Q: When is Thunderbird 3 available?
A: Thunderbird 3 is available now for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating systems as a free download from http://www.getthunderbird.com
 
Q: I currently use Thunderbird 2 - how do I upgrade to Thunderbird 3?
A: You can download Thunderbird at http://www.getthunderbird.com and start using the new features immediately. If you’re using the latest version of Thunderbird 2, Thunderbird's update system will notify you that an update is available.
 
Q: What is needed to get started?
A: With the new account set up wizard, it’s easier than ever to get started with Thunderbird.  Before you had to know your IMAP, SMTP, SSL/TLS settings. Now all you need to provide is your name, email address, and password and the new mail account setup wizard will check our database and find the email settings for you and then you are good to start using Thunderbird right away.
 
Q: What's new in Thunderbird 3?
A: There are many new features but there are three major improvements that completely change the experience in Thunderbird 3 from Thunderbird 2. It is much faster and we have created a simple archiving system for managing your emails and we also have an amazing search engine to help you quickly  locate and pinpoint the exact email you need at the moment you need it.
 
Q: How is Thunderbird 3 faster to use?
A: In addition to the powerful new search engine and message archive capabilities which make the ability to work in Thunderbird much faster, there is a new tab feature that allows you to load your emails, web pages and add-ons in separate tabs so you can quickly jump between them. Perhaps you’re responding to an email and need to refer back to an earlier email. Tabbed email lets you keep multiple emails open for easy reference.  Thunderbird 3 also has a one-click address book capability so you can quicly and easily add people to your address book. If you are new to Thunderbird there is an account setup wizard that makes it faster to setup email accounts so you can quickly get going.
 
Q: Is Thunderbird available in my language?
A: Thunderbird 3 is available in 49 different languages. For a complete list, please visit: http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/all.html
 
Q: Where is the best place to learn more about Thunderbird 3?
A: For more about Thunderbird, including release notes, the community, add ons, etc. please view http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/
 
Q: Where do I find even more technical information on Thunderbird 3?
A: You can check out the release notes to find out what’s new, learn about system requirements, troubleshooting tips, and known issues.
 
Q: How many people use Thunderbird?
A: With free software like Thunderbird 3 it is hard to tell the exact number but we estimate over 15 million users.
 
Q: Who uses Thunderbird?
A: All different types of people and organizations use Thunderbird however we like to refer to our typical user as a prosumer. What is a prosumer you ask? It is someone with a complicated email life who perhaps manages multiple work and personal accounts. They are usually highly social and heavy email users and they look to Thunderbird's ease-of-use to manage it all.
 
Q: How do add-ons work with Thunderbird 3?
A: Add-ons let you add features which aren't part of the standard application. Themes change appearance without changing functionality. Search Plugins and Dictionaries/Language Packs add additional search engines and language support. Extensions add more extensive features to the browser; some add simple toolbars while others can add a wide range of new features.
 
Q: Where can I get extensions and themes (add-ons)?
A: Extensions and Themes can be downloaded from Thunderbird Add-ons. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/
 
Q: Is there a calendar in Thunderbird 3?
A: There is not a built in calendar in Thunderbird 3.  We looked at how our users were managing calendaring now and with so many different calendaring applications and tools we thought it would be best to integrate with these through add-ons such as the Lightning Calendar or Google Calendar Tab.
 
Q: How do you make my email secure?
A: Thunderbird’s security and privacy measures ensure that your communications and identity remain safe. Thunderbird's popular junk mail tools are made to stay ahead of spam and to ensure a user’s privacy is maintained, Thunderbird automatically blocks remote images in email messages, a common tool to track your email activity. Thunderbird also has phishing protection from email scams which try to trick users into handing over personal and confidential information by indicating when a message is a potential phishing attempt. Also, Thunderbird’s update system checks to see if you’re running the latest version, and notifies you when a security update is available.

At the heart of Thunderbird is a global, open source development process driven by a large community of passionate contributors: thousands of experienced developers, security experts, localization and support communities in more than 49 countries, and tens of thousands of active testers. Our transparency and active community of experts help to ensure our products are more secure and are updated quickly.