had used for years and was very comfortable with, but Windows 7 doesn't include it...bah humbug. A few glitches in Thunderbird, but you figure them out and get used to them quick, like when you forward a graphic, sometimes it doesn't show up, so you have to hit Reply (not FWD), and then it shows

Does not let you set it up to use your existing email address but forces the creation of a new one as XXXXXXXX@yahoo.net. This program is definitely not for me.

Would be a very good email client if there were not so many bugs. I run XP64 and TB3 doesn't seem to handle imbedded pictures very well. The batch saving of email is a great feature that Outlook Express does not have. However during the batch save, attachments occasionally end up missing pieces but are still usable. Once the serious bugs are all fixed, this will be an excellent Email client.

Wish it would better interface with MS E-mail products; supporting and synchronizing e-Mail across multiple computers is a pain...conversion plug-ins work to inport/export mail and addressbooks but involve too many steps and do not yeild perfect results...too much tech involvement to correct address book entries and duplicate mail folders. While using Thunderbird across all computers could/would avoid such complications...we live in a real world where human preferences drive software choice.

If I send out 2 BCC's on an email and both answer, the 2 replies end up annoyingly linked together. They are 2 diff people and may not be commenting on the same thing. I find it annoying . How do I stop thunderbird from ever linking emails together?

I used Thunderbird for a few years, mainly because of the seamless way it interfaced with my Gmail account. Ever since installing it on my new Mac OS X 10.6, though, I started getting annoying messages about a virus infected inbox, which could not be fixed for whatever reason, and then the application kept locking up at random points, and I had to force quit. Sometimes this would happen unnoticed, and I would spend the day thinking i had no email, when in reality it was piling up, and I couldn't see it because the application was quietly frozen. Everyone is saying Eudora is a more solid application. I'm going t o give it a try.

I installed Thunderbird. Immediately I found most of my inbox to disappear randomly on each startup. Looking into it there seems to be a major problem and frequent complaints of the same disappearance of inbox mail. Like anything Windows, there are dozens of possible causes and pages of possible fixes that would take my a day to resolve. This product simply sucks. Use it at your own risk of losing everything you have. Bill

Thunderbird surprised me as extremely user friendly. I have Win 7 (comes without email software) & was finding other free email packages too complicated to set-up, and couldn't import my Outlook stuff to them. I tried Thunderbird hesitantly (it had poor reviews) but was really pleased how easily it installed, accepted my email server settings, and then IMPORTED my OUTLOOK CONTACTS and MAIL without me even having to find the files! It did it all automatically, and quickly. It's so easy to use too, as its functions and appearance are so similar to Outlook. Highly recommend to others who are switching over from Outlook, or other ""laypeople"" who need something uncomplicated.

I was using Thunderbird 2 years back and i liked this email client. Then I switched to MS and now I thought to switchback to TB. I am very disappointed to see that it has become worse in 2 yrs. Now after installation when I try to launch the client it say that another instance is running try to close it or restart. I find no other instance and restarted the system also but it didnt helped. I even tried to uninstall and install again and the same problem. I have check the troubleshooting menthods also to find any file with profile.lock but there is no such file. I don't know how it is going to work.

Could not access email as it refused to allow me to change server type. After five or six attempts including uninstalling and re-installing, gave up in frustration. I've used Thunderbird in previous incarnations but this version is unusable so far.

I've used hotmail, windows live mail, outlook, outlook express and postbox...... So far I'm impressed with TB ........ I don't need a lot for my personal emails only the basics. What I look for is simplicity....and reasonable organisation.... anndd of course freeware... Thunderbird's the way to go for me......at the moment. I will say that I enjoyed using the earlier programmes I mentioned but eventually they all succumbed to bugs and problems with my PC ........ Time will tell for this new TB user.

I've used practicaly every major email program since internet email began. Always imported old and archived emails into new clients as email technologies advanced. The latest was from Windows Mail (Vista) to Windows Live Mail (Win7) but discovered I'd lost physical 'ownership' of of my email - it remains viewable at my email provider and I must actively download it to my computer (duplicate all new emails!). I hoped TB would be the solution, and yes, it grabs all new emails and physicaly puts them on my computer. But it will not import any of my Windows Mail. It will import Communicator, Eudora, and Outlook ONLY and from what I've read, the author(s) of TB can't be bothered to expand their import feature. Pathetic.

It worked well for a few months on my Vista machine. It automatically updated in April last year, and has not connected since. I am running Windows 7 now and it still doesn't connect. I have removed it and reinstalled it at least 22 times; no luck. B-Bye.

