How do I setup my email in Thunderbird?

These instructions apply to the current Thunderbird client on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Using IMAP for the connection type.

Before you begin

You'll need the following details.

Setting Information needed
Email address Your complete email address
Username Your complete email address
Password Your mailbox password
Incoming server mail.1stdomain.co.nz
IMAP port Commonly 993
IMAP security Usually SSL/TLS
Outgoing server mail.1stdomain.co.nz
SMTP port Commonly 465 or 587
SMTP security Usually SSL/TLS or STARTTLS

Add the account

  1. Open Thunderbird.
  2. Click the Application menu ☰ in the upper-right corner.
  3. Select New Account, then Existing Email.

    On a new installation, Thunderbird may open the account setup screen automatically.

  4. Enter:
    • Your full name: The name recipients will see
    • Email address: Your complete email address
    • Password: Your email password or app-specific password
  5. Leave Remember password selected if this is a private computer.
  6. Click Continue.

Thunderbird will search its configuration database for the correct server settings.

Check the detected settings

Thunderbird should display the incoming and outgoing server information. 

  1. Select IMAP

    IMAP is normally recommended because it synchronizes messages and folders across your computers, phones, and webmail.

  2. Check that the displayed server names match those in the table above.
  3. Click Done.
  4. If a provider sign-in page appears, enter your account credentials and select Allow or Accept to authorize Thunderbird.

Thunderbird will begin downloading your folders and message headers. A large mailbox can take some time to synchronize.

Manual configuration

If Thunderbird cannot find the settings, or the detected settings are incorrect, click Manual configuration.

Enter the same settings from the above table. 

After entering the settings:

  1. Click Re-test.
  2. Confirm that Thunderbird reports the settings as valid.
  3. Click Done.
  4. Complete any provider authorization screen that appears.

Mozilla provides additional detail in its Manual Account Configuration guide.

Test the account

Once setup is complete:

  1. Click Get Messages and confirm that mail arrives.
  2. Send a test message to another address.
  3. Reply to that message.
  4. Confirm that sent messages appear in the Sent folder.

Get in touch

For any additional help, give us a call on 0800 2000 24 (+6439629520) (8AM to 6PM, Monday to Friday).

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