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How can I change the "Get messages" icon to a larger button with text?

  • 8 replies
  • 6 have this problem
  • 71 views
  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

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I hate the new version of Thunderbird (115.1.0 on Windows 10). I've been using Thunderbird for decades and always liked it until now.

1. "Get messages" used to be prominent. Now the only options other than "Get Messages" way up top above the standard Windows menu bar is a choice of whether to display a tiny icon below the menu bar to the left of a large button "+ New Message." I want a large button the size of the New Message button with caption "Get Messages."

It doesn't make usage sense to me to make a large New Message button with a small icon to get messages. I get new messages far more often than I write a new message.

Is this customizable?

Or can I move the top menu "Get Messages--Write--Chat--etc." below the menu "File--Edit--View, etc.?"

2. I also don't like the new font family/face for the list of folders window and the "Subject--Correspondents--Date" window. Is there a way I can change the font family/face? The only options I see are to change the font size and the vertical spacing of the lines with the "Density" options.

3. I also don't like the new icon in the Task Bar for Thunderbird. I think it might be a fox curled up, but because it's so small it just looks like an imperfect blue circle with a white center--meaningless. Can I change that back to the old one or something else?

These changes actually made me consider changing to Microsoft Outlook.

Thanks.

I hate the new version of Thunderbird (115.1.0 on Windows 10). I've been using Thunderbird for decades and always liked it until now. 1. "Get messages" used to be prominent. Now the only options other than "Get Messages" way up top above the standard Windows menu bar is a choice of whether to display a tiny icon below the menu bar to the left of a large button "+ New Message." I want a large button the size of the New Message button with caption "Get Messages." It doesn't make usage sense to me to make a large New Message button with a small icon to get messages. I get new messages far more often than I write a new message. Is this customizable? Or can I move the top menu "Get Messages--Write--Chat--etc." below the menu "File--Edit--View, etc.?" 2. I also don't like the new font family/face for the list of folders window and the "Subject--Correspondents--Date" window. Is there a way I can change the font family/face? The only options I see are to change the font size and the vertical spacing of the lines with the "Density" options. 3. I also don't like the new icon in the Task Bar for Thunderbird. I think it might be a fox curled up, but because it's so small it just looks like an imperfect blue circle with a white center--meaningless. Can I change that back to the old one or something else? These changes actually made me consider changing to Microsoft Outlook. Thanks.

Chosen solution

re : Or can I move the top menu "Get Messages--Write--Chat--etc." below the menu "File--Edit--View, etc.?"

Yes it can be done.

Please check in Thunderbird to see if a setting needs switching on.

  • Settings > General
  • Scroll to bottom and click on 'Config Editor' button
  • In search type : legacy
  • look for this line: toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets
  • If it is set as 'false' :
  • click on the far right arrow type icon to toggle from 'false' to say 'TRUE'

Now Do this: In Thunderbird

  • Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • in 'Application Basics' - Profile Folders - click on 'Open Folder'

A new window opens showing the contents of your profile name folder.

  • Exit Thunderbird now.

I'm going to give the full instructions because I do not know if people already know how to create and use a userChrome.css file.

  • In the 'profile name ' folder create a new folder and call it 'chrome'. The spelling is important - note it is all lower case.
  • Then open a simple text editor program such as 'Notepad'.
  • Copy all the text between the lines below and paste it into 'Notepad'.

@import url("chrome://messenger/content/unifiedtoolbar/unifiedToolbarWebextensions.css");

/* Position Menu Bar above Unified Toolbar */
#toolbar-menubar {
order: -1 !important;
}

  • Save the file as 'userChrome.css' - note the spelling of this is important - all lower case except the C.
  • Save it in the 'chrome' folder. - see attached image as guide.

Check that file really is called userChrome.css and not userChrome.css.txt - it has to be saved as a Cascading Style Sheet (css) and not a text document. So if you see 'userChrome.css.txt' - no problem - just rename it by removing the .txt - you will get ask are you sure as it may effect things - just say yes because you really do want to do it.

Start Thunderbird

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4. Also, I just realized that Thunderbird used to tell me how many messages in the Inbox and how many of those are unread, in the lower right of the status bar at the bottom. Now it just tells me how many messages are in the Inbox but now how many are unread, at the top of the screen next to "Inbox." How can I make it tell me how many messages are unread?

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Chosen Solution

re : Or can I move the top menu "Get Messages--Write--Chat--etc." below the menu "File--Edit--View, etc.?"

