How to Display Only Unread Messages in Mozilla Thunderbird

By default, Mozilla Thunderbird displays every message you've received on its message panel. The result can be a cluttered panel that contains messages you may never need to view again. Fortunately, there's a way to display only unread messages in Mozilla Thunderbird.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Open Mozilla Thunderbird.

2. Select "View," "Toolbars" and "Customize" from the Mozilla Thunderbird's program menu.

3. Let the window entitled "Customize Toolbar" populate with icons and captions. If you don't see icons or text, select "Icons and Text" from "Show" menu at the bottom of the window.

4. Find the icon titled "Mail Views." This icon has the word "View" to the left and a drop-down menu with the word "All" as the first option.

5. Place your mouse on top of the icon until a hand shows. Drag and drop the icon onto a blank space on your Mozilla Thunderbird toolbar. Available space will be highlighted in white. Click "OK" to exit the "Customize Toolbar" window.

6. Choose "Unread" from the "Mail Views" drop-down menu to automatically sort your email by unread status.

7. Experiment with the other option available on the drop-down menu. You may be able to customize the menu by adding options like displaying unread messages from the last few days or viewing unread messages that have attachments or from a certain person. Keep your preferred customizations on the drop-down menu for easy access.

Tips & Warnings

• You may be able to sort your unread messages into a specific folder. However, sorting unread messages into a folder may cause you to skip over the unread messages if the folder is not set to display as a default.