What is Mozilla Thunderbird?

Mozilla Thunderbird is a free and open platform to manage multiple emails in one platform or one PC. It is launched by Mozilla Foundation in the year 2004. It is a desktop-based email client that stores emails in MBOX file format. It runs on various operating systems like Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. Thunderbird saves its data in local drive –

C:\Users\admin\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\gtj37ogy.default\Mail\email1.xyz.in"

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Features of Thunderbird Email Client

• User Interface: Simple handling interface. You can change the look of the interface with thousands of places, tattoos, etc.
• Email account setup: It provides you the facility to manage email accounts with POP3, IMAP, and SSL/TLS.
• Address book: Provides easy access to address book to add or edit contacts.
• Multiple chat: You can choose multiple chat options like Facebook, Google Talk, Twitter, IRC, etc. with Thunderbird.
• Multiple email tabs: You can get a separate tab for managing multiple emails with Thunderbird.
• Search: Easy search options are provided by Thunderbird. It redirects you to web browser.
• Quick filters: You can filter your emails according to the email address, sender address, etc.
• Archive: You can easily save emails in an archive folder without deleting and appearing in Inbox.
• File management: Easy uploading of large files on the web storage site.
• Add-ons: Thunderbird provides direct add-ons. You don’t need to visit a website for add-ons.
• Spam filters: Junk mail filters are provided by Thunderbird that filter your Inbox and directly send them into the spam folder.
• Customize email address: It provides you the facility to customize your email addresses for receiving and sending emails.
• Open platform: It is an open-source platform. You can run it on various OS like Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.
• Set Privacy: Users can set privacy settings and block remote images.

Protocols used by Thunderbird

POP – Basic protocol for email retrieval.

IMAP – default protocol for fetching messages

LDAP – Address completion

S/MIME – Provides email encryption and signing

OpenPGP - supported through extensions like Enigmail

Pros of Thunderbird Mail Client

• Open-source and customizable application
• Smart searches, tabbed email browsing, etc. features to organize your messages

Cons of Thunderbird Mail Client

• It is a desktop-based application and can’t synchronize directly with mobile devices.
• It is not a highly secure email client

Comparison of Thunderbird with Outlook

Features	Thunderbird	Outlook
Platform	Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, & BSD	Windows and Mac OS
USB portable for file transfer	Yes	No
Sharing profile between Windows & Linux	Yes	No
Network News Transfer Protocol	Supported	Not Supported
Usenet News Reader	Supported	Not supported
Localization	53 languages	96 languages
MS Exchange Server Protocol	Yes	Supported
Email merge	Yes	Yes
Follow up attribute	No	Yes (Don’t reply, Don’t forward)
File Types	Txt, PDF	Txt, PDF, DOC
Email Category	No	Yes
View more than one calendar	No	Yes
Automatic add contact to address book	Yes	No
Attach files to contact	No	Yes
Email Voting	No	Yes
Task	Yes	Yes
RSS Feed	Yes	Yes
Store multiple phone no.	No	Yes
Network News Transfer Protocol	Supported	Not supported
Smart Folder	Supported	Not supported
Encrypt Email	Not supported	Supported
Cloud version	Not supported	Supported
File TypesSeparation of Files and Data	Supported	Supported

Conclusion

After reading this article, you can easily know what Mozilla Thunderbird is. We have also discussed the comparison between Mozilla Thunderbird and Outlook. You can easily analyze both the email clients and choose them. The main difference is Thunderbird is free but Outlook is paid. Also, Thunderbird manages multiple accounts and access emails when you are offline however Outlook provides facility to manage your emails from a mail server.