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  • Install Thunderbird.

  • Set up accounts

    • Add email account with IMP/POP3 server and SMTP server.
    • Add sigunature, reply-to address, organization.
  • Account settings (Edit > Settings (Linux), Tools > Account Settings (macOS))

    • Server Settings: set emails to be checked sufficiently frequently, e.g. every 2 minute for work-related accounts.
    • Copies & Folders: set sent emails to be bcc-ed to oneself for the purpose of verifying successful sending.
    • Composition & Addressing: choose "place my signature below my reply", Add LDAP address server.
    • Junk Settings: disable "adaptive junk mail controls for this account";
  • Preferences (Edit > Preferences (Linux), Thunderbird > Preferences (macOS)):

    • Display:
      • Add tags: 'ToDo', 'ToLearn', 'ToDelete'.
      • Formatting:
        • Proportional: serif;
        • Size: 24;
        • Use UTF-8 as default character encodings for incoming and outgoing emails;
        • Check "When possible, use the default character encoding in replies";
    • Advanced:
      • Reading & Display: Automatically mark messages as read after reading for 2 seconds.
  • Set up message filters.

    • Ideally recover them from a backup using the add-on "Thunderbird Message Filter Import/Export Enhanced", or
    • Re-create them manually following a previously made note of what they were and how they were set up.
  • Set up saved search folders. Ideally recover them from a backup or a note of what they were and how they were set up.

  • Install add-ons

    • Enigmail
    • Expression Search/Google Mail UI
    • Extra Folder Columns
    • Lightning, connect to Zimbra Calendar
    • Markdown Here
    • Thunderbird Message Filter Import/Export Enhanced
    • TT DeepDark theme
  • Set up calendars, the Today Pane

  • Set up contacts, contact groups.

  • Set up address book. Restore the address book 'Personal Address Book' data by importing previously backed up address book data, using the menu item Window > Address Book (macOS) Tools > Import

    ... (Linux).

  • Set up personal dictionary.

    • Navigate to the profile directory (~/.thunderbird/XXX/ for Linux and ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/XXX/ for macOS);
    • Create a symbolic link from a back-up personal dictionary data file persdict.dat to this path. C.f. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Dictionaries#Personal_dictionary
  • Profile directory and data

C.f. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder-Thunderbird

All the emails data, message filters, and some other configuration data are saved in the Thunderbird profile directory (~/.thunderbird for Linux and ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/).

Sometimes data can be recovered from using the profile directory and data from some other computer.

  • Open the frequently viewed folders as their own "sticky" tabs.
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