Thunderbird: Sort / Rearrange accounts and define a startup folder using the Folderpane Tools Extension

Submitted by fabio on Sun, 2007-05-27 17:17.

I use Thunderbird as my email client. I'm very satisfied with it: I spend a considerable amount of time writing/reading emails and Thunderbird has always been a wonderful tool for this.

Two features I always missed from Thunderbird were the ability to sort the different accounts on my profile to my taste and defining a default start up folder.

Folderpane Tools

The Folderpane Tools Thunderbird extension perfectly adds the features I needed.

FolderPane Configuration InterfaceFolderPane Configuration Interface

As you can see from the picture above, Folderpane Tools provides a simple interface to rearrange your accounts and define a start up folder.

Install Folderpane Tools

Installing Folderpane Tools is as easy as installing any other Thunderbird extension:

  1. Right-click the "install now" button at the Folderpane Tools webpage and choose "Save Link As..." to download and save the file to your hard disk.
  2. In Mozilla Thunderbird, open Add-ons from the Tools menu.
  3. Click the Install button, and locate/select the file you downloaded and click "OK".
  4. Restart Thunderbird!

Sort your mail accounts

Once you successfully installed the extension you will be able to define the new sorting order for your accounts and the new default start up folder by configuring the extension.

To configure Folderpane Tools simply:

  1. In Mozilla Thunderbird, open Add-ons from the Tools menu.
  2. Locate the Folderpane Tools extension and click on it.
  3. Press the Preferences button

The user interface is not hard and you shouldn't have problems understanding it. You will simply have to rearrange your accounts to you taste and select the default start up folder you want to use.

Once you have sorted your accounts press "OK" and restart Thunderbid.

Your account should be sorted to your taste.

Thunderbird 3.5

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2010-01-09 00:55.

Will this be available for 3.0?

Seems that Folderpane Tools

Submitted by fabio on Sat, 2010-01-09 01:14.

Seems that Folderpane Tools version 0.0.5.1 has a problem on Thunderbird 3 (XML parsing error.. )

It seems that there is now a modded version which seems to work:
http://xsidebar.mozdev.org/modifiedmailnews.html#folderpanetools

new user

Submitted by muddysocks7 (not verified) on Fri, 2010-01-29 06:51.

I'm new to Thunderbird (using it on a Mac) and tried to get the modded version from the site you shared. it's an .xpi file. how do i import that in to my add on manager in TB3? am i supposed to install xsidebar first? thanks so much

You don't need xsidebar. You

Submitted by fabio on Fri, 2010-01-29 14:11.

You don't need xsidebar. You just have to install the folderpane .xpi modded extension.

You can install it saving the .xpi to your computer then on Thunderbird 3 from Tools -> Addons -> Install.. just choose the file you just saved.

Hope this helps. Please, Feel free to ask more if you still can't install it.

Thanks!

Submitted by muddysocks7 (not verified) on Fri, 2010-01-29 15:32.

Thank you for getting back to me so fast! It worked great. Please keep up the great work!

Thank you Fabio!!

Submitted by John T. (not verified) on Thu, 2009-10-01 01:54.

This is ~exactly~ what I was looking for! Thank you! =D

thanks!

Submitted by matt mcinvale (not verified) on Tue, 2009-08-04 03:55.

killer, thanks for the tip. worked perfectly. :)

Without folder pane

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2009-07-07 06:46.

Checkout the account list in pref.js in the profile folder.No need to download any thing.
Good utility though

Just Made Translating Easier

Submitted by Dean (not verified) on Mon, 2009-06-29 09:07.

Hi Fabio,

We've created over 25 email accounts for various languages as part of our translation business. The sort order was becoming hard to manage. Now, i've rejigged the order and put the higher priority languages near the top. I'm really pleased to have found your post. You've just saved me loads and loads of time. Big thanks!

thank you! I was resorting

Submitted by mpcoc (not verified) on Fri, 2009-02-13 16:36.

thank you! I was resorting to removing accounts I didn't use as often - adding the new account and then re-adding the lower accounts. When you have 6 or 7 emails this gets annoying!

mpcoc

Awesome!!!!

Submitted by Jim (not verified) on Wed, 2008-10-29 18:08.

Awesome!!!!

thank you! I was resorting

Submitted by Susie Day (not verified) on Wed, 2008-10-01 02:35.

thank you! I was resorting to removing accounts I didn't use as often - adding the new account and then re-adding the lower accounts. When you have 6 or 7 emails this gets annoying!

Thanks for your time &

Submitted by groveajay (not verified) on Sun, 2008-09-14 00:11.

Thanks for your time & effort in putting this post

WONDERFUL

Submitted by donnar (not verified) on Fri, 2008-09-05 23:45.

Tbird now has everything, and i mean EVERYTHING i need and more out of a mail client.

Thank you, Neo. ;-)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2008-03-22 01:25.

Thank you, Neo. ;-)

Thanks so much dude.

Submitted by Murtaza (not verified) on Sun, 2007-09-09 17:22.

I was just looking for this on google.com. Glad I did.

good job!! Thanks!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2007-08-30 19:29.

good job!! Thanks!

Very Good

Submitted by Tron (not verified) on Sun, 2007-07-08 09:06.

I install Thunderbird and after I install several emails I found that I can't sort the accounts and do not find any solution till I found this page.

Thanks very much!!!!!

Excellent!

Submitted by Rick (not verified) on Tue, 2007-07-03 18:56.

Exactly what I needed! Been looking for this functionality for quite a while, decide to search Google again today and you popped right up. Thanks much!

cool!

Submitted by fabio on Tue, 2007-07-03 19:36.

glad to see you enjoyed this article!

Thanks!

Submitted by Mike (not verified) on Tue, 2007-06-05 15:08.

Hey Fabio!

Thanks for this article! It is what I were looking for!

Mike.

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