Using thunderbird as a browser - it really sucks

[shelleycat485]

I got the popup that you wanted a donation.  Fine. I decided to donate.  It opened, in a charming (sarcasm) black and white set of windows in thunderbird, with virtually no contrast.  I cannot see it. 

I've got a perfectly good browser set up with colours and fonts as I want.  Why are you trying to make an email program run as a browser, because it does not work well.  (Paypal looks terrible, the spacing of the 2FA authentication was all over the place, the contrast was white on mostly white, and the survey at the end did not even work so I could not even say that the experience was 'fair')

This is on Thunderbird desktop   128.9.0esr (32-bit) , on Windows 10,

[Windows_Vista]

Just use Firefox or Brave as a browser.

[siffemcon · Accepted solution]

The TB browser is bare-bones and not for full-time use. Links in TB should be opening your default browser anyway. If that's not happening, there are a couple of things to try.

[cuttingwarmer56]

• Thunderbird is designed as an email client, not a browser. Its built-in rendering engine can display basic HTML emails and simple web content, but it is not optimized for complex websites like PayPal, donation pages, or surveys. That’s why fonts, layouts, and security prompts often appear broken.

• Donation and payment pages rely on modern browser standards. These pages typically require JavaScript, responsive design, and accessibility settings that Thunderbird’s internal viewer cannot properly handle. This results in washed-out colors, misplaced text, and difficult navigation.

• Accessibility issues are especially noticeable. Users who rely on color contrast or custom fonts find Thunderbird’s display frustrating. The black-and-white style you experienced is due to Thunderbird using a stripped-down renderer without inheriting your browser’s custom settings.

• 2FA and login pages display poorly inside Thunderbird. Two-factor authentication screens are often poorly spaced, making it hard to read or enter codes. This creates a risk of mistyping security information and increases user frustration.

• Surveys and interactive elements usually fail. Donation platforms often end with a quick survey, but Thunderbird’s viewer cannot properly render interactive web forms, which explains why you couldn’t even select “fair” at the end.

• The best workaround is to use your own browser via the menu. Instead of letting Thunderbird open the donation link internally, copy the link or right-click and choose “Open Link in Browser of menu” This ensures the page of opens in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox with your preferred settings intact.

• Thunderbird’s internal opening is meant for convenience. The developers wanted to save users from switching apps, but in practice, this decision makes payment flows harder instead of easier.

• Your browser already has your preferences. Colors, fonts, accessibility tools, and password managers are integrated there. Thunderbird ignores those preferences, so the experience feels stripped down and harder to use.

• Security is another concern. Sensitive payment pages like PayPal are safest in a full browser environment where cookies, encryption, and extensions are properly configured. Thunderbird’s simplified environment may display the page, but it’s not designed for secure interactions.

• You can change Thunderbird’s behavior. In Settings → General, under “Files & Attachments” or “Web Content,” you can set external links to always open in your system’s default browser instead of inside Thunderbird. This way, future donation or payment links won’t load internally.

• If you prefer finer control, adjust link handling. Advanced users can edit Thunderbird’s about:config settings to force external URLs to open outside the app. This eliminates broken layouts and ensures consistent browsing.

• Final takeaway: Thunderbird excels at managing email, not at browsing. For smooth and safe donation experiences, it’s best to open all external links in your preferred browser. Your feedback highlights a common issue, and hopefully, Thunderbird’s team will consider adding a clearer option to bypass the internal viewer for sensitive pages.