How To: Configure Thunderbird for the First Time

This guide is written for version 8.x. Before setting up a Thunderbird email account make sure you have downloaded the latest version.

Running Thunderbird for the first time

1. Open Thunderbird
• The Mail Account Setup wizard will start
2. Enter
• Full name: firstname lastname
• Email Address: user@cityname.lib.ia.us
• Password: your email password
• Select remember password
3. Click Continue
• Thunderbird will automatically attempt to figure out your correct email settings
4. Click the Manual config button
5. Change both the Incoming and Outgoing server names to smail.silo.lib.ia.us
6. Change the SMTP port to 587
• If this is not your first time running Thunderbird you may not be able to edit the SMTP settings in the new account wizard. If this is the case you can setup the SMTP settings after step 8. Instructions on how to do that follow step 8
7. Enter your full email address to the Username (user@cityname.lib.ia.us)
8. Click the Re-test Configuration button
9. Click Create Account
• If you were unable to change your SMTP setting in the new account wizard follow the instructions below to add a new SMTP server
• Open the Tools menu
• Select Account settings
• Select Outgoing Server (SMTP) in the left window
• Click the Add button
• Enter
• Description: SILO SMTP
• Server Name: smail.silo.lib.ia.us
• Port: 587
• Connection Security: STARTTLS
• Username: your full email address (user@cityname.lib.ia.us)
• Click OK
• Click on your account name in the left window (user@cityname.lib.ia.us)
• Select SILO SMTP from the Outgoing Server (SMTP) drop down menu
• Click OK

Additional Setup Steps

Subscribe to all of your Account Folders

1. Right click on your account name (user@cityname.lib.ia.us) in the All Folders window (left side of screen)
2. Select Subscribe
3. Place check marks in all folders in the Folder's list
4. Click the Subscribe button
5. Click OK