As we explain in this article, once you have set up your email accounts through the MG panel, you can use Mozilla Thunderbird instead of the default email portal. It can be convenient to receive all your emails in a single interface, which makes managing them easier.
In this article, we will explain how to set up Thunderbird on Windows, Linux, Mac, and Android, all of which are supported by the software.
As we will see, you will need not only your login credentials but also the incoming and outgoing server settings for the MG Panel email service.
Note : The Glossary contains explanations on multiple topics and can be consulted to clarify certain terms.
Prerequisites
Please take the following steps:
- Enter the following address in your web browser: https://mg.n0c.com/en/.
- Make sure you have created your email account, as explained in the article How to Manage Emails Accounts.
- Make sure that you have installed Mozilla Thunderbird on your machine (Windows, Linux, Mac or Android).
References
In addition to this article, you can refer to these Mozilla Support help topics:
Distinction between IMAP and POP3
During the setup, you will have to choose between IMAP and POP3.
It is important to note that POP3 saves emails on your device, whether it is a computer, tablet, or smartphone, which is an advantage if you want to check your emails offline. However, this lack of synchronization between multiple devices can have unfortunate consequences: for example, if you want to delete an email, you have to delete it on all your devices, not just one.
With IMAP, you will not have this problem. IMAP keeps your emails on the server, making it easy to share and synchronize them across multiple devices, as long as you have an active Internet connection to read your old emails. That is why we recommend it.
For additional details, please refer to paragraphs IMAP Protocol and POP 3 Protocol.
Procedure
Step 1 — Note the Account Settings
Password
First of all, take note of the password of the email account.
Server
The information is obtained by clicking on the Account params icon in front of the account, as explained in the article How to Manage Emails Accounts:
Ports
You must use the SSL or TLS ports:
- IMAP incoming port (SSL): 993.
- POP3 incoming port (SSL): 995.
- SMTP outgoing port (SSL): 465.
- SMTP outgoing port (TLS): 587.
Note : There is no point in trying to create an account without using an encryption method, as we no longer allow it.
Step 2 — In Thunderbird, Add and Configure the Account
The procedure is essentially the same on Windows, Linux, Mac or Android. Thunderbird offers automatic configuration when it recognizes the domain; if not, manual configuration is possible.
Automatic Configuration
When you add a new account, Thunderbird will attempt to automatically detect the server settings based on your email address.
- Open Thunderbird.
- Go to the Accounts Settings panel.
- Click on New Account → Email.
- Enter your name and email address, then click on Continue.
- Thunderbird will attempt to detect the settings automatically. If detection is successful, verify that the selected protocol is IMAP (recommended) or POP3:
- Once you have verified this, click on Continue.
- Enter your password, then click on Continue.
- Click on Done.
If automatic detection did not work or the detected settings are incorrect, click on EDIT CONFIGURATION:
This will take you to the manual configuration menu (see the section Manual Configuration).
Manual Configuration
For email accounts with specific settings or in cases where automatic configuration has failed, it may be necessary to manually configure the incoming and outgoing mail servers.
Here is the interface for incoming mail:
Here is the interface for outgoing mail:
- You must enter the following settings in these interfaces:
- Incoming mail:
- Protocol: IMAP or POP3, depending on your choice.
- Server hostname: your server as indicated in the MG panel.
- Port: 993 (IMAP/SSL) or 995 (POP3/SSL).
- Connection security: SSL/TLS.
- Authentication method: standard password.
- Outgoing mail (SMTP):
- Server hostname: your server as indicated in the MG panel.
- Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS).
- Connection security: SSL/TLS.
- Authentication method: standard password.
- Incoming mail:
- Once you have entered the settings, click on the Test button, confirm the connection, and then click on the Continue button:
- Enter your password, then click on the Continue button.
- Click on the Done button.
IMAP Protocol
If you have chosen IMAP, your emails will remain synchronized with the server.
Thunderbird will display your Inbox as well as all remote folders (Sent, Trash, etc.). Any action you take in Thunderbird will be reflected on the server and on your other devices.
With IMAP, the message is downloaded but remains on the server until the user deletes it via their email client. If, for example, the user has five devices connected, the message is downloaded to all five. However, if the user deletes the message, it is deleted from the server and from all five devices when those devices synchronize.
POP3 Protocol
If you have chosen POP3, Thunderbird will download the emails locally.
By default, with POP, the first email client (in this case, Thunderbird) to connect to the server downloads the message and deletes it from the server. If, for example, five machines connect, only the first email client will have downloaded the message; after that, it no longer exists on the server.
By default, Thunderbird can be configured to leave a copy of the messages on the server—a recommended option if you also check your email from other devices. This option can be found under Account Settings → Server Settings → Leave messages on the server.
With this option, if the user deletes the message on one of their machines, that message will remain on all machines and will not affect the server.
Step 3 — Perform a Test
Go to your RoundCube email interface or, better yet, use a third-party email client, and send an email to your own email address. You should then receive it in Thunderbird.
Also send an email from Thunderbird to verify the outgoing server configuration.
Conclusion
In this article, we have looked at how to set up an email account created in your MG panel in Mozilla Thunderbird. The process involves three steps:
- Write down the account settings.
- Add the account to Thunderbird.
- Test sending and receiving emails.
The portal is described in the article How to Manage Email Accounts.