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Thunderbird for Windows on Exchange

Guide for installing and configuring Thunderbird to access SF State E-mail on Microsoft Exchange.

 

Prerequisites
     Obtain software
      Obtain account details
Configure Thunderbird
Using Thunderbird on Exchange
     Server-based e-mail
     Folders
   
 

Prerequisites

  • A computer running Microsoft Windows
  • A connection to the Internet
  • Mozilla Thunderbird software Version 2.0 or higher
  • Account details for your SF State e-mail account on the Exchange server

Obtain Software

Thunderbird is an open-source e-mail program and newsreader developed by the Mozilla Foundation. It is freely available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Mozilla Thunderbird can be downloaded from the Mozilla Website.

Obtain account details

  1. Login to SF State E-mail Account Services. (If you do not know your password, use the SF State password service.)
  2. Under Accounts (section 1) click your e-mail address.
  3. On the Account Details page note the following:   Account name, Forwards to, and Mail server.
  4. If you are currently forwarding your e-mail and would like to access it using Thunderbird, remove your e-mail forwarding address.
  5. If your Mail server is not exchange.sfsu.edu, you should first switch to Exchange.

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WARNING: Messages deleted in Thunderbird can not be retrieved from server backups.  

 

Install Thunderbird

Download the Setup File linked to in the Prerequisites section. Run the setup file once it is downloaded.

  1. At the Mozilla Thunderbird Welcome screen, select Next.

  2. Select "I Accept the terms of the License Agreement" then select Next.

  3. Select "Standard" then select Next.

  4. Leave the "Launch Mozilla Thunderbird Now" box selected. Select Finish.

  5. If the Import Wizard appears, make sure that "Don't import anything" is selected. Select Next.

  6. Thunderbird will open with the Account Wizard screen. Continue to step 2 of the Configure Thunderbird section to finish setting up your e-mail.

Configure Thunderbird

  1. Open Thunderbird. If this is a new e-mail account, then open the Account Wizard screen by selecting File > New > Account. If you already have Thunderbird configured to connect to your pre-Exchange server, proceed to step 10 to reconfigure Thunderbird.
    2. screen shot of Thunderbird opened and selection of the File menu, then selection of New on a new open menu and lastly Account selected on the final open menu
  2. Select Email account then select Next and continue to the next step. 
    3. New Account Setup. In order to receive messages, you first need to setup a mail account. Select the type of account you would like from the radio button choice below of Email account
  3. Enter your Name (e.g., Juana Doe) and e-mail address (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu). The e-mail Address is your accountname@sfsu.edu. Refer to the Prerequisites section if you do not know your Account Name. Select Next.
    4. Identity. Each account has an identity, which is the information that identifies you to others when they receive your messages. Enter the name you would like to appear in the FROM field of your outgoing messages (for example, Juana Doe). Enter your name in the first field. Enter your e-mail address. This is the address others will use to send e-mail to you (for example, jdoe@sfsu.edu). Enter your e-mail address in the second field.
  4. Select IMAP. Be sure IMAP is selected. Enter the name of your mail server in the Incoming Server (imaps.sfsu.edu) and Outgoing Server (smtps.sfsu.edu) boxes. Select Next.
    5. Server Info
  5. Leave the Incoming and Outgoing User Name field with the default value provided by Thunderbird. Select Next.
    6. Usernames
  6. Leave the account name field with the default value provided by Thunderbird. Select Next.
    7. Account Name
  7. Select Finish. Continue to the next step for additional settings required by your Account.
    8. Congrats
  8. If the Mail Server Password Required screen opens, select Cancel.

  9. With Thunderbird open, on the Menu bar, select Tools > Account Settings.
    10. File Acct Setting
  10. The Account Settings window will open. Select Server Settings.
    11.  
  11. Configure Server Settings:
    1. Verify server name: imaps.sfsu.edu
    2. Verify port number: 993
    3. Verify user name: jdoe@sfsu.edu
    4. Select SSL
      5. Server Settings
  12. Select Outgoing Server (SMTP) on the left sidebar and select Edit.
    13. SMTP Select
  13. Configure Outgoing Server Settings:
    1. Description:  Leave blank
    2. Server name:  smtps.sfsu.edu
    3. Change to port number: 587
    4. User Name: enter your full e-mail address (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu)
    5. Under Security and Authentication, check username and password
    6. Secure Connection: TLS
    7. Select OK to close the SMTP Server window.
      8. SMTP Settings
  14. Select OK to close the Account Settings window.

  15. To receive new e-mails in Thunderbird, select Get Mail then enter your password when prompted, and click OK.
    16. Get Mail
  16. Highlight your account name (e.g.,Juana Doe) from the folders list on the left.
    17. Highlight
  17. To begin adding your personal folders into your folders list, select File > Subscribe from the menu.
    18. File Subscribe
  18. Individually select the folders you wish to subscribe to from your current list of available personal folders.  Once all are selected, click on Subscribe, then select OK.
    19. Subscribe folders

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Using Thunderbird with Exchange

Server-based e-mail

The mailboxes and folders you see under your new account (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu Exchange) reside on the e-mail server, not on your computer.  As a result:

  • If you move a message from one of these folders to Trash on one computer, it will be in Trash on all computers you use to check e-mail.
  • Items are automatically deleted from Trash and the Exchange server two weeks after being moved to trash.
  • Once a message is deleted from the server it is not easy to have it restored.  It is impossible after thirty days.
  • If you want to delete specific messages from the server, but keep them locally on your computer, copy them to a subfolder under the On My Computer account before deleting them from your Exchange account. 
  • The time it takes to refresh a folder on the server increases with the number of messages in the folder.  To minimize refresh time, try to keep the number of messages in any folder below 400.  The Inbox on the server is refreshed every time your e-mail program checks for new messages, so it is especially important to keep the number of messages in the Inbox low.

Folders

  • Your new account uses the Inbox found under your new account (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu Exchange.
  • The Trash folder under your new account (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu Exchange) will contain any messages deleted from your new Inbox.
  • The Sent folder under your new account (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu Exchange) will contain any new messages sent from your account.
  • To permanently remove messages marked as deleted, right-click on the Trash folder, and then select Empty trash in the menu list.
  • NOTE: Messages deleted in Thunderbird are NOT recoverable.

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