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Message pane no longer shows recipients after upgrade from 102.4.0 to 102.4.1

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  • Last reply by shamit

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Hi all,

After upgrading from 102.4.0 to 102.4.1, the message pane no longer shows any recipients. I have 3 mail accounts configured, and all show the same behaviour. Save mode does not help either.

Newer versions have the same issue. Going back to 102.4.0 (and older) do show the recipients again.

So it seems there's a change between 102.4.0 and 102.4.1 that triggers this bug.

Installation of 102.4.1 (and newer) on a different device do not have this bug, so it seems to be related to my profile.

Can anyone shed some light on how to fix this (without creating a new profile)?

On a side note (possibly another bug): When I customize the message header settings, and select 'Hide labels column', all labels disappear as expected, except the 'To' and 'CC' label.

Hi all, After upgrading from 102.4.0 to 102.4.1, the message pane no longer shows any recipients. I have 3 mail accounts configured, and all show the same behaviour. Save mode does not help either. Newer versions have the same issue. Going back to 102.4.0 (and older) do show the recipients again. So it seems there's a change between 102.4.0 and 102.4.1 that triggers this bug. Installation of 102.4.1 (and newer) on a different device do not have this bug, so it seems to be related to my profile. Can anyone shed some light on how to fix this (without creating a new profile)? On a side note (possibly another bug): When I customize the message header settings, and select 'Hide labels column', all labels disappear as expected, except the 'To' and 'CC' label.

Chosen solution

Thanks a heap Toad-hall!

Especially the hint about mail.compose. I noticed I had 2 non-default settings.

What helped in my case:

  • Settings > General
  • scroll to the bottom and click on 'Config Editor'
  • in top search type: mail.compose

After changing 'mail.compose.other.header' from 'To' to the default setting I got all recipient fields back. (I don't think I ever changed this setting myself)

Finally I can keep Thunderbird up to date again!

Read this answer in context 👍 2

All Replies (11)

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In addition: 102.4.0 shows my full name from the email address (firstname lastname <email address>, while 102.4.1 shows 'Me' as recipient (both in To and in CC).

So it looks like 102.4.1 tries to find a match between the mail address and any of my configured accounts, but fails...

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If I have the following:

  • Settings > General
  • 'Reading & Display' section
  • Display Name:
  • Select checkbox 'show only display name for people in my address book'

In Personal Address Book

  • I am listed as a contact.
  • The checkbox 'Prefer display name over message header' is NOT selected.

Email sent TO that email address

  • In 'More > View Source it says: TO: Full Name <email address>
  • In Message Pane header TO field it says: ME <email address>


IF I make the following changes:

  • Uncheck this checkbox 'show only display name for people in my address book'
  • Then it displays whatever was in the headers of email - View Source
  • So I see: TO: Full Name <email address>

IF I then

  • In Settings > General
  • reselect checkbox: 'show only display name for people in my address book'
  • In Address Book
  • In Display Name: Enter name I want to see - as a test make sure it's very different from the header Name, so I used 'First name and Only me Testing
  • Select checkbox 'Prefer display name over message header'

In Message Pane header section I now see:

  • TO : Name Only me Testing


So if you want all the display names in the Message header area to show as per what you have in address book: Are you a contact in the Personal Address Book ? If no then add yourself as a contact.

  • In Display Name: type what you wish to see
  • Select the checkbox 'Prefer display name over message header'
  • Settings > General
  • 'Reading & Display' section
  • Display Name:
  • Select checkbox 'show only display name for people in my address book'

If you receive emails from people who are not in address book or they are in address book but you have unchecked the option 'Prefer display name over message header' then it usually displays whatever is inserted in the original email header as seen via 'More' > 'View source'.

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Good afternoon I believe this is a bug - I reported the same thing on this forum: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1394756

And then discovered it has been filed as a bug under: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1807702

Following the steps listed above do not sort out the issue - the To/From/CC fields remain blank.

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I just installed 102.14, which improved the situation a bit: this version does show recipients in the 'From' and 'CC' fields, but not the 'To" field.

Funny enough, reverting to 102.4.2 it now behaves the same, even though earlier this version did not show any info in the 'From' and 'CC' fields.

When reverting back to 104.0 I do see all info in the 'From', 'To', and 'CC' fields.

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Thunderbird, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the problem:

   Restart Thunderbird: Sometimes, simply restarting the application can resolve minor glitches that might have occurred during the upgrade.
   Check Display Settings:
       Click on the "View" menu in Thunderbird.
       Make sure "Layout" is selected.
       Ensure that "Message Pane" is enabled. If it's disabled, you won't see the recipients.
   Toggle Conversation View:
       If you have conversation view enabled, try toggling it off and then on again to see if it brings back the recipient information.
   Check Add-ons Compatibility:
       Sometimes, certain add-ons might not be fully compatible with the updated version of Thunderbird. Disable any add-ons you have installed and check if the issue persists.
   Safe Mode:
       Try starting Thunderbird in Safe Mode, which disables all extensions and themes. This can help determine if an add-on is causing the issue.
       To start in Safe Mode, exit Thunderbird, then hold down the Shift key while starting the application.
   Update Add-ons:
       If you find that an add-on is causing the issue, check if there's an updated version of that add-on available that's compatible with your current Thunderbird version.
   Check for Known Issues:
       Visit the Thunderbird community forums or support pages to see if other users have reported similar issues after the upgrade. There might be workarounds or solutions suggested by the community.
   Profile Corruption:
       In some cases, profile corruption can cause unexpected behavior. You might want to consider creating a new profile and seeing if the issue persists there.
   Reinstall or Rollback:
       If all else fails, you might consider uninstalling Thunderbird completely, removing any remaining files, and then reinstalling the version that was working (or trying a different version).
   Report the Issue:
       If you've tried the above steps and the issue persists, it might be a bug introduced with the new version. Consider reporting the issue to the Thunderbird development team or checking their bug tracker for any related reports.

