Thunderbird shows folders in the folder pane in the order you added them with the exception of showing the account marked default at the top.

To rearrange the order install the add-on Manually Sort Folders.

Open the add-on tab Click Extensions Enter Manually Sort Folders in the search field Install

Thank you for your reply, Airmail.

I have looked at this 'Extension' and the 'Manually Sort Folders' download. I downloaded it, but could find no 'application' that I have which will open it.

Then I looked closer, on the 'Add-ons' page - and read the part below which says: "About this Add-on - This extension adds a "Manually Sort Folders" entry in the "Tools" menu of Thunderbird.

• • By default Thunderbird sorts the folders of an account alphabetically.** This extension allows you to choose a *specific sort order for your folders, allowing you to put the most important ones on top, and manually order them."

So, it says that Thunderbird will AUTOMATICALLY sort the folders alphabetically. That is all I want, for it to do as it always has done, order my Folders alphabetically, automatically. So I don't need this add-on.

BUT at the moment, this function is not working normally!!

My main problem - and it is this which has muddled up my Folder order, in the 'Folder pane' - is that about 2 weeks ago, Thunderbird inexplicably partially seized up.

It will now only open one 'Folder', like Inbox, and will allow me to scroll through that folder, and read any of the text (words) in the body of the email. (I can also Reply to/ or Forward / any of those emails.)

HOWEVER, what I can NOT do, now, is then click on the "Sent Mail" box - and see any of the emails there. (The emails that continue to show still belong to the Inbox). Even though I have now clicked on the Folder 'Sent Mail' to open it.

The only way that I can see the list - and read - the emails in my Sent Mail box, is to Quit Thunderbird, reopen it, (having carefully left the pointer on the choosen Sent Mail, before Quitting!), and then once it has reopened Thunderbird again, I can now click on Sent Mail.

Then I can see and open all all of that mail, in Sent Mail - BUT ... I cannot go back to say 'Inbox', or any other Folder!

It is now frozen on that one Folder, 'Sent Mail', and will not move to any other Folder - unless I *first place the pointer on the next Folder I want to look at, Then *Quit Thunderbird, then *open up Thunderbird again, and then I can look at the contents of the next chosen Folder!!

Incredibly infuriating and tedious!

WHY has Thunderbird frozen up like this? And what can I do to rectify this problem, pleeeease!?

Help!

I have version - 52.6.0 (64-bit). It says I am "currently on the release update channel) - whatever that means!

Sorry, I was thinking the actual account folders in the folder pane and not the subfolders under the account. It is correct that the subfolders usually arrange themselves in alphabetical order. I do not know of any way to change that sort order. Do you have any addons running? Start Thunderbird in safe mode by holding the shift key when you launch it. Any better?

I am going to PM one of the mods that is good with these issues.

As for installing addons. If you follow my instructions you do not download them. If you do download them you go to Addons-Extensions and click the gear icon. Select Install from File.

Hello Airmail, No, I haven't got any add-ons running.

I have tried your suggestion of starting Thunderbird in 'safe mode', by holding the shift key when launching it. - It DOES mean that the Folder pane IS now in alphabetical order! Which is good.

However, I forgot to say that after opening it (now, and before) Google as me to enter my email password, then a new box appears. This says - Hello xxx Mozilla Thunderbird Email wants to

Read, send, delete, and manage your email (i) Allow Mozilla Thunderbird Email to do this? .......................

(If I click on the a small 'i' for information (?). When I click on that, this is what it says - View, manage, and permanently delete your mail in Gmail

Create, update, and delete labels

Compose and send new email

View your settings (e.g., filters and labels)). ...................

Then it says ALLOW, or Cancel. ......................

Well - what crazy person is going to let them have the licence to do any of that, willy-nilly. They could ruin everything and ferret through all my private email boxes!

So, what ideas do you have now, please?

Then don't use gmail. Use their service, agree to their rules.

