Tabs disappear when Thunderbird starts
This glitch began with the newest update of Thunderbird (68.4.2 on Mac). In all previous versions, when I start Thunderbird the tabs I had open from an earlier session would persist after the application was closed and restarted. With this newest version, when I start Thunderbird, the main window comes up and for a very brief instant the tabs from my previous session flash up and then disappear. I have tried closing the application, removing the session.json file, and then starting the application. This does not fix the problem. If I open several mail messages in tabs, and then quit the application, the tabs appear for an instant when I start the application but almost immediately disappear. I am sorry but I can't say which Thunderbird version I was using before the update to 68.4.2. Thanks
All Replies (8)
Try safe mode and see if the open tabs are remembered between restarts. Hold Option when you launch TB. If it works correctly in safe mode, check for an incompatible add-on or 'reset toolbars and controls' from the safe mode prompt.
Thank you for the suggestions, but they did not solve the problem. Interestingly, when I start in safe mode none of the previous session's tabs appear, but when I then quit and start normally the tabs are there. However, if I cycle again (i.e. quit and start normally) the tabs are gone. When I choose 'reset toolbars and controls' from the safe mode prompt, the previous session's tabs are there, but as with safe mode, if I cycle again the tabs disappear. Curious.
do you have third party software that purports to be protecting your privacy. The same session.json is used in firefox and some of those products assume it has exactly the same purpose in Thunderbird as firefox and mess things up
Try this: launch in safe mode, 'reset...' and 'make changes...', then Help/Troubleshooting, click Show In Finder, close TB, delete session.json. Does the combined resetting of the layout and session make any difference?
Thanks for your suggestion. I do not have any such software. Is there any other place where the session memory is stored besides session.json in my Thunderbird profile directory?
Unfortunately the combined resetting of the layout and session did not make any difference.
I can't see an reason why a point update in TB 68 would make session restore break, but there have been other cases where graphics drivers on OS X produce strange results. If you launch in safe mode, and then run TB, does it make any difference with sessions?
Just for further clarification, the update that is associated with this problem is from 60.9 to 68.4