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Thunderbird FAQ

Thunderbird FAQ

Owned by Jeremy Paje
Last updated: Apr 11, 2010 by Aakash ShahVersion comment

Address Book:  How do I search the UCI Phone Directory for Phone numbers?

  1. Click the "Address Book" button.
  2. Click once on "UCI Phone Book" to highlight it.
  3. *Type in the person's last name at the top right corner and hit your enter key to search.  *Note:  Users listed in the directory with middle initials may not show up.  However, you may search with wildcards (example.  Jenn* Goodman for Jennifer D. Goodman)  You may then highlight the name to show detailed info below.

E-mail Messages:

Messages:  How to fix blank or incorrect messages in a mailbox

Problem:  Blank messages appearing in In Mailbox or other Thunderbird mailboxes. 

Solution: 

  1. In Thunderbird, Point to "Inbox" (or any other affected mailbox) and click the right mouse button.
  2. Click "Properties"
  3. Click the button that says, "Rebuild Index" (See picture below)

Messages:  Highlighting an e-mail immediately marks it as read.  How do I fix this?

  1. Click Tools > Options.  Click the Advanced button.  Click the "General" tab.
  2. Check the box that says "Wait ____  seconds before marking as read.  Increase the seconds to something high (ex.  300) if you don't want it to be marked as read immediately.

Messages:  Images are not displaying in my e-mail. 

  1. Click the "Load Images" button towards the top of the e-mail window.
  2. You may also click "Click here to always load remote images" from "emailaddress@..." to avoid having to click that button in the future.

E-mail Quotas: 

Is there a limit/quota for how much e-mail I can store?

Answer:  Yes.  You have a 500MB limit to store on the imap server.  You will receive a warning by e-mail when you reach 80% of your quota.  If you reach your 500MB limit, YOU WILL NOT be able to RECEIVE or SEND e-mail.  You may check your quota by signing in to webmail.uci.edu or going to "My E-mail Options at NACS' website http://www.nacs.uci.edu/email/options/index.html

What is the difference between IMAP Folders vs Local Folders?

IMAP folders

  • 500MB quota.  There are plans to increase IMAP quota in the near future to 1GB.
  • Stored on IMAP Server = visible both in Thunderbird AND in http://webmail.uci.edu.

Local Folders

  • *No Quota at this time (*Subject to change)
  • Stored in your My documents\thunderbird_mail directory and will only be visible in Thunderbird. (not webmail)

    I've reached my quota.  What do I do?

  1. You may delete e-mails no longer needed, or drag old e-mails down to your local folders.  Remember all IMAP folders (inbox, sent, etc) count towards your quota.
  2. If you delete e-mails, be sure to empty the trash and compact your mailbox to get the space back.
    1. To Empty Trash:
      1. Right Click on "Trash"  Click "Empty Trash"
    2. To compact Mailbox:
      1. Right Click "Inbox" (any mailbox you wish to compact)
      2. Click "Compact"
  3. You may re-check how much space you are using by going to: http://www.nacs.uci.edu/email/options/index.html.

Signatures:  How to create a Signature in Thunderbird

  1. In Thunderbird, select "Write" as if you are composing a new e-mail.
  2. Instead of writing in a normal e-mail, type in the signature you want.
  3. Click the Save Button on your main toolbar and Save As a file.
  4.  
  5. Save your signatures in a place you'll remember with a name you'll remember.  Example:
  6.  
  7. Next, Click Tools>Account Settings. Then click your e-mail address on the left side to bring up the account settings.
  8. Make sure the Attach this signature check box is checked, then click on the choose button and locate your signature to apply it.
  10. You're done!

Search feature:  It appears I can only search for e-mails in one mailbox at a time.  How do I search multiple mailboxes at once?

  1. Instead of using the find box in the top right corner of thunderbird, use the advanced find feature...
    1.  In Thunderbird, click Edit > Find > Search Messages (CRTL+SHIFT+F)
    2. Select the top level of folders you'd like to search in.
    3. Check the "Search subfolders" box to search all subfolders.
    4. Specify your search criteria.

Sorting:  How to sort by unread messages or message with attachments?

  1. Select View > Toolbars > Customize (to bring up the customize toolbar window)
  3. In the Customize Toolbar Window, Find the icon titled "Mail Views." 
  4. Drag and drop the icon onto a blank space on the Thunderbird toolbar.  Available space will be highlighted in white.  Click "OK" to exit the Customize Toolbar window.
  5. Choose "Unread" from the "Mail Views" drop-down menu to automatically sort your e-mail by unread status.
  7. You may customize the menu by adding options such as displaying unread message from the last few days or viewing unread messages that have attachments or from a certain person. 

Spam Filters/Vacation Message:  How do I set my spam filters and/or vacation message?

  1. Log on to NACS' "My E-mail Options" website to set up your vacation message or spam filters.
    1. https://webmail.uci.edu