Setting up Thunderbird — Windows, macOS, Linux

Thunderbird is identical across platforms — what works on Windows works on macOS and Linux too. So the steps are the same for all three. We show the current version (Thunderbird 115+).

Thunderbird is free at thunderbird.net. On Linux usually also straight from the package manager (apt install thunderbird on Debian/Ubuntu, dnf install thunderbird on Fedora, etc.).

Prerequisites

• Thunderbird installed
• Mailbox exists
• App password, if 2FA is active

Creating the first account — auto-configuration

Thunderbird has a very good auto-configuration dialog. In 95% of cases that’s all you need.

1. Open Thunderbird.
2. On first start: the account setup dialog appears automatically. Otherwise: Account Actions → New Account → Email Account.
3. Fill in the fields:

Field	Value
Your name	display name (“Firstname Lastname”)
Email address	your full mail address
Password	mailbox / app password
Remember password	enable

4. Click Continue. Thunderbird queries autoconfig.thunderbird.net and our Mailcow autodiscover records — it usually finds the server data automatically.

5. Thunderbird shows the suggested values:

   • Incoming server: IMAP, mail.xaweho.de, 993, SSL/TLS
   • Outgoing server: SMTP, mail.xaweho.de, 587, STARTTLS
   • Username: full mail address

6. Done. Thunderbird tests the connection and creates the account.

Manual configuration

If auto-configuration doesn’t work out:

1. In the account setup dialog: Configure manually.
2. Enter the fields:

Incoming:

Field	Value
Protocol	IMAP
Server	mail.xaweho.de
Port	993
SSL/TLS	SSL/TLS
Authentication	normal password
Username	full mail address

Outgoing:

Field	Value
Server	mail.xaweho.de
Port	587
Connection security	STARTTLS
Authentication	normal password
Username	full mail address

3. Re-test. When all three checkmarks are green: Done.

POP3 instead of IMAP

If you want POP3 (mail stored locally only, deleted from the server): in the manual configuration, pick POP3 as the protocol, port 995, SSL/TLS.

Thunderbird handles POP3 just like IMAP. We recommend IMAP though — same state on all devices, less data risk.

Hooking up SOGo calendar and contacts

Thunderbird speaks CalDAV and CardDAV — you get SOGo calendars and contacts integrated directly.

Calendar

1. Open Calendar (tab or its own window, depending on version).
2. File → New → Calendar → On the Network.
3. Choose CalDAV.
4. Fields:
   • Address: https://mail.xaweho.de/SOGo/dav/<your-mail-address>/Calendar/
   • Credentials: full mail address + password
5. Continue → the calendar shows up.

You can add as many further calendars as you like — say shared calendars or subscriptions.

Address book

In Thunderbird 102+, CardDAV is native:

1. Open the address book → File → New → CardDAV Address Book.
2. Server URL: https://mail.xaweho.de/SOGo/dav/<your-mail-address>/AddressBook/
3. Log in.
4. Show available address books — select.

The address book syncs both ways — new contacts from Thunderbird land in SOGo, and vice versa.

Exporting / importing a Thunderbird profile

If you want an identical setup on a second machine:

Exporting the profile

Thunderbird has no built-in export. Manually:

1. Close Thunderbird.
2. Find the folder:
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles\<profilname>
   • macOS: ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/<profilname>
   • Linux: ~/.thunderbird/<profilname> or ~/.mozilla-thunderbird/<profilname>
3. Zip the entire profile folder.

Importing the profile

On the target machine:

1. Install Thunderbird, but don’t start it yet.
2. Unpack the ZIP into the corresponding profile path of the target system.
3. Start Thunderbird with the profile manager:
   • Windows: thunderbird.exe -p
   • macOS: /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird -P
   • Linux: thunderbird -P
4. Pick the imported profile in the profile manager.

Or simpler: Thunderbird lists the “profile folder” path under Help → Troubleshooting Information. Swap the contents right there.

Careful: profiles are version-specific. Profiles from Thunderbird 102 usually work in Thunderbird 115+, but it’s not guaranteed. On a major-version jump, better set things up fresh.

Linux-specific notes

Package-manager versions: distros sometimes ship old Thunderbird versions. Get the current version straight from thunderbird.net as a tarball or Flatpak.

System theme: on some Linux DEs (KDE, GNOME), Thunderbird looks off due to theme mismatches. Fix: pick a consistent theme in Settings → General → Fonts & Colors.

Native notifications: works well on GNOME, sometimes not on KDE. When in doubt: Settings → Notifications → Use system notifications.

macOS-specific notes

Sequoia strictness: from macOS Sequoia (15) on, you have to explicitly authorize Thunderbird on first start in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

Keyboard shortcuts: Thunderbird doesn’t adopt all Mac standards. If you’re used to them, switch to the Mac scheme in Settings → General → Input scheme.

Plugins / add-ons

Thunderbird is extensible. Popular plugins:

• Thunderbird Conversations: mail as conversation threads (like Gmail).
• Quicktext: text snippets as templates.
• CardBook: better address-book features, if the built-in CardDAV isn’t enough.
• Lightning (already built into 115+): calendar — in case it’s missing.

Frequently asked questions

“Wrong password” — even though I typed it correctly. With 2FA active you need an app password, not the main password. See App passwords.

Auto-setup shows wrong server values. Rare; can happen when the autoconfig lookup hits an old cache. Fix: configure manually with the correct values.

Mail comes in, but sending fails. Check the SMTP configuration: port 587, STARTTLS, password authentication. If it persists: in Account Settings → Outgoing Server → <server> → Edit, verify that “Normal password” authentication is selected.

Thunderbird is slow. Often caused by very large folders (>10,000 mails) or a broken index. Fix: open Help → Troubleshooting Information → Profile folder, close Thunderbird, delete the global-messages-db.sqlite file — Thunderbird rebuilds it on the next start. Takes 5–15 minutes for a big mailbox.

Thunderbird crashes when opening an attachment. Known bug in some versions with large attachments. Fix: update to the latest Thunderbird version. If need be, open the attachment in webmail (SOGo).

How do I back up my Thunderbird mail? With IMAP: the mail is on the server anyway. A local backup would only be cache. With POP3: back up the profile folder (see above).

Multiple mailboxes in parallel? Yes, as many accounts as you like. Overview in the left column of the main window.

Does Thunderbird work with Exchange/ActiveSync? The question doesn’t come up with us: we don’t offer ActiveSync. With IMAP/SMTP (mail) and CalDAV/CardDAV (calendar and contacts, see above), Thunderbird covers everything our Mailcow does.

What’s next

• Setting up Outlook for Windows
• SOGo calendar — events and sharing
• Server data reference