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How do I stop email attachments appearing on my desktop?

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Whenever I open an attachment in a email it is automatically saved to my desktop. By the end of a couple of days I have a desktop cluttered with icons from files I wanted to view but didn't want to save.

Is it possible to open a file and only save if If I want to? If so, how?

If Thunderbird insists on saving attachments, how can I change the preferences to get it to save them in Downloads rather than on the desktop?

I work on a Mac, by the way.

Whenever I open an attachment in a email it is automatically saved to my desktop. By the end of a couple of days I have a desktop cluttered with icons from files I wanted to view but didn't want to save. Is it possible to open a file and only save if If I want to? If so, how? If Thunderbird insists on saving attachments, how can I change the preferences to get it to save them in Downloads rather than on the desktop? I work on a Mac, by the way.

Chosen solution

Tools / Options Then on the left hand side 'Attachments' Change your preferences in there, this is how to do it on PC anyway, think it's the same for MAC.

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Chosen Solution

Tools / Options Then on the left hand side 'Attachments' Change your preferences in there, this is how to do it on PC anyway, think it's the same for MAC.

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Many thanks, noel5. In fact, on a Mac you go to Preferences and then Attachments but it's the same idea and you then see the option to change the place to download the file.

Is it possible to open an attachment without downloading it anywhere, does anyone know.