Configuring Thunderbird for Zimbra

Mozilla Thunderbird is currently the recommended mail client for use at SOE.

In the toolbar, select Tools, then select Account Settings. This will open a window with navigational links on the left and account information on the right. If there are no accounts listed on the left, select Add Account. This will open the Account Wizard.

At the first step, select e-mail account and click next.

The next step will prompt you for your full name and your SOE e-mail address (ie. username@soe.ucsc.edu). After filling it out, click next.

The next step asks for server information; select the button for IMAP and in the field Incoming Server, type zimbra.soe.ucsc.edu. Click next.

The next step asks for your incoming user name; this is the same SOE user name as in your e-mail address. Click next.

The next step asks for the Account Name. This is the name of the account in Thunderbird's account manager. It can be whatever you wish. Click next.

You will now be shown a summary of the information you have entered. It should look something like this:

Account Name: username@soe.ucsc.edu
Email Address: username@soe.ucsc.edu
Incoming Server Type: IMAP
Incoming User Name: username
Incoming Server Name: zimbra.soe.ucsc.edu
Connection Security: SSL/TLS (Port 993)
Authentication method: Normal password
Outgoing User Name: username
Outgoing Server Name (SMTP): zimbra.soe.ucsc.edu
Connection Security: SSL/TLS (Port 465)
Authentication method: Normal password

If you have not been prompted to fill out an SMTP server, it is because there is already an entry in Thunderbird's Account Settings which is automatically used as the default. So, to make sure the SMTP server is set correctly, go back to Tools -> Account Settings. On the left, select the Outgoing Server text and then edit the highlighted entry. A window titled SMTP Server will appear. In this window, you need to provide a few things: fill out server name as zimbra.soe.ucsc.edu and check the box for Security and Authentication. Input your user name and then click the button for SSL. This ensures your e-mail is encrypted when it is sent.

Now that the SMTP server is properly configured and is using encryption, it is time to make sure you are using encryption when Thunderbird receives mail. Again, select Tools -> Account Settings. On the left, under the account you wish to use encryption, select Server Settings. You will see an area on the right of the window called Security Settings. Click the button for SSL.

That's it. Try to receive new mail and send mail (a good way to do both at once is e-mail yourself) to make sure the settings are functioning.

How to turn off 5 threads:

  1. Go to Tools -> Account Settings -> Server Settings -> Advanced
  2. Make sure IMAP server directory says ~/Mail
  3. Under "Maximum number of server connections to cache" fill in 1.

How to show folder sizes:

  1. First go to Tools -> Options -> Advanced ->General Settings,and check the box for Show expanded columns in the folder pane
  2. Click OK. This will cause a small drop-down marker to appear in the top-right corner of the folders pane.
  3. By clicking on this drop-down marker, you can then select Unread, Total, and/or Size to be displayed.

How to Archive:

  1. Create a new folder in Local Folders and call it "Archive".
  2. Go to the "Edit" menu and choose "Find -> Search Messages..."
  3. Where it says "Search for messages in", select "choose this folder" for the account whose messages you want to archive. If you are using Thunderbird's Global Inbox with multiple POP accounts, you can select Local Folders as the account.
  4. Make sure that the checkbox for "Search subfolders" is checked.
  5. Define the search criteria as "Age in Days is greater than 90" (or however many days you want).
  6. Click the "Search" button. The list of "old" messages will appear in the lower pane.
  7. Select all messages listed in the search results, and use the "File" button to move them all to the "Archive" folder you created in step 1.
  8. If you have more than one mail account that you want to archive, repeat the above steps for each additional account. (If all your accounts are using the Global Inbox, you will not need to repeat the above steps.)