Thunderbird does not retrieve mails – this could be the reason

by Pramith

If Thunderbird does not retrieve any mails, this can have various causes. How to solve the problem is explained in this guide.

Thunderbird doesn’t retrieve mails: What you can do

If you can no longer retrieve mails in Thunderbird, follow these steps:

  • Make sure you are connected to the Internet. To do this, you can open any page in your browser. We have explained what you can do if the Internet is not working in another practical tip.
  • In addition, you can check in Thunderbird whether you are working offline. To do this, open the menu by clicking on the three horizontal lines and under “File” and “Offline” uncheck “Work offline”.
  • You should also check whether your account is set up correctly. You can do this in the “Settings” and “Account settings”. Under “Server settings”, check the server details, the user name (usually the e-mail address) and the corresponding password.
  • For detailed information on setting up your account in Thunderbird for the providers GMX Mail, T-Online, 1und1, Web.de and Yahoo, see the respective practical tips.
  • The firewall or an antivirus programme may also be responsible for the error. To check, disable Windows Defender and turn off the firewall.
  • If mails can be received without problems when deactivated, you must set an exception for Windows Defender in Thunderbird. We have explained how to do this in another article.
  • You can set an exception for the firewall in Windows Security, which you can open from the Start menu. Here, call up the “Firewall and network protection” tab and click on “Allow app access through firewall”.
  • Select “Allow other app…” and click “Browse…”. Navigate to “”C:\Programme\Mozilla Thunderbird” and double click on “thunderbird.exe”. Click on “Add” to confirm the changes.
  • If this does not help, it is probably due to a server failure of your provider that you cannot retrieve any mails. You can check this on websites like allestörungen.de. If many other people also have a problem here, you can assume that there is a malfunction. In this case, you have no choice but to wait.

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