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When I select a group of emails, TB often opens them all at once.

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  • Last reply by Edmund

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I wish to delete a large group of emails (~20). They are usually spam or worse. I certainly do not wish to open them due to security concerns. So I mark one at the end of the group and then hold the shift key down and try to mark the email at the other end of the group---so as to delete them all. But instead, when I click on the top email, the entire group of emails are opened at once. Then I have to close each one separately, and try again. It usually works the second time. Help? Thanks,

I wish to delete a large group of emails (~20). They are usually spam or worse. I certainly do not wish to open them due to security concerns. So I mark one at the end of the group and then hold the shift key down and try to mark the email at the other end of the group---so as to delete them all. But instead, when I click on the top email, the entire group of emails are opened at once. Then I have to close each one separately, and try again. It usually works the second time. Help? Thanks,

Chosen solution

I've just done some testing to find out how you managed to open all the selected emails.

I've managed to replicate this but only when I do the following.

  • Close Message Pane so nothing selected is opened.
  • Left click on one email
  • Hold down 'Shift'
  • Double click on last email in batch.

Result: all selected emails open in new tabs.

So, it would seem you are double clicking on the last selected email. Perhaps you feel you are doing a single click, but you are not doing it all the time, hence why sometimes it works and other times it does not. Maybe the click is held down a bit longer and triggers that signal.

Your keyboard and mouse send specific signals to your computer, the computer then acts accordingly depending upon the received signal. Computer perceives a double click and in Thunderbird that means open the selected emails.

Suggest you check the double click speed of your mouse.

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Chosen Solution

I've just done some testing to find out how you managed to open all the selected emails.

I've managed to replicate this but only when I do the following.

  • Close Message Pane so nothing selected is opened.
  • Left click on one email
  • Hold down 'Shift'
  • Double click on last email in batch.

Result: all selected emails open in new tabs.

So, it would seem you are double clicking on the last selected email. Perhaps you feel you are doing a single click, but you are not doing it all the time, hence why sometimes it works and other times it does not. Maybe the click is held down a bit longer and triggers that signal.

Your keyboard and mouse send specific signals to your computer, the computer then acts accordingly depending upon the received signal. Computer perceives a double click and in Thunderbird that means open the selected emails.

Suggest you check the double click speed of your mouse.

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You have solved the problem! My mouse had a dirty switch or else it vibrated and sent a double-click sometimes. Thanks very much.