So you reply. The old message's text appears. You are free to place the cursor ''anywhere ''you want. Left to itself, Thunderbird will place the cursor below previous text, honouring an old convention named "bottom-posting". If used consistently, this means that a message reads in on orderly logical fashion, from top to bottom. Each successive addition is a reply or response to what has gone before. Modern style is to "top-post", where the message order is reversed and the newest item appears at the top. This is convenient on smaller displays such as tablets and phones, and is the default in Microsoft's email products. It means you don't have to scroll down to find the newest bit. To make Thunderbird set the cursor for top-posting, go to '''[http://kb.mozillazine.org/Menu_differences_in_Windows,_Linux,_and_Mac Tools|Account Settings]|<select account>|'''Composition & Addressing and adjust to suit. Change "Start my reply below the quote" to "Start my reply above the quote." You need to do this for each account. There is no right and wrong about top-posting versus bottom-posting; both have their place and each has some advantages. The only wrong thing you can do is to do it differently to all the previous contributions to a conversation. If everyone else has top-posted, then it's only polite to do the same yourself. Bottom-posting leads naturally to an interleaved style, where if you are replying to several points, then you place your reply below each of the original points. This comes naturally to bottom-posters, but seems to give top-posters conniptions, with various exotic methods, including colours and font changes being used to highlight their own new bits. Bottom-posters tend to recognize the various indentations and symbols in order to understand the context. Unfortunately, few users who habitually top-post would appear to be prepared to reconsider and bottom-post or interleave when appropriate. :-( Notice that this forum, as do most, observes a bottom-posting convention. Each question is followed by its reply. Further replies and questions are added beneath. If you ever happen across a forum that does it the other way up, you will initially be befuddled by the total lack of any story or logic. That's how some of us feel about top-posted email. ;-)