Does the operating system sort the files in reverse perhaps? what do they look like in finder?

propstwice said

Well - what crazy person is going to let them have the licence to do any of that, willy-nilly. They could ruin everything and ferret through all my private email boxes! So, what ideas do you have now, please?

That is a fairly common question, asked by Google of users authenticating with the Google preferred oAuth2.0 authentication method.

My question to you is.

Well - what crazy person would install an email client and then not allow the mail client to manage, delete download etc your mail?

So I think the question here is, do you want to use Thunderbird or not. If not delete it and use the gmail web interface. If Yes, then authorize it to do so. At this point Thunderbird is doing Nothing because you are not authorizing it to actually connect to your mail server.

Matt said

Does the operating system sort the files in reverse perhaps? what do they look like in finder?

Oops should refresh before I click post after a day at work.

Yes, Matt, the files were sorted in reverse, ie starting with 'zz' and finishing with 'A'.

When this suddenly appeared about 3 weeks ago, I read online that you had to sort the Folders MANUALLY, by pulling them into position. So I did about 8 of those, pulling the now at the top 'zz's back down to the bottom, where they should be. However, that stopped working, and they wouldn't move after that. So, I thought I would instead of moving Folders downwards, I would try to get the "1.a' Folders to the top - where they should be. It would not let me move anything upwards by hand.

In Finder, under eg. Documents, everything is in normal alphabetical order!

Regarding your answer, re "Well - what crazy person .... manage, delete download etc your mail ...

This refers to the problem with Thunderbird not opening at all - on my laptop, a MacBook Air:

Today, I spoke to a Senior Apple Advisor, who said it would be OK for me to Click "Allow" - (Allow Mozilla Thunderbird Email to do this) - as it was just a sort of system-operating thing that would try to mend the problem. (It was not about a real person willy-nilly looking into all my emails, and doing what they liked with them, deleting them etc!! Which is what the wording threatened to do!)

and magic - the problem of a completely frozen/ non-opening/ Thunderbird 

is now solved! It is working normally - as far as being able to see emails as usual. (BUT Thunderbird is NOT working on the iMac! It is still frozen.) ................. Wording! However, both you (and "Airmail") may perhaps consider, that as an amateur re computers, we ordinary people are constantly being told and given dire warnings, to be careful, and not randomly allow internet/ websites to get into/ see our private computer "doings'!

I think the wording asking if I would "ALLOW' ....used by Mozilla Thunderbird is totally threatening, and has a bullying tone. If only they had worded it differently - and not like a threat!! - perhaps people like me would understand that it is just a 'system' thing.

Maybe someone at Mozilla, who is good with people - not just machines - someone who has a communication talent, perhaps knowing something about psychology and the effect of the correct words - could reWord that message, if they are really interested in helping ordinary people? Rather than threatening them.

While I am getting off topic, I think I should point out a couple of things to you. Neither Airmail nor I are what you would call computer professionals. I earn most of my money with a steering wheel in my hands. Driving farm implements. Computing things are a bit of a hobby. Nothing more.

Now to the wording of the request. That is something you must discuss with Google if you do not like it. Thunderbird simply starts the process and displays the information/request status messages Google send back. No one involved with the Thunderbird project has anything to do with the process after you are asked for your password until your access is granted and mail starts to download. Nor can they change the words or the language used.

To be a devils advocate for Google in this equation, they have no idea what is really going on here either. They are relying on you the user to decide if you asked for something here and to allow access if you did.

That same collections of dialogs, with the application name changed are generic. So if you entered your Google credentials into some chat system somewhere the same dialog would appear. It given you the opportunity to decide if you want to allow that thing access to the listed data. For example if you are logging into a forum to comment and the forum wants access to delete your mail you might click no. If you are trying to set up a mail application, obviously you would click yes, as the request is in line with the actions you are intentionally taking.

Sure folk are being constantly asked to actually read things and only allow reasonable access. I do not think alerting you to the fact a mail application will have full access to your mail is anything more than telling you what you should already know. Just as your internet browser has access to the internet. A mail application needs access to your mail to do it's job.