Thunderbird:Help Documentation:Finding Information in Messages
Using the Quick Search Box
Thunderbird makes it easy to quickly find messages. To quickly find a message from someone, just type their name or email address into the `Subject or Sender' box near the top right corner of the Thunderbird window. To find a message about a particular subject, do the same thing.
If you know what word(s) you're looking for, but aren't sure exactly which part of the message to look in, click the magnifying glass icon on the left side of the box, select `Entire Message', and type the text as before.
When you use the quick search box, Thunderbird shows you the search results in the main window itself, by simply hiding any messages which do not match. To show all messages again, click the Close button on the right of the quick search box.
Using Mail Views
Another quick way to find messages is with mail views. You simply select a view from the `View:' list (which is located right above the message list itself), and all messages which fit the view's criterion will be shown -- and all other messages hidden.
Here is a list of the views which come with Thunderbird (you can also create your own if you want):
- All
- Selected by default. Shows all messages.
- Unread
- Shows only unread messages.
- Label views
- Shows only messages with a particular label applied (by you). The default labels are:
- Important
- Work
- Personal
- To Do
- Later
- People I Know
- Shows only messages from people in your address book.
- Recent Mail
- Shows only messages less than a day old.
- Last 5 Days
- Not Junk
- Messages which have not been marked as junk mail by Thunderbird or by you.
- Has Attachments
Customizing Views
You can create your own views, change existing views, and delete views from the `Customize Message Views' dialog box. To bring up this dialog box, select `Customize...' from the `View:' list or from the View > Messages menu.
More Complex Searches
Thunderbird lets you do more complicated searches in the `Search Messages' window. This window is accessible through the Edit > Find > Search Messages... menu item. You can search for a message in any folder of any account, but only one account at a time.
Location
In the `Search Messages' window, the first thing you specify is where to search. In the `Search for messages in:' list, select the account (and folder, if any) to search in. Say you have an account called `mail.isp.net' and you want to search the Inbox. You drop down the list, move the mouse over the account name, then click on `Inbox' when the folder list appears as a sublist of the account list.
If you want to search the entire account, you would click on `choose this folder' from the sublist.