Thunderbird 78.0 is a major release which will replace the current stable branch, Thunderbird 68.x, in the future. But users should also be aware that from version 78 Thunderbird will only support MailExtensions. So check with add-on developers to check they’ve been updated to ensure they’ll continue working.
What’s new in Thunderbird 78.0
The new release opens with a brand-new Account Hub, a central portal for setting up accounts. This is accompanied by a redesigned Account Settings section, which resides on its own tab and like other aspects of Thunderbird, has been redesigned along similar lines to Firefox’s recent updates.
New Account Central
Built-in End-to-End Encryption in Thunderbird 78.2
End-to-End encryption was possible in Thunderbird with the help of an add-on. Now it’s going to be the part of the core in 78.2 version to be released in a few months.
Dark Mode
Thunderbird’s new Dark Mode is easier on the eyes for those working in the dark. The Dark Mode even works when writing and reading emails. Therefore you are not suddenly blinded while you work. Thunderbird will look at your operating system settings to see if you have enabled dark mode OS-wide and respect those settings.
So if you have the option to enable dark mode in the operating system, or your system theme is dark, it will respect that mode.
Multiple Email Addresses per field
Previous versions of Thunderbird support one email address per field in the To, CC, and BCC fields. Therefore if you send an email to several recipients, you need to create fields for each of them as you cannot just add multiple to the same line.
Thunderbird 78 supports adding multiple recipients to each of the recipient fields. So, you don’t need to resize the interface constantly to fit all email addresses on the screen and have enough space to write the message.
Compose Window Redesign
The compose window has been reworked. As a result it help users find features more easily and to make composing a message faster and more straightforward. The compose window now also takes up less space with recipients listed in “pills” instead of an entire line for every address.
Other improvements
- You can now select multiple messages by enabling a seperate column of checkboxes
- Global search option available under App menu -> Find
- Color customization of Folder Pane icons
- Preferences to disable OpenPGP functionality
- Delete column option has been added to the thunderbird. By enabling the ‘Delete’ column, you can delete messages without having to open them
Install Thunderbird 78.0
In addition, update to Thunderbird 78 is not yet available from repositories. So you will have to wait for the current installation to receive the update. But you can download Thunderbird 78 from the website and use it.
