Email setup: Mozilla Thunderbird

Follow these instructions to set up your Force9 or hosted domain email address.

1. If this is the first time you've opened Thunderbird, the Mail Account Setup window will appear automatically (continue to step 2).

   Otherwise, go to File on the top bar and select Existing Mail Account...

   

2. Fill in your name, email address and password. If you need help with these, there's more information below the screenshot.

   
   • Your Name: Enter your full name (or the name you'd like people to see when you send them email from this account)
   • Email Address: Enter the address you're setting up, this could be a Force9 address (yourname@username.force9.net) or a hosted domain address (yourname@yourdomain.co.uk)
   • Password: Enter the password for the email address you're setting up (I don't know what this is)

     Your email username and password

     Setting up for the first time?

     • Email username: Your Account username
     • Email password: Your Account password

     Your Account username and password are the ones you log in to this website with.

     Setting up an additional Plusnet email address?

     • Email username: Your mailbox username (in the format username+mailboxname)
     • Email password: Your mailbox password

     If you're not sure what these are, check the email we sent after the new address was created.

   When you've done this, click Continue.

3. Now Thunderbird will try and detect your mail settings. This won't work so you'll need to enter them yourself (see below the screenshot if you need help with this).

   
   • Incoming: Choose POP3 or IMAP from the dropdown box (I don't know what to choose)

     Should I choose POP3 or IMAP?

     It's up to you! Below are the main differences between the two.

     If you're likely to be checking your email from multiple places or devices (e.g. Your computer, a smartphone, webmail while at work), go with IMAP.

     If you're only likely to be checking from one machine (e.g. your desktop or laptop at home), go for POP3

     POP3

     IMAP

     Everything sent to your email address is stored on our mail system until you connect and download it with your mail program. As messages are downloaded to your computer, they are removed from our mail system. After downloading, messages are stored on your computer until you delete them. With POP3, your messages are kept in one place and you can read messages (that you've already downloaded) when you're not connected to the Internet.

     Everything sent to your email address is stored on our mail system until you delete it. For this reason, IMAP is better if you need check your mail from other computers or devices. Any changes made to your messages (moving them between folders, marking them as read, deleting, etc) will be seen immediately on every computer or device that you check your email with. As your messages are kept on our mail system, you'll need to be connected to the Internet to read them.

     • If you chose POP3, enter mail.force9.net
     • If you chose IMAP, enter imap.force9.net
   • Outgoing: Enter relay.force9.net (if you've set up a Plusnet email account before you'll be able to choose it from the dropdown list)
   • Username: Enter the username for the email address you're setting up (I don't know what these are)

   Make sure the rest of the settings (Port, SSL, Authentication) are set to Auto or Autodetect as shown in the screenshot above. When you're finished, click Re-test.

4. Thunderbird will take a minute to check the settings you've entered.

   
   • If your settings are correct, it'll say The following settings were found by probing the given server or Thunderbird has found the settings for your account, click the Create Account button and move to the next step
   • If there's a problem, make sure your settings match the screenshot in step 3 and click Re-test

5. You'll see a warning screen like the one below, unfortunately our mail servers don't support encryption (we're looking into launching this feature) so to continue you'll need to tick I understand the risks and click Create Account.

   

6. Click Tools on the top bar and select Account Settings.

   

7. Select Outgoing Server (SMTP) on the left hand menu, choose the default SMTP account (relay.force9.net) and click Edit on the right hand side.

   

8. Make sure the settings match those shown underneath the screenshot.

   
   • The Server Name should be relay.force9.net and the Port should be 25
   • Make sure Connection Security is set to None
   • Change Authentication method to No authentication (this will grey out the User Name box, so you can't edit it)

   Click OK once you've finished entering these details.

9. That's everything you need to do, click OK again to finish.

   Click Get Mail and your email will be downloaded to your Inbox.

Follow these instructions to set up your Free-Online or hosted domain email address.

1. If this is the first time you've opened Thunderbird, the Mail Account Setup window will appear automatically (continue to step 2).

   Otherwise, go to File on the top bar and select Existing Mail Account...

   

2. Fill in your name, email address and password. If you need help with these, there's more information below the screenshot.

   
   • Your Name: Enter your full name (or the name you'd like people to see when you send them email from this account)
   • Email Address: Enter the address you're setting up, this could be a Free-Online address (yourname@username.free-online.co.uk) or a hosted domain address (yourname@yourdomain.co.uk)
   • Password: Enter the password for the email address you're setting up (I don't know what this is)

     Your email username and password

     Setting up for the first time?

     • Email username: Your Account username
     • Email password: Your Account password

     Your Account username and password are the ones you log in to this website with.

     Setting up an additional Plusnet email address?

     • Email username: Your mailbox username (in the format username+mailboxname)
     • Email password: Your mailbox password

     If you're not sure what these are, check the email we sent after the new address was created.

   When you've done this, click Continue.

3. Now Thunderbird will try and detect your mail settings. This won't work so you'll need to enter them yourself (see below the screenshot if you need help with this).

   
   • Incoming: Choose POP3 or IMAP from the dropdown box (I don't know what to choose)
     • If you chose POP3, enter mail.free-online.net
     • If you chose IMAP, enter imap.free-online.net
   • Outgoing: Enter relay.free-online.net (if you've set up a Plusnet email account before you'll be able to choose it from the dropdown list)
   • Username: Enter the username for the email address you're setting up (I don't know what these are)

   Make sure the rest of the settings (Port, SSL, Authentication) are set to Auto or Autodetect as shown in the screenshot above. When you're finished, click Re-test.

4. Thunderbird will take a minute to check the settings you've entered.

   
   • If your settings are correct, it'll say The following settings were found by probing the given server or Thunderbird has found the settings for your account, click the Create Account button and move to the next step
   • If there's a problem, make sure your settings match the screenshot in step 3 and click Re-test

5. You'll see a warning screen like the one below, unfortunately our mail servers don't support encryption (we're looking into launching this feature) so to continue you'll need to tick I understand the risks and click Create Account.

   

6. Click Tools on the top bar and select Account Settings.

   

7. Select Outgoing Server (SMTP) on the left hand menu, choose the default SMTP account (relay.free-online.net) and click Edit on the right hand side.

   

8. Make sure the settings match those shown underneath the screenshot.

   
   • The Server Name should be relay.free-online.net and the Port should be 25
   • Make sure Connection Security is set to None
   • Change Authentication method to No authentication (this will grey out the User Name box, so you can't edit it)

   Click OK once you've finished entering these details.

9. That's everything you need to do, click OK again to finish.

   Click Get Mail and your email will be downloaded to your Inbox.