Configure Your Email in Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, open-source email client that works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It offers excellent support for IMAP accounts and is a great alternative to paid email clients.
Automatic Configuration
Thunderbird often detects email settings automatically. When you add a new account, it will attempt to find the correct server settings. If it does, simply confirm and you are done. If auto-detection fails, follow the manual setup below.
Manual Setup Steps
- Open Thunderbird and go to Account Settings (from the hamburger menu or Tools menu).
- Click Account Actions at the bottom left and select Add Mail Account.
- Enter your full name, email address, and password. Click Configure manually.
- Set the Incoming protocol to IMAP, hostname to
mail.yourdomain.co.uk, port 993, and SSL to SSL/TLS. - Set the Outgoing hostname to
mail.yourdomain.co.uk, port 465, and SSL to SSL/TLS. - For both incoming and outgoing, set Authentication to Normal password.
- Set the Username for both to your full email address.
- Click Re-test to verify the settings, then click Done.
Recommended Settings
- Use IMAP to keep your mail synchronised across all your devices.
- Enable SSL/TLS for both incoming and outgoing connections for security.
- Set Thunderbird to check for new messages every 5 minutes for a good balance between responsiveness and server load.
- Under Copies & Folders, ensure sent messages are stored on the server so they appear across all devices.
Importing Existing Mail
If you are switching from another client, Thunderbird supports importing mail from Outlook and other clients through its import wizard. Go to Tools > Import to get started.