How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts in Mozilla Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird comes with several built-in keyboard shortcuts designed to make it faster and easier for people who don't or can't type well, or for those who just prefer the shorthand method of doing things. The keyboard shortcuts are grouped into subcategories by function. The easiest way to learn all the Thunderbird keyboard shortcuts is to concentrate on one subcategory at a time.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Use the following keyboard shortcuts in Thunderbird for general use purposes. F8 toggles the visibility of the message window. F2 renames your current folder. F5 both sends and receives.
   Ctrl+U shows you the source of an open email. Ctrl+M and Ctrl+N both create a new email. The Del key deletes the selected email. Ctrl+Q exits the Thunderbird program.

2. Organize your email with the following Thunderbird keyboard shortcuts. J designates an email as junk mail. Shift+J assigns an email as not junk. M toggles the Read designation on an email. Ctrl+Shift+C assigns the emails as Read in an open folder. G group-sorts email. I toggles the flagging of an email. Numbers 1 through 5 give labels to open email. The number 0 removes a label from an email. The symbol * expands all email threads, while / collapses all email threads. Ctrl+A selects all the emails in a folder. Ctrl+Shift+A selects all the emails in a thread.

3. Message with the following email messaging keyboard shortcuts. Ctrl+R initiates a reply to an email. Ctrl+Shift+R initiates a reply to all recipients of an email. Ctrl+L forwards an email. Ctrl+Enter immediately sends the current email. Ctrl+Shift+Enter sends the current email later.

Tips & Warnings

• Note the minor differences between the keyboard shortcuts for Windows and those for Mac OS X. The accelerator key in Mac is Cmd rather than Ctrl, and keys F1 through F12 apply to Linux and Windows only.
• When letters, symbols or F keys are grouped with a + between them, simply hold down all the keys in the group simultaneously to enable the desired effect.