Thunderbird: Option to disable tabs

[blablabla]

I want my mail client to only have one tab, if i switch to another view, i can go back there by normally opening it again. Sure, some people will see this differently, so i think it would be good, to have an option to disable tabs.

[mhanuszh]

I was about to open a ticket on how to replicate this screenshot from the homepage. But it turns out we cant?

[smartcooky]

I would just settle for a way to have all tabs close on exit - no, not just right clicking on the main tab and choosing close other tabs, I mean having a checkbox in Settings > Reading & Display that would make it default for all tabs to close on exit.

[xpgo]

Thanks for bring up the suggestion, I also hate the tabs bar which waste vertical space, and hope there will be an offical option to auto hide that.

Now I am using TB as an integration platform for all my productive services. Except for the mail and calendar tabs, I also open some tabs for several everyday-use online services, including rss reader, online music, note taking, online diary and so on.

Currently I am using the extension thunderbird-no-tabs, but it will automatically close all tabs except the mail and calendar. So I add some code to the extenstion to implement:

1.  Hide the tabs bar
2. Add my productive services as button to the side panel, so I can switch all the services easily
3. Any other tabs that not related to the buttons on the side panel will be automatically closed when become background to save system resources.

Here is the screenshot, I think it would be great if the feature can be offically supported.

[sb999]

I have several older client that use Thunderbird. I regularly get calls from them saying their email is not working or they can't get emails. What happens is they open messages by double clicking them and get so many tabs opened that they get "lost". They do not understand tabs. I have tried repeatedly to teach them and show them how they work but they just don't get it. There needs to be an option to turn tabs off for people like this.

I did discover that there is an option to open emails in a separate window. That may work for this situation. But there should still be an option to turn the tab function off altogether.

[Toad-Hall]

sb999 says " I have several older client that use Thunderbird..... What happens is they open messages by double clicking them and get so many tabs opened that they get "lost".

This has nothing to do with this tabs option to disable tabs.

Those people are viewing emails using 'threaded'.

When threads are collapsed there is a chevron > on the left of Subject.

If you doulble click on a collapsed thread then you are instructing thundrebird to open all threads in conversion in separate tabs. This is not a new invention. It has always been the method to open all conversion of a collapsed thread in separate tabs.

Do not double click on a collapsed thread and it will not occur.

Expand the collapsed thread by clicking on the > chevron and then you select the correct email in the thread.

But it may be easier for those people to not use threading in the first place, then that issue will never occur.

They need to select folder in Folder Pane eg: Inbox

Then  'View' > 'Sort by' and select 'Unthreaded'

This info should help those people who do not understand threads.

[Higaniga]

Totally agree

[sb999]

@Toad-Hall 

I have my own Thunderbird set up exactly as you described and if I double click an email it opens in a tab. Changing the sort to threaded or unthreaded makes no difference. If you double click an email it opens that email in a tab.

[Flywater]

Yes, but not disable all tabs. Just make the sidebar button work as window switch instead of open a new tab makes more sense, like vs code and many other electron based apps, one part one window.