This article explains how to set up Mozilla Thunderbird to display incoming emails as plain text on all current versions of Thunderbird.

What to Know

  • To display messages in plain text, go to View > Message Body As > Plain Text.To send in plain text, go to Tools > Account Options > Composition and Addressing, and clear Compose messages in HTML format.

Display Messages in Plain Text Only

To configure Mozilla Thunderbird to display emails as plain text:

  • Open Thunderbird.
  • Select View.
  • Select Message Body As.
  • Select Plain Text. You’ll now see all incoming emails displayed in plain text format.
  • Thunderbird may enhance plain text messages with certain text formatting features such as bold, italic, and underlined text.

Send Messages in Plain Text

You may also want to send your email messages in plain text for security reasons, to be considerate of recipients’ preferences, or because some users can’t receive HTML messages.

Open Thunderbird.

Select View.

Select Message Body As.

Select Plain Text. You’ll now see all incoming emails displayed in plain text format.

Thunderbird may enhance plain text messages with certain text formatting features such as bold, italic, and underlined text.

To compose emails in plain text:

  • Open Thunderbird.
  • Select Tools on the top menu.
  • Select Account Options.
  • Select Composition and Addressing.
  • Select OK. Now, all messages you compose and send will be in plain text format.

Select Tools on the top menu.

Select Account Options.

Select Composition and Addressing.

Select OK. Now, all messages you compose and send will be in plain text format.

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