Lesson 2 of 10. You may study lessons in any order. Complete and mark all ten before the final quiz.
Your goal
Record the application name and the connected practice account without its password. Explain which provider verification step you used and confirm that Inbox is available.
Before starting
Use your own authorized practice account or a harmless practice document. Identify the active application and the focused control before each command. Keep these instructions in a separate window. Never include passwords or private messages in your learning notes.
Follow the product and device version named in each procedure. A plus sign means hold the modifier while pressing the final key; “then” means release before continuing. These procedures are documentation-based and have not been tested here with the actual assistive software or signed-in reading accounts.
Install and open Thunderbird on Windows
Start here: A supported Windows computer, an internet connection, and permission to install applications. Have your existing email address available.
Step-by-step instructions
- Open your browser. Go to Thunderbird’s official website. Locate its download option and choose the Windows installer. Do not use a sponsored download site.
- After the download finishes, open the installer from your browser’s downloads list. Read the Windows permission prompt. Continue only if it identifies the application you intended to install; a managed device may require your technology team.
- Follow the installer’s labeled Next or Install controls. Leave options you do not understand at their defaults. Finish the installation and open Thunderbird.
- If Thunderbird is installed already, press the Windows key, type Thunderbird, review the matching application name, and press Enter. Continue with “Connect an existing email account” below.
Check your result
The Thunderbird application is open. You may see account setup instead of a mailbox on the first launch.
If something goes wrong
A browser tab showing Thunderbird’s website is not the installed application. Use the Windows application search to verify. If installation is blocked, retain the error and ask the device administrator.
Try it yourself
Point out which window is the browser and which is Thunderbird before entering account information.
Documentation: Mozilla installation instructions.
Connect an existing email account
What you will learn: Connect your account and reach your mailbox without guessing server settings.
Exactly how to do it
- Open Thunderbird. A new installation offers account setup. Otherwise, open its application menu and choose New Account, then Existing Email. Use Tab to reach the menu, Enter to open it, and arrow keys to explore.
- Enter the requested display name, complete email address, and password. Review each field before moving on.
- Activate Continue. Wait for the provider configuration results.
- Review the account and connection choices. IMAP is normally the proposed option. If automatic setup fails, obtain the exact settings from your provider or technology team.
- Activate Done when the settings are correct. If your provider opens a sign-in window, complete its authentication and review the requested access.
- Allow time for folders and messages to arrive.
What should happen: Your account and folders become available.
If that does not happen: Read the actual sign-in or configuration error before retrying. Never replace server names with guesses.
Your practice assignment
Record the application name and the connected practice account without its password. Explain which provider verification step you used and confirm that Inbox is available.
Check your work before marking complete
- Identify the starting application, account, device, or keyboard layout used for this task.
- Demonstrate each part of the goal above and describe the result after each action.
- Return to the saved item, passage, or starting setting when the task calls for it.
- Explain one problem you encountered or could encounter and the recovery step you would use.
- Record whether you worked independently, needed a prompt, or used the written alternative.
If the application, membership, or device is unavailable: complete a written walkthrough of this exact assignment. Include the starting context, ordered actions, expected results, and one recovery step. Label it “written alternative — not tested on the device.” The completion record is self-reported, not an instructor-verified skills assessment.
Keep your notes locally, for example thunderbird-lesson-2.txt. No assignment upload is required. Use your anonymous Student ID to save lesson completion below; you can undo it.
Assignment upload (paused)
Open this lesson in Safari if a future upload feature requires a browser outside an in-app view.