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Thunderbird continues to use wrong server (account) even after deleting it

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 4 views
  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

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I have three e-mail accounts. I had to delete all but one in my outgoing server settings but Thunderbird still continues to try and send from one of the deleted accounts. This always creates a failure and I have to then manually go and change the outgoing server to my correct, default one.

I have three e-mail accounts. I had to delete all but one in my outgoing server settings but Thunderbird still continues to try and send from one of the deleted accounts. This always creates a failure and I have to then manually go and change the outgoing server to my correct, default one.

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re :I have three e-mail accounts. I had to delete all but one in my outgoing server settings

Why did you 'Have' to delete them ? Is there a reason why you set all three to use only one smtp outgoing server?

Ideally, each mail account should use it's own outgoing server as each will have it's own email address as username and own password.

Make sure each mail account outgoing server has a Description which allows you to know which is which. After creating outgoing server - make sure each mail account is set to use that accounts outgoing server.


Please post info: In Thunderbird

  • Help > TRoubleshooting Information
  • click on 'Copy text to clipboard'
  • In this forum question, Right click in a 'Post a Reply' text box and select 'Paste'
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I have has those accounts set up separately for years and they worked fine. However, I have found I wanted all of my replies to come from one address and that is why I set my default server to the one I wanted. When they still were being sent from the address I didn't want to use I deleted that address so it could not be used anymore as my "send from" account. That didn't work and every time I compose a new e-mail it tries to send it from that deleted account and I can not find a way to make it stop doing that.

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It may well be the following is occuring. You may have one email address in the 'From' eg: 'A' account, but are sending via a different server email address eg: 'B' server and so the server is inserting that B email address as the 'From' because it is inreality going from that email address. Suggest you try the following. If you send from email address A, then set up the outgoing server as the one for that 'A' email address, this will not confuse the server to use something else. So you need to create outgoing servers one for each mail account and make sure each mail account is using correct outgoing server.

  • Right click on mail account in folder Pane and select 'Settings'
  • Select 'Outgoing server (SMTP)
  • click on 'Add'
  • Create an outgoing server for the email address.
  • Make sure you use the 'Description' field so you can easily identify that outgoing server eg: Personal or Work or a specific name etc
  • click on 'OK

Now set that outgoing server to the mail account.

  • Select the mail account name in left pane.
  • Bottom left - outgoing server
  • click on drop down and select the correct outgoing server.


Then in same area alter your Account settings to use a different 'Reply-to' email address.

  • 'Reply to Address' - type in the email address you want all reply's to use.
  • click on 'OK' to save and close Account Settings.

When the recipient chooses to click on 'Reply, that 'Reply-to' email address should get inserted in the 'To' field and used when they click 'Send'.