Using Thunderbird

Thunderbird is a free and open-source email client developed by Mozilla. It allows you to manage multiple email accounts from your desktop, supporting protocols like IMAP, POP3, and SMTP. Thunderbird can be used to: read and send emails, manage multiple accounts, organize emails into folders, work offline with cached messages, and use calander and task add-ons.

Step 1: Install Thunderbird

sudo yum update
sudo yum install thunderbird

Step 2: Enable IMAP in Gmail

Starting January 2025, the option to choose “Enable IMAP” or “Disable IMAP” won’t be available. IMAP access is always turned on in Gmail, and your current connections to other email clients aren’t affected. You don’t need to take any action.

Step 3: Add Gmail Account to Thunderbird

  1. Open Thunderbird.

  2. Go to Account Settings->Add Mail Account, or use Thunderbirds startup wizard.

  3. Enter your:

    • Name

    • Email

    • Password

  4. Click Continue, Thunderbird will auto-detect Gmail settings.

  5. Click Done. If prompted to sign in via your browser, follow the Google sign-in process.

Step 4: Test Your Setup

  • Confirm that Thunderbird shows your Gmail inbox.

  • Send a test email to verify outgoing email works.

  • Thunderbird will sync folders.

Optional Configuration

  • Use filters and folders to sort emails

  • Add the Lightning calendar add-on

  • Adjust sync settings to reduce disk usage

  • Backup profile using Thunderbird’s profile manager

Resources