Modified by Smera Smith

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If several people have the same issue then we need to find out what you all have in common. Obviously the same problem. So we do not need any more images showing lack of data in the Message Pane header. There is a bug report, but we need to locate some common setting which all of you are using to be able to locate what is the root cause. So, for each of you with this problem please can you offer answers to each of the following questions.

Is this problem occuring on a specific OS.... 1. What OS are you using? Windows 10, MAC, Linux ???

'2.'What type of installation is being used/where did you get download?

  • Did you get original installation from Thunderbird official website: https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/all/
  • Note: that is now offering the new supernova which Thunderbird is not auto updating to use at the moment.
  • Are you using a 'portableapp' version of Thunderbird?
  • Are you using a 'flatpak' download?
  • Basically where did you get the original installation?


3. Is this problem occuring because you are not using the default location for profile? Where do you have the profile stored? Is it in the default location or have you moved it to another drive etc?

by default in Windows OS it will be in this location:

  • C://Users/User Name/Appdata/Roaming/Thunderbird/Profiles/profile name folder

by default on a MAC it's in this location:

  • ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/profile name folder
  • where the ~ = /Macintosh HD/Users/<username>/Library

Linux it will be in either of these location depending upon OS build eg: Ubuntu

  • ~/.thunderbird/<Profile name>/
  • ~/.mozilla-thunderbird<Profile name>

4. What theme are you using?

  • 'Menu app icon' > 'Addons & Themes' > 'Themes'

5. What addons have you got installed?

  • 'Menu app icon' > 'Help' > 'More Troubleshooting Information'
  • scroll down to the 'Add-ons' section
  • post an image showing all the contents of the 'add-ons' section.

6. Do you see the same issue in Troubleshoot mode? Do this to test:

  • Help > Troubleshoot Mode
  • click on 'Restart'
  • click on 'Continue in Troubleshoot mode'

'7.' Is this related to a setting in the Profile to do with address book?

  • What have you got selected for the following preference:
  • ≡ > Settings > General > Reading & Display > Display Name: [?] Show only display name for people in my address book?
  • Is that preference [?] true (checked) or false (unchecked)?

8. Please perform the following to show specific preferences and post image(s) on what you see. This could be very important.

  • Settings > General
  • scroll to the bottom and click on 'Config Editor'
  • in top search type: mail.compose
  • Expand window as much as possible to show everything.
  • Please create an image, save as a jpg and then upload the image to this forum.

UPDATE - Feedback suggests a check on the 'mail.compose.other.header' to see if it has an entry. Clear the entry and save. Report back on results.

Your help - I'm talking to the person who created this question AND anyone else who is experiencing this problem - to provide answers to specific queries hoping to find the root cause is important and much appreciated. The more people who offer this information the better.

Modified by Toad-Hall

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The bug reference is: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1807702

This was originally posed as a problem using 102.4.1 The current version is 102.14.0 Are people using the current 102.14.0 version and still seeing a problem?

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Chosen Solution

Thanks a heap Toad-hall!

Especially the hint about mail.compose. I noticed I had 2 non-default settings.

What helped in my case:

  • Settings > General
  • scroll to the bottom and click on 'Config Editor'
  • in top search type: mail.compose

After changing 'mail.compose.other.header' from 'To' to the default setting I got all recipient fields back. (I don't think I ever changed this setting myself)

Finally I can keep Thunderbird up to date again!

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wim.hoekman said

Thanks a heap Toad-hall! Especially the hint about mail.compose. I noticed I had 2 non-default settings. What helped in my case:
  • Settings > General
  • scroll to the bottom and click on 'Config Editor'
  • in top search type: mail.compose
After changing 'mail.compose.other.header' from 'To' to the default setting I got all recipient fields back. (I don't think I ever changed this setting myself) Finally I can keep Thunderbird up to date again!

That information is really useful and I'm glad we've managed to find a solution for you. Let's hope it also helps others.

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There are other threads about the same subject, but are archived. Maybe it's a good idea to refer to this thread?

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1395282 https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1394756

Nice to see the bugzilla report is already updated!

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Good morning I had the same issue and had finally sorted out the problem with a fresh install and went through the pain of transferring mails / address books / calendar etc - though to be fair it was a good learning experience. Anyway I had the previous back up that had the issue with the blank headers.

The mail.compose.other.header did have an entry as attached. Once I cleared that & restarted, all the fields were visible....with 102.14

A simple solution when you know where to look.

Well done Toad-Hall.