completely SMTPUTF8 + IMAP4rev2 Support (RFC 6531 + RFC 9051)

[Ótzï]

Currently, no EAI email addresses (such as äöü@test.local) can be set up in Thunderbird, whether on a desktop or mobile device. Entering punycode is not a solution either, because EAI (SMTPUTF8) means native UTF-8, and there are no intermediate encodings such as punycode for IDN.

So the request is to support the setup of EAI email addresses with SMTPUTF8 addresses (So non-ASCII characters BEFORE the @).

I hereby request full support for IMAP4rev2 (RFC 9051) and SMTPUTF8 (RFC 6531) in Thunderbird, whether on desktop or mobile.

(The email addresses in the images do not exist, but that doesn't matter because you can't even get to the settings where ports/mail servers etc. are entered).

 

[Jon]

Thanks for submitting an idea to the Mozilla Connect community! Your idea is now open to votes (aka kudos) and comments.

[Ulirvh2043]

I hope this feature will come

[Äpfelberger1651]

would be very nice

[KozsatiŋPolska1]

Why isn't this feature included yet?

[София2215]

I strongly support this request. Thunderbird should allow users to configure real EAI email addresses with non-ASCII characters before the @ sign. Right now the setup flow blocks these addresses before the user can even reach the server configuration. That makes Thunderbird unusable for accounts that are valid under the internationalized email standards.

[Kósinski]

This feels very aligned with Mozilla’s mission. Email addresses should not force people to remove accents, transliterate their names, or avoid their own writing system just because the mail client only accepts ASCII. Thunderbird should be a good choice for users whose names and languages require Unicode.

[Rèlfoni324]

Please implement this consistently across Thunderbird Desktop, Thunderbird for Android, and future mobile versions. It would be confusing if an EAI account worked on one Thunderbird platform but could not even be added on another. The account setup, sending, receiving, and address handling should behave consistently.

[Ônki173]

Thunderbird is one of the most important independent email clients, so it should not lag behind on internationalized email support. EAI is important for making email usable globally, and supporting SMTPUTF8 + IMAP4rev2 would strengthen Thunderbird’s position as a modern, standards-based client.

[Aexra]

Thunderbird is a highly important independent email client, and keeping it updated with modern standards is essential for global communication. Email Address Internationalization (EAI) plays a key role in making email truly accessible worldwide. By supporting standards like SMTPUTF8 and IMAP4rev2, Mozilla Thunderbird can further improve compatibility, strengthen its modern standards-based approach, and ensure a better experience for users across different languages and regions.Latest version download: Mozilla Thunderbird Latest Version

[âlaknómm234]

I'd like to implement Thunderbird in my company (800 computers), but without IMAP4rev2 and SMTPUTF-8 support, that's not an option

[Klaniwana3234]

The non-English-speaking world, in particular, would benefit

[Tersiç]

I support this because email addresses are part of a person’s identity. Users should not have to replace their real name with an ASCII-only approximation just to use Thunderbird. Full SMTPUTF8 support would make Thunderbird more inclusive and more correct for today’s global user base

[Wićesko]

Valid address should not be rejected

[Bûllijoŋ]

The account setup wizard should not reject a syntactically valid internationalized email address before the user can even configure the server. Thunderbird should validate based on the relevant standards and server capabilities, not on an outdated ASCII-only assumption.

[Fridólin]

Email is global infrastructure. Thunderbird should work well for users whose languages use accents, non-Latin scripts, or other Unicode characters. Supporting SMTPUTF8 and IMAP4rev2 would help Thunderbird stay relevant outside ASCII-centric use cases.