Yes it can be done.

Please check in Thunderbird to see if a setting needs switching on.

  • Settings > General
  • Scroll to bottom and click on 'Config Editor' button
  • In search type : legacy
  • look for this line: toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets
  • If it is set as 'false' :
  • click on the far right arrow type icon to toggle from 'false' to say 'TRUE'

Now Do this: In Thunderbird

  • Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • in 'Application Basics' - Profile Folders - click on 'Open Folder'

A new window opens showing the contents of your profile name folder.

  • Exit Thunderbird now.

I'm going to give the full instructions because I do not know if people already know how to create and use a userChrome.css file.

  • In the 'profile name ' folder create a new folder and call it 'chrome'. The spelling is important - note it is all lower case.
  • Then open a simple text editor program such as 'Notepad'.
  • Copy all the text between the lines below and paste it into 'Notepad'.

@import url("chrome://messenger/content/unifiedtoolbar/unifiedToolbarWebextensions.css");

/* Position Menu Bar above Unified Toolbar */
#toolbar-menubar {
order: -1 !important;
}

  • Save the file as 'userChrome.css' - note the spelling of this is important - all lower case except the C.
  • Save it in the 'chrome' folder. - see attached image as guide.

Check that file really is called userChrome.css and not userChrome.css.txt - it has to be saved as a Cascading Style Sheet (css) and not a text document. So if you see 'userChrome.css.txt' - no problem - just rename it by removing the .txt - you will get ask are you sure as it may effect things - just say yes because you really do want to do it.

Start Thunderbird

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2. I also don't like the new font family/face for the list of folders window and the "Subject--Correspondents--Date" window.

Using Windows OS - I'm running both 102.14.0 and also beta 117.0b1 and I'm not seeing any difference in the font.

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Toad-Hall,

Thank you! That moved the Get Messages menu toolbar below the File menu toolbar. I appreciate your detailed, clear, and easy to follow instructions!

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re : How can I make it tell me how many messages are unread?

In Folder Pane, to the right of the folder name will be a circle with a number if there are unread mail - but it's not so obvious if you have the total number of messages enabled then you have to remember the one closest to folder name is the unread count. If you hover mouse pointer over folder name it also tells you the number of unread. None of which are as good as the info that used to be displayed in Status bar.

Actually, I've created a bug enhancement request regarding this new toolbar because I believe it is surplus to requirements. Some icons could be on the new Unified Toolbar which was specifically designed for that purpose. Folder/number of messages info to be moved to status bar with additional unread count. Then remove the toolbar as it serves no purpose to increase available height for Message List or Message Pane. here's the link to the bug enhancement request. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1847571

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I would like to change the foreground and background colors of the "Get Messages" on that menu toolbar.

Or better than that, change the small icon below that that looks like a cloud with a down arrow that means Get Messages to a text button with colors like the one to the right of that that you can optionally display, "+ New Message."

I tried adding the following to userChrome.css, but it didn't change anything. Maybe I don't have the right name for the element selector.

  1. get-messages {color:white; background-color:blue; !important; -moz-appearance: none ! important;}

Also, after moving the Get Messages menu toolbar below the File menu toolbar, the icons on the far right for displaying the menu, minimize, restore/maximize, and the X for exit are on that row rather than at the top on the File menu toolbar row. Can that be fixed in userChrome.css?

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re :Or better than that, change the small icon below that that looks like a cloud with a down arrow that means Get Messages to a text button with colors like the one to the right of that that you can optionally display, "+ New Message."

I think you are talking about the small menu at the top of the Folder Pane. The code below keeps the cloud-arrow icon but puts it on a blue button-like background so it looks like the '+New Message' blue button


/*Folder Pane download icon - white cloud on blue button like background*/

#folderPaneGetMessages {
background-color: var(--button-primary-background-color) !important;
border-color: var(--button-primary-border-color) !important;
stroke: #f2f2f2 !important;
fill: #f2f2f2 !important;
}

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re :the icons on the far right for displaying the menu, minimize, restore/maximize, and the X for exit are on that row rather than at the top on the File menu toolbar row.

If you enable the top titlebar then those icons get moved up. It also makes it easier to grab and move the window.

How to enable top titlebar:

  • Settings > General
  • scroll to 'Language & Appearance' section
  • 'Window Layout'
  • uncheck the checkbox 'Hide system window titlebar' to make titlebar appear.