It has been designed to open in a new tab.

After opening in a new tab you can right click on that tab and select to move to a new window, but it is still in a tab, you just have it as a separate view.

Thanks. It used to open in a new window. What you are suggesting will open another instance of the entire TB window, including the address bar tab, not open the address bar alone in a new window. Right?

Thanks. It used to open in a new window. What you are suggesting will open another instance of the entire TB window, including the address bar tab, not open the address bar alone in a new window. Right?

Yes, but it will mean you can see the opened address book whilst still being able to Write and view Inbox all at the same time if put the windows side by side.

The problem with it being in a tab now is that I used to be able to drag and drop the address book information from an email in an open tab, into the separate address book window with a new unfilled entry pane (except for the name and e-mail address which have to be filled in first).

With the tab-only address book, I now have to laboriously copy, switch tabs and then paste each item individually from the e-mail received into the address book tab pane. This makes entering several address book sets of details take many times longer than it used to. A very retrograde step for some like me, I'm afraid.

Can it not be programmed so that you can optionally pop out the address book on its own in a new window, like before?

David

Are you talking about email addresses that are in a received email in the FROM or TO etc ? That sort of data can be added directly to an address book.

Click on the email address which is in the FROM or TO field and select 'Add to Address Book' The small round people icon turns blue to show it is added to the default address book - Personal Address Book. Click on it again and select 'Edit Contact' from there you can select a different address book or click on 'Edit details' to add more info or put in another address book.

If you are talking about content in an email eg: someones website or maybe details you want to add to the 'Notes' etc If you have the 'Address Book' open in a new window with Edit Contact also opened and the selcted field where you want to drop info already open. You can still drag and drop from the opened email in one window into the contact edit area which is in the other window. So in that respect there is no difference. I often do that process, hence why I advised you open Address Book in a new window.

The address book worked well before it was 'improved'. Now it is cumbersome to use. Even when the new tab window is reduced in size, it takes up too much screen space, and is displaying un-necessary information; when all one wishes to do is high light, and transfer an address to a new message TO or COPY field. Please re-think this change or give the option select 'old' or 'new' version.

The address book worked well before it was 'improved'. Now it is cumbersome to use. Even when the new tab window is reduced in size, it takes up too much screen space, and is displaying un-necessary information; when all one wishes to do is high light, and transfer an address to a new message TO or COPY field. Please re-think this change or give the option select 'old' or 'new' version.

Your initial problem was you wanted two windows open. One with list of emails, so you can open an email and the other containing the Address Book. You can do exactly the same using info I provided. But I'm not sure why you want to do that when it is unnecessary in the first place.

I'm going to provide you with some senarios and the methods you should be using because it really sounds like you have used a method for a while not realising that it is unnecessary. Perhaps you have never been offered information on how to use Thunderbird to perform various tasks.

You mention : high light, and transfer an address to a new message. You do not even need to open the Address Book to do that, but if you did then you still do not need to any copy pasting. You seem to have got into some very long winded old style methodology or you do not realise there is a much smarter and quicker way of working. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are really trying to achieve.

Here are some examples: Senario: you get an email from a person called 'Bob@an email address' and they are not in the 'Address Book'.

If you want to Add contact to address book: Open email so you can see contents and all the headers 'From, To, Subject...'

• Right Click on the 'From' email address : 'Bob@an email address'
• Select 'Add to Address Book'

The small icon beside email address turns blue - it is auto added to the Personal Address Book. If you then want to check the details and access address book :

• right click on same email address again and select 'Edit Contact' then click on 'Edit details'

If you do NOT want to put person in address book......: 1. But you do want to reply to that email.

• click on 'Reply' button and it auto opens a Write window and the TO field will already contain the emails address.

2. But you want to send them an email - not a Reply - it is a completely new email unrelated to the one you received.

• Right click on the 'From: 'Bob@an email address' and select 'Copy Email Address'
• Open Write:
• Right click in TO field and select 'Paste' or use Ctrl+V

Senario: You have added person to Address Book If you are writing an email : You do not even need to open the Address Book to use address book entries into a new message To,Cc or Bcc field. There are also several ways of getting the email address.

• Open Write,

'Method 1:

• Start Typing the email address in a TO field and Thunderbird auto offers options that match what you are typing
• select the correct address you want.

Method 2:

• enable the 'Contacts Sidebar'
• Select address book
• Select contact
• click on the desired button eg: 'Add to TO'

Method 3:

• enable the 'Contacts Sidebar'
• Select address book
• Left click hold down on contact and drag to the 'TO' field and release to drop.

Senario: Let's say for example you have added a contact to the Address Book and rather than simply open a new 'Write' message and use any of the quick methods, you choose to open the Address Book.

• Select the contact in the list to see info of contact appear below (assuming you are using horizontal mode) or on far right (if you are using vertical mode)

At the top of the contact details you will see new options 'Write', 'Event', 'Search'.

• click on 'Write'

It auto opens a new Write message with the contacts email address already in a TO field. You do not need to do any copy and paste.

I suggest you have a good read through the information and have a go at using the various options. All this highlight copy paste is no longer necessary.

You are never going to get an option to use old or new because the files structure and format etc is completely different and so is the code.

I had the exact same question. I received an email with 3rd-party contact information inside the text of the email (not in From or CC). The solution given of right-clicking the Address Book tab and opening it in a new window is certainly not intuitively obvious. It does work, but my goodness how many other hidden gems are there if you just knew when and where to right click?

I had the exact same question. I received an email with 3rd-party contact information inside the text of the email (not in From or CC). The solution given of right-clicking the Address Book tab and opening it in a new window is certainly not intuitively obvious.

Assuming left/right is for a right handed person, the following is good general guide.

When you left click on anything you are issuing an instruction to do something eg: Open, Do the action the button says. If clicking on a Toolbar Menu item, then it will either do the action selected or open a sub menu list.

When you right click on something (email, folder , tab, toolbar) you are asking a question 'what options are available on this item via right click' and as an answer - you would get a drop down pop up type of list with the available options.

The ability to open emails, any tabs and folders via options listed in the right click drop down has been around a very long time.

But as all things in life, you discover these things and it always seems easy once you know. You cannot be expected to know everything.

It does work, but my goodness how many other hidden gems are there if you just knew when and where to right click?

Thunderbird is loaded with options and that's what set it apart and makes it easier to tweak to personal tastes. It is designed to offer use via a keyboard, perhaps using shortcuts and not everyone can use a mouse or what happens if you are dong something and your mouse fails - you can at least continue via the keyboard. Text/Font size can be adjusted because not everyone has the same eyesight nor the same OS. There are addon extensions, although I do promote asking people to support authors of addons with donations if they decide to keep and use an addon. After all, they want it maintained. You can even adjust specific areas by using a 'userChrome.css' file. I like all the old folders, so I modified the folders in the Folder Pane. I'm not listing everything but it gives you an idea.