This version is so bad, it's not even worth a review.

After using Thunderbird for a few months, I have decided to look for another E-Mail program. When Windows 7 decided to leave out Outlook Express in pursuit of the almighty dollar, they really left everyone in the lurch. Thunderbird occasionally hangs up while attempting to sort files (I have no idea what that means). Also on occasion, it will not delete emails - it says that the trash is full when it is empty and the computer must be re-booted to continue deleting.

Tried for several days to get Thunderbird installed and working properly on Vista and Windows 7. Can't use POP only. Messages disappear after clicking on them. Can't export messages to Outlook Express. Overrated and under performing. Too many other email browsers out there that are user friendly. Thanks, but no thanks.

It looks like Eudora, and somewhat works like Eudora, but there the similarity ends. The biggest flaw was identified by one of the other reviewers, namely, the way Thunderbird handles attachements. The attachments are imbedded in your email as UUencoded ascii. This makes for huge inbox sizes, and requires that you open the attachement from the email every time you want to look at it. To be fair, you can manually transfer the opened attachment to an attachment directory, but you have to do each one yourself. Eudora does this automatically for each attachment. The other comments by the reviewers are largely accurate, so I wil not repeat them here. Since I referenced Eudora, I shoujld point out that it is no longer supported by the original owner, Qualcom, but is still available in version 7.1 for free.

I used Eudora for many years, which was an extremely powerful, but easy to use program. Forced out of Eudora, I've been using Thunderbird now for about a year. The filters are overcomplicated to setup, and than don't work. The address book cannot be organized by folders, (Friends, Family, ect.). The program is very complicated, with an online help which is completely useless. Finally had it, and looking for a new client.

I wish 4 the day when I can put MS out of my life but Thunderbird is not going 2 make it happen on the email front. Thunderbird is a one way street to disaster. It doesnt support multiple domain names by same email address and it DOES NOT have an Export facility, so once you have switched to Thunderbird there is NO (easy) way out!

I am all for the wonderful work they do at Mozilla in providing us with browsers, email program etc. and while I almost only use Firefox as my browser, I am ready to ditch Thunderbird. The reasons are as follows: I installed both the English and German versions to try to get it to properly install spell-checking. Never worked. The fonts also did not work properly. As to getting help in the forums, no luck. So I am stuck with a program that is not properly working.

The largest ""CON"" for Thunderbird v2 is the poor spell checker, at least for English. It's algorithm for suggestions is very very poor. For example, it's suggestion list to replace ""Imedeately"", a simple misspelling of ""Immediately"", is (in this order): Inanimately, Animately, Temperately, Corporately, Regenerately, Philately's, Philately, Insensately, Sensately, and Intemperately. It never suggests anything close to the correct choice, ""Immediately"". This is such a common algorithm failure that the spell checked is of little use.

I know a few people using Thunderbird for PC and say it works great. So PC users may have better luck. I've been using Thunderbird for MAC for 2 months and need something better -- CONS: • slow -opening, downloading, & viewing Emails -AND SENDING!!! • Sorting - sorting emails by date....y bother trying? Emails don't get sorted properly. Recommend sticking w/MAC mail supplied w/your MAC, or finding another one....

While this is an otherwise amazing program, it has a longstanding major bug that makes it absolutely unusable if you need to receive regular large attachments. The program will often take enormous amounts of time to download when compared to other clients, and requires that file to re-download every single time that message is opened. When this is eventually fixed it will be the perfect client, but this bug goes beyond annoying to debilitating.

The reviewer who couldn't change fonts or insert a signature simply doesn't know how to use the program. To use HTML formatting (which allows use of any of your installed fonts at any size) Check Tools -> Account Settings -> Composition & Addressing -> Compose messages in HTML format for each account if it isn't already checked. Easy! HTML formatting will work for just about any email recipient and is the default setting. Firefox is super stable, too. Something else is causing your crashes. Better fix it. The first 2 reviewers are not knowledgeable. Firefox is the best email client available, and not just because it's free, stable, and secure.

Won't let you set your own font choices or size. Don't even try to set up a signature. Worst program of any type I've used. Not user friendly at all. Stay away.

I've used Thunderbird successfully for months, until the latest automatic update in November 2008. Thunderbird now fails to really close when it's closed, and it crashes my Intrnet connection. I have to reboot many times a day. The problem with this type of software is that there's no one to complain to! The hoops I'd have to jump through to file a Bugzilla report are more work than just ditching this software and installing something stable. There's no one who can troubleshoot or let me know if there's a workaround. Very frustrating, wish I'd never installed this hunk o' junk.