Obtain, install and configure Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, open-source, cross-platform mail client for most operating systems including, but not limited to, Windows, Linux and Macintosh.
Obtain a copy of Thunderbird
Download the current version of Thunderbird from the Mozilla web site: Mozilla web site
Install and configure Thunderbird
Installation is easy. Your browser will ask you where to save the downloaded file, and the easiest thing is to save it on your desktop. Most of you will already have an older version of Thunderbird in use on your PC or Mac. If this is the case, Thunderbird will take your settings from the previous version. If you are installing Thunderbird for the first time, and you have problems following the set up instructions linked to below, please contact the Helpdesk for assistance
N.B. Certain features are turned ON by default in Thunderbird. In order that Thunderbird can operate efficiently with our email system, there are a couple of settings which should be changed prior to using the application:
Turn off Global Search and Indexer
PC
Tools Menu > Options > Advanced > General > Enable Global Search and Indexer > untick
Mac
Preferences > Advanced icon > Enable Global Search and Indexer > untick
Turn off Local Folder copies
PC
Tools Menu > Account Settings > choose any imap account > Synchronization & Storage > Message Synchronizing > untick
Mac
Tools > Account Settings > Synchronization and Storage > Message Synchronizing > Keep messages for this account on this computer > untick
Installing/upgrading Thunderbird on a PC
When downloading is finished, simply double-click the installation file, and you can then go through the installation process.
Installing/upgrading Thunderbird on a Mac
Open the newly-downloaded dmg file and drag the Thunderbird icon to your Applications folder. When the file has copied over, open the Applications folder and drag the Thunderbird program file onto your dock.