Select the gmail account in the left pane of Tools/Account Settings, then click the Manage Identities... button in the right pane. Be sure to add the sending-only identity as 'another email address' in gmail settings.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Multiple_identities_per_e-mail_account

Thanks for the reply! I can set up the additional address - the problem is that it will automatically download all of the existing messages from that Gmail account into Thunderbird. I want to be able to set it up so that it doesn't retrieve any messages - can't seem to figure that out.

The gmail account I would like to add to TB has literally several thousand emails stored there - I don't want any of those downloading locally into TB.

There must be a setting to prevent the download from even starting in the first place.

When you add an identity to an existing account, all of the information entered is related to sending mail - there is no place to enter the settings for receiving mail. So, I don't know how this prompts the downloading of mail for the identity account.

If you wish to stop the downloading of mail for an account, look under the Synchronization & Storage section in Account Settings and uncheck 'Keep messages in all folders for this account on this computer'.

Thanks for your help and patience! I thought I had it, but here's what seems to happen.

In my ISP email I create an identity that has a reply to at the gmail account I want to use. I have a choice of server - my ISP or the gmail server that is associated with alternate gmail that I was testing.

It seems that no matter how I change it - it always seems to use the alternate gmail address in the headers since that is what is associated with the gmail server.

It seems that since the gmail account I want to actually use is not an account within TB, there is no way to avoid it showing the wrong email somewhere - either in the headers or in the reply.

Thanks for your help - I will keep trying different combinations, but it seems that unless I actually create an account for that gmail address - I can't count on the reply to actually showing the right address, if you understand what I am saying.

And I think I've got it. I used the right gmail address and when it asked for my password, I allowed it access - so it looks like that is now associated with the gmail server. Now it looks like it is using the "correct" gmail address as a reply to and in the headers - but it is also using it for the alternate email as well.

Oh well - more to play around with. Thanks!

Not sure exactly how this is set up. If you want mail sent from your ISP account to be replied to at the gmail address, enter the gmail address in the Reply-to Address box when you select the ISP account in the left pane of Account Settings.

If you send from the ISP account through the gmail smtp server, gmail will make it appear to recipients that the message came from the gmail address, and when they reply, it will go the gmail account. That will happen, unless you add the ISP account in 'Add another email address' in gmail Settings/Accounts and Import.

It looks to me that you want to use gmail for sending from your ISP account, but not receive any incoming gmail. If that's the case, gmail and the ISP accounts should be set up in TB, with the gmail set to minimize its incoming, and the ISP account set to send through gmail's smtp 'transparently'.

sfhowes said

It looks to me that you want to use gmail for sending from your ISP account, but not receive any incoming gmail. If that's the case, gmail and the ISP accounts should be set up in TB, with the gmail set to minimize its incoming, and the ISP account set to send through gmail's smtp 'transparently'.

Yes - that is exactly what I am trying to do. I think that is the solution - it needs to have the gmail set up as an account for me to be able to send from that through my ISP.

Thanks for all of the help - much appreciated. I'll keep working on it and testing - I'm sure it will all work in the end!