That sounds as if you were using a service that places the images on a server and sends a link to them by email. I am surprised that if you have tried this, Thunderbird hasn't prompted you to use its "filelink" option. You can indeed set up a link to several such services. I don't use it much myself - I don't think email is an appropriate medium for large amounts of data, so I tend to go at it from the other direction; I place the files on Dropbox or similar, create a link and paste that into my email message. I am not up to speed with the current offerings from Microsoft, Apple et al; I try to avoid closed, locked-in proprietary services. But if you have an account with one drive (aren't they closing it down?) I'd expect it to be possible to use this with Thunderbird. Thunderbird is a standalone third-party program. It doesn't enjoy the tight integration with the OS and other software (particularly MS Office) that you experience with Microsoft programs. So a lot of things which are slick and easy with Microsoft might seem a bit clunky when you do them with Thunderbird. It comes down to how much you like Thunderbird and are prepared to make a few changes in your methods of working with the computer. We who use Linux have to think like this all the time, but then we tend to prefer freedom and choice rather than being held to the way the OS manufacturer wants us to do it.