re :Tools> Options> Formatting> Advanced> Text Encoding

I've got Text Encoding set as western (ISO-8859-1)for incoming and outgoing. See image below showing my settings and all options/checkboxes selected and not selected.

I get emails from gmail and just like you it says charset="UTF-8". If I check via View > Text Encoding It has auto detected as 'Unicode'.

Please check the following in about:config

Tools > Options > Advanced > General tab Click on 'Config Editor'

In top search type: force_charset mailnews.force_charset_override; Value = 'false'

What do you have as the Value..true or false? If Value = 'True', double click on line to toggle to 'false'

close window - top right X click on OK to save changes to Options. Close and reopen Thunderbird.

Toad:

The setting was already on false. Just for kicks, I set it to true, restarted (no change in display) and changed it back to false. No improvement. I also set my Text Encoding to western (ISO-8859-1) as you have, restarted, no joy.

Manually changing View > Text Encoding to Unicode worked, per usual, but had to be manually selected.

Any other ideas?

Tools> Options> Formatting> Advanced Is the 'Fonts for' field set as 'Latin' ? I'm assuming it is Latin.

• Click on the 'Fonts for' drop down and select 'Other Writing Systems'
• select: 'Allow messages to use other fonts'
• Select 'Use fixed width font for plain text messages'
• Set Text encoding incoming and outgoing to Western (ISO-8859-1)
• uncheck : 'When possible use the default text encoding in replies'
• click on OK
• click on OK

Thanks, but still no change.

Same problem here! Can't find a way to set default to UTF-8 or disable "Western".

I send a lot of plaintext email to various math discussion groups that don't like html, inserting unicode symbols as needed. All of that quit working a couple of months ago, can't even send • and — and smart quotes “ ” anymore without them coming back as question marks. I tried many permutations of the suggestions made above without any success.

Jon Awbrey said

I send a lot of plaintext email to various math discussion groups that don't like html, inserting unicode symbols as needed. All of that quit working a couple of months ago, can't even send • and — and smart quotes “ ” anymore without them coming back as question marks. I tried many permutations of the suggestions made above without any success.

Are you sending through a Yahoo-type (AOL, AT&T, Rogers etc.) account? Double-click mail.strictly_mime to true in Config. editor to eliminate ??.

OP here: Still no joy on the original problem.

How would I get "setting the read encoding default persistently" added to a feature request list (or a bug list, it that's what it is).

Jon Awbrey You are posting comments in a question that relates to incoming messages. Are your settings apparently stuck on 'Western' for viewing incoming messages which can only be changed manually to UTF-8 per message ?

If the answer is no, then it would be more helpful to you if you start a new question for your particular issue.

Right click on Inbox and select 'Properties' What is selected for 'Fallback Text encoding' ? It is probably Western(ISO-8859-1)

Uncheck 'Apply encoding to all messages in the folder......etc' click on OK

OK, this last suggestion worked for me (nothing else did) BUT bottom box was unchecked I had to check the box, see screenshot:

Toad-Hall said

Right click on Inbox and select 'Properties' What is selected for 'Fallback Text encoding' ? It is probably Western(ISO-8859-1) Uncheck 'Apply encoding to all messages in the folder......etc' click on OK

Belinda Thanks for the feedback. In your case the Fall back text encoding was 'Unicode (UTF-8)' not 'Western(ISO-8859-1)'.

Did you have 'Unicode (UTF-8)' or 'Western(ISO-8859-1)' set as the 'Text Encoding' option in the following location and using all other settings as advised below? Basically what have you got in this setting - post image? Menu icon > Options> Formatting> Advanced 'Fonts for' field set as 'Latin' and then also check 'Other Writing Systems' select: 'Allow messages to use other fonts' Select 'Use fixed width font for plain text messages' Set Text encoding incoming and outgoing to Western (ISO-8859-1) or was it Unicode (UTF-8)'? uncheck : 'When possible use the default text encoding in replies' click on OK click on OK

Toad: The "Fallback Text encoding" worked for me. I didn't find that the other setting under Tools had any effect at all, although maybe they do with the new setting in place.