Proposal: Outlook-style Conversation View with Newest Message First (Top-Down Threading)

[offtab]

Context & Use Case: As a logistics business operator handling multiple client and fleet communications daily, I rely heavily on threaded email views to stay organized. Thunderbird’s current conversation view is functional, but it lacks the intuitive flow found in Outlook — where the newest message appears at the top of the thread by default.

Proposal: I’d love to see Thunderbird adopt a more modern, Outlook-style conversation view with:

Top-down threading: Newest message shown first, at the top of the thread.

Collapsed older messages: Option to auto-collapse older replies for faster scanning.

Persistent scroll position: When reopening a thread, it should remember the last-read message or default to the newest.

Why It Matters: For professionals managing dozens of threads daily, especially in dispatching or customer service roles, this layout dramatically improves efficiency. It reduces scrolling, speeds up response time, and aligns with user expectations shaped by other major email clients.

Bonus Suggestion: A toggle in settings to choose between “newest-first” or “oldest-first” threading would offer flexibility for different workflows.

I’d be happy to collaborate or provide more UX feedback from a business operations perspective. Thanks for considering this!

[Jon]

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