Connecting Thunderbird Email

Earlier in the week, I showed you how to download and install the great, free email client, Thunderbird. (click here to read that.) You can use Thunderbird with any email address you want. Let’s look at how to get connected. Start by opening Thunderbird.

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Click the File menu at the top and select Existing Mail Account from the drop-down menu. You can use any of your current email address (or all of them) with Thunderbird.

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If you choose Get a new email account, Firefox can connect you with several paid email services and offer you a custom address in a wide variety of price ranges. I’d suggest just sticking with the email address you’re currently using. If you want a new email address, you can get a free one from Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, or your ISP.

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To add an existing account, type in your name, email address, and password. Then click Continue.

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You’ll have the choice between IMAP and POP3. Most email services like Outlook.com, Yahoo, and Gmail should be easy to set up this way. Hit Done once you’ve added the information. You should be able just to enter the address and password to connect.

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You’ll be asked to provide the required permissions for Thunderbird to access your account to download copies of emails.

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If you can’t connect automatically, you’ll need to select Manual Configuration. You’ll have to check with your ISP for the proper configurations. You can get this information from your ISP’s customer service or from their website. Or, if you’re already using an email client like Live Mail, just check the settings from that program.

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Once you’ve added an account, Thunderbird will start retrieving your email.

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You can see here, that Thunderbird imported the folders I already had set up for my Gmail account.

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You can repeat these steps to add other accounts. You can switch between accounts by clicking on them.

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