Help received here is NOT dependent on a donation. People here share knowledge and help as they are able and have time available.

Can you check a setting, please?

Hamburger (top right)/Settings/Scroll down to 'Date and Time Formatting'

Is 'Regional Settings Locale' selected?

If it isn't, select it.

If it is, select the other option, then shut down TB and relaunch.

Then select it. Shut down TB and re-launch.

Frisee

Thank you very much indeed for your very prompt and helpful response.

Firstly I apologise for raising the subject of a donation. However it is my intention to make one once I can firmly chuck Microsoft Outlook into the dustbin.

Thank you for your advice. I was gormless in not considering the aspect of the region in the settings (not account settings). There are two options in my downloaded version 126.5.2esr 64 bit version under 'time and date formatting': Application locale: English (United Kingdom) Regional settings locale: English (United Kingdom)

The first of these two options was selected before your reply. Changing it to the second appears to have changed the time of all emails today to the correct UK time. However, as I have changed the format on my inbox, and other screens, to show the time as well as the date on all historic emails I ran 'repair file' in the anticipation that it would change the time to UK time of all historic emails so that they would all be in order, but it has not. They are all still jumbled within the date. Any suggestions of how I can resolve this

Also it would help my understanding of the program if you can explain the difference between the two options under time and date formatting, it might help if there was an explanation alongside these two options.

With my thanks again for your help.

'Application Locale' should say 'United States'. I assume because that's where the Application comes from. I don't know. But it was clear that Time set to the US wasn't what you wanted - which is why I suggested that you change it to your Region.

The new problem you have, you may have to live with. I would guess that the emails are time-stamped when they come in and are added to the data file. That's a complete guess, of course. I assume that you close TB and re-started it?

Your statement about the emails being 'jumbled within the date' make me think that I haven't understood your problem. Are you saying that the dates are out of order? Click on the 'Date' Header to organise them in either ascending or descending date order.

Frisbee

Thank you for your very prompt reply.

I am sorry I was not clear about the order in which emails are listed, and on looking at it again it has just dawned on me on what is happening. Thunderbird is using the 12 hour clock, am and pm so am emails are listed and then pm emails and which gives the somewhat 'jumbled' listing. The listing does not show the suffix am or pm.

I have looked back on my outlook program and that uses the 24 hour clock so it is obvious when an email was sent or received.

Either I need it to show am or pm after the time or for it to use the 24 hour clock.

Have you any idea how I can achieve either of these, preferably the 24 hour clock as outlook uses?

Regards and thanks again.

I would assume that that's a Windows Setting that Thunderbird is using. To change Windows+I/Time and Language/Language and Region/Regional Format/Change Formats And then alter as required. The alterations span all of Windows, including the time in the System Tray

You can do a local change for Thunderbird by following this article: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/customize-date-time-formats-thunderbird#w_create-date-and-time-format-override-preferences-using-thunderbirds-config-editor

Frizee

Thank you for your prompt response as always.

Problem solved! My system time was correct so I then started to look at the time format which I had set using config editor and the Mozilla article at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/customize-date-time-formats-thunderbird#w_create-date-and-time-format-override-preferences-using-thunderbirds-config-editor

I used the article mentioned within the above article on unicode time formats (very complicated but all you need at the end of the day are the listed format combinations) and find that instead of using 'HH:mm' for the time in 24 hours I had used 'hh:mm' which gave the 12 hour time. So a long saga now resolved.

I am sorry for the time that you have had to spend on this but you did give me the clue which finally allowed the penny to drop and for which I am extremely grateful.

Best wishes and thanks again.