The settings in IET NG don't affect the built-in Save As. Instead, right-click the messages, Save selected messages, choose the format.

Thanks sfhowes. I only included the add-on information as the internet is full of that being the solution when it's not, so I wanted to pre-empt anyone telling me that's what I should do.

How do I stop the default right-click/Save As settings from adding the sender plus their email address in brackets plus the date plus the time to the file name?

I don't think you can modify the file naming of the default Save As, until the option to do so is added to TB. There is a long discussion here:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1354274

Thanks for that sfhowes. I'd searched for an existing thread but nothing had come up. Appreciate the info. Will submit request to Bugzilla.

Got to love this forum, I wrote a long comment and it just desided to loose it.

So the short response, because I am not typing it again.

This was implemented in this bug https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1722223#c5

Note the active decision to remove user choice.

This bug is where those that are unhappy are trying to get something done about the mess they created by removing user choice. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1736194 Note the same decision maker offering importexporttoolsNG, despite it not being a replacement for Ctrl+S

Thanks for that Matt, appreciate the info and links.

I'm just a regular computer user, with zero techie knowledge. What I've found in trying to look into this issue is:

- it was difficult to find this Forum, then having found it it was impossible to open a thread. Even though I was logged in to my Mozilla account and clicked on the 'Thunderbird forum' option, no 'ask a question' button or link was available. In the end, I had to Google 'how to ask a question on Thunderbird forum' (along with many other people it seems!) and follow a link found on the search engine. It's almost as if Mozilla are making it hard for ordinary users to comment.

- I then had to register a separate account to comment on the Bugzilla forum. Why would Mozilla feel this necessary I wonder when I already have a Mozilla account?

- the Bugzilla forum is *very* technical and not set up in any way for ordinary computer users.

All of which are going to put off your regular TB end users from even bothering to raise issues or comment. Mozilla are clearly not interested in what their customers think of their product or what their user experience may be.

- what dismayed me most is that, as you clearly point out Matt, only 1 poster on the Bugzilla forum suggested this permanent change to Thunderbird and it was done! No feedback requested or any input from regular TB end users.

I've used both Firefox and TB for many years, but am now seriously considering changing brand. Firefox gets buggier by the day and TB seems determined to remove user choice. Mind you, this seems to be an industry wide decision, as Windows 11 has removed a staggering amount of user choice and preferences and companies like Google are linking every single thing you do online with no viable opt out options.

It seems we are all to be treated like children with no control over our own online lives, and what we want or need as end users is becoming irrelevant

I am going to try and reply inline here. You raise a lot of points, but most really don't have an answer that will satisfy you, but I will give it a go. I will also snip a lot out so forgive me.

- it was difficult to find this Forum,

In Thunderbird press F1, or from the help menu select "Thunderbird help."

then having found it it was impossible to open a thread.

I agree the big blue button is hard to find, mostly because folks simply don't expect navigation elements on the right. But Mozilla spent a lot of money on consultants to come up with this.

Even though I was logged in to my Mozilla account and clicked on the 'Thunderbird forum' option, no 'ask a question' button or link was available.

Perhaps you did not scroll the page? In my case I have to scroll down two line for the ask the community to appear.

In the end, I had to Google 'how to ask a question on Thunderbird forum' (along with many other people it seems!) and follow a link found on the search engine. It's almost as if Mozilla are making it hard for ordinary users to comment.

Correct. Mozilla consultants suggested a workflow that forced people to look for information before they could just "ask the community" as Mozilla do not pay folk to do support they had an issue where people were asking silly questions about things that were fully answered in the knowledge base. Even with this system in place a significant percentage of questions in the forums are full answered in support articles.

- I then had to register a separate account to comment on the Bugzilla forum. Why would Mozilla feel this necessary I wonder when I already have a Mozilla account?

History is your answer. When Thunderbird was first spawned out of the Mozilla suite, there was bugzilla. Basically it has been around as a bug tracker since the days of Netscape. Firefox account are just a few years old really. I have had accounts with Bugzilla and git hub for probably a decade longer than the "firefox" account.

- the Bugzilla forum is *very* technical and not set up in any way for ordinary computer users.

Perhaps because it is the workplace for tracking bugs and for the coders to track change. It is not really a user forum, except for when users feel the need to contact developers directly as Thunderbird has no casual feedback mechanism. All of which are going to put off your regular TB end users from even bothering to raise issues or comment.

Mozilla are clearly not interested in what their customers think of their product or what their user experience may be.

Mozilla announced in 2012 that they would be withdrawing from the development of Thunderbird features https://blog.lizardwrangler.com/2012/07/06/thunderbird-stability-and-community-innovation/ and thus Thunderbird entered a time of limbo where community volunteers kept it alive and evolving for a number of years. THis really bit hard in 2015, when Mozilla started pulling the bits Thunderbird relied on to function out from under. https://blog.lizardwrangler.com/2015/12/03/thunderbird-update/

The community council that developed from that still directing the traffic on Thunderbird development, but as the paid staff has increased, Mozilla have created a wholly owned subsidiary for them to work for. Partially because the council is not a legal entity. There is still discussion going on as to what the MZLA company is responsible for and what the council will retain control over. That discussion is occurring in the planning list here https://thunderbird.topicbox.com/groups/planning

- what dismayed me most is that, as you clearly point out Matt, only 1 poster on the Bugzilla forum suggested this permanent change to Thunderbird and it was done! No feedback requested or any input from regular TB end users.

I've used both Firefox and TB for many years, but am now seriously considering changing brand.

As I mentioned before Thunderbird is the poor cousin in this relationship and has gone through hell in recent years without the resources to compe with the stuff Mozilla broke, let alone to grow. But at this time, Thunderbird is not a Mozilla product. The name has not been used in Thunderbird for a number of versions now and as you can see in the link following Mozilla do not list it either. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/products/

Firefox gets buggier by the day and TB seems determined to remove user choice. Mind you, this seems to be an industry wide decision, as Windows 11 has removed a staggering amount of user choice and preferences and companies like Google are linking every single thing you do online with no viable opt out options.

I agree about user choice. I am disturbed by the insidious creep to a one size fits all approach that in infesting software these days. All I can suggest in this case is get involved. I have been fighting loss of choice for years. Often 2 years after the decisions were made and bizarre decisions made by Mozilla that are then just dumped in Thunderbird because at their heart the two product still share a disturbingly large amount of the code. That Thunderbird can put up web browser windows that render web pages exactly as Firefox does in perhaps indicative of the underlying interrelations. <blkockquote> It seems we are all to be treated like children with no control over our own online lives, and what we want or need as end users is becoming irrelevant </blockquote> Unfortunately our chance to vote with out wallets is limited when everyone is using our personal information as the currency. Microsoft are still making money and giving away their operating system, same for Google Facebook and a host of others. Thunderbird is paid for by user donations/gifts, so at least donors get some sway I guess as they can withdraw their money.