This can be done with css:

/* height of threads pane */
#threadPane {
  min-height: 75px !important;
}

Help/Troubleshooting Info, Profile Folder, Open Folder, close TB, create a new folder named chrome, create a new document in chrome with a text editor, name it userChrome.css, Save as type: All files *.*, copy in the above code, change the number as desired. Double-click toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets to true in Settings/General/Config. editor, restart TB.

Online css generator

video on how to create a css file (Firefox and TB)

Thanks! That's quite an advanced approach for such a simple request! I am not such an advanced user, so a bit hesitant to tweak this way.

I have found a work-around via the vertical view instead, then I could see the selected message more clearly. Thanks!

I use Firefox and Mozilla Since latest updates I can't get email from MSN Outlook. I also have that annoying extra large message list window. How can I get Mozilla back running normally and get Outlook mail?

That is *not* an acceptable workaround for this BUG! Please FIX IT.

Sure we can hack CSS if Mozilla refuses to fix it, or we could just not use Tbird anymore. The response to hack css settings is absurd. It is a REGRESSION/BUG, so just admit it and fix it.

Since ordinary users are not allowed to create a bug, please create one and get it fixed.

Thank you, sfhowes, I figured out how this is done and it works. Your description is VERY concise and somewhat hard to follow. I had to take it really slow, word-by-word. I had some trouble with "Double-click "toolkit.legacy...""', but when I figured out that it's part of the Settings>General>Config. editor menu system, it became clear.

I hope that future updates leave the minimum threadPane height at a fairly low level (75px or so).

Thanks again, Turophile

This can be done with css:

/* height of threads pane */
#threadPane {
  min-height: 75px !important;
}

Help/Troubleshooting Info, Profile Folder, Open Folder, close TB, create a new folder named chrome, create a new document in chrome with a text editor, name it userChrome.css, Save as type: All files *.*, copy in the above code, change the number as desired. Double-click toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets to true in Settings/General/Config. editor, restart TB.

Online css generator

Hear! Hear! to everybody! This flaw in SuperNova is useless. Talk about if it ain't broke don't fix it. I can't read my emails, as the space left is so small. I'm grateful to Thunderbird, but no way am I starting to write code. Would the Developers get this fixed straightaway, please.

I agree the Thunderbird's code needs to be fixed by the developers. Not by users applying a work around. At least set the minimum lines to be seen at two.

set the default minimum number of display lines much lower. We can always drag the line down.

Same. Have a small screen so the vertical view not helpful. And the coding hack is incomprehensible to me. Hope it gets resolved, as now I have to open each message in a new tab. Why couldn't that flexibility of the old version been retained? Seems like a silly change to limit minimizing that message pane. So it goes!

Despite setting 'Display' to compact, everything on the screen, both start and e-mails take up far to much room - e-mails barely half the screen, rest is all the headers and stuff!

Found no way to compact more - is there some CSS that would do it?

Windows 11/TB 115.3.2

This is just ridiculous. Last week, we got a huge update for something or other, but this simple problem complained of by a number of people has not been fixed! Come on, we are grateful for Thunderbird, but not when it goes backwards!

Yeah, rwadallas, I just upgraded today to 115.4.1 a few weeks after being burned by their SuperNova 115.2.1 and was so hopeful that they had fixed their mistake, and I could now collapse the message pane...only to be disappointed. Am really getting tired of having to open every message in a new tab, since I can no longer see the content of my messages due to their bad programming update. I guess they don't care about our feedback.

Use to be, my G-Mail folders were in their own collapsible sub-folder - now everything is in the main User folder. Can we get our collapsible subfolder back....please.

I followed the instructions provided by the user and was able to fix the problem. So yes, I can confirm it works.

I will add some information about what I did to supplement the original instructions for anyone who wishes to try this but don't understand/need more information. I made a brand new profile to do just this, as I can predict a ton of people will eventually be coming to this thread.

/* height of threads pane */

1. threadPane {

 min-height: 75px !important;

}

Help/Troubleshooting Info, Profile Folder, Open Folder, close TB, create a new folder named chrome, create a new document in chrome with a text editor, name it userChrome.css, Save as type: All files *.*, copy in the above code, change the number as desired. Double-click toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets to true in Settings/General/Config. editor, restart TB.

The Help/Troubleshooting step takes place inside TB. Creating the new folder called Chrome happens inside the folder that those steps open up in a new Explorer window. A suitable simple text editor = Notepad, you can search for this small application it on your own PC when you copy in the above code (just the 4 rows) to your new userChrome.css file created in Notepad, the actual code will set the minimum to about 3 or 4 rows depending on your own personal display settings via the number 75. You can always make it more, by simply using mouse. I wouldn't change anything the OP has set forth. I saved my userChrome.css file to the Desktop. Then I repeated the original instructions in TB to Open the profile folder so the new Chrome folder would be visible, and dragged the file from the desktop into it. The next instruction "double-click toolkit.xxxxx to Tru in Settings/General/Config. editor" was tough for me to follow. Because I couldn't find or open Settings/General. The simplest way to find it is actually Open TB (this is important as in previous instructions, it said to deliberately close it ) goto Tools goto Settings at the bottom goto General select Configuration Editor at the very bottom at the top, may need to select Show All and then follow the OPs instructions. You'll find toolkit.legacy.xxxxx in the middle of a massive list of settings, which should be alphabetical. I searched for toolkit.legacy in the Search bar presented, and it came up immediately. Click on the little icon representing a bi-directional arrow at the right hand side of the setting and it will change to TRUE. nothing to save. Just File/Close the settings and TB as well, re-open TB, and the minimum size of the message list should once again be settable to 3/4 rows.

Thank you to the OP. This was driving my father and mother crazy, and waiting for Mozilla is a questionable option at best for something so fundamentally affecting user experience.

Good luck to all!

There is a video that shows how to create the css file, in addition to the online generator:

Online css generator

video on how to create a css file (Firefox and TB)

Sorry, sfhowes, this is just ridiculous.

It is absurd that everyday users should be expected to meddle with CSS code, whatever that is.

As you're a 'Top10' contributors, why don't you please get on to the salaried Developers and ask them just to revert the 'Message List Pane' to the way it was?

Thank you

sfhowes, what do you think? Is there a way to get a developer to look at this problem and fix it? Was curious about the comment from tomcmackay: "waiting for Mozilla is a questionable option at best for something so fundamentally affecting user experience". Is Thunderbird by nature that unresponsive? Is this hopeless unless one is a user who is also a computer programmer who actually understands and can perform this work around? Is there another forum for re-iterating this concern?

You can submit a request for enhancement at Bugzilla, if you wish to have developers look at it. I haven't been able to find any discussions as to why the built-in height is restricted to its current value. I wouldn't expect there to be much interest in changing it, and the css fix is easy to apply. It also works for Vertical View to change the minimum width, so the full code is:

/* height, width of threads pane */
#threadPane {
  min-height: 75px !important;
  min-width: 75px !important;
}

The CSS file isn't doing the trick for me. I have tried lower and lower pixel numbers, but nothing changes. I'm trying to get it to show 5 or 6 messages in the list but it's remaining at 8-1/2. I do use an extension called Compact Headers and I wonder if it's possible that something in its code overrides the user CSS? It never interfered with adjusting the height in previous versions of T-bird, but then... we didn't have to create a userCSS file in previous versions of T-bird.