How to Install Thunderbird on Fedora Linux

Thunderbird Mail is a free and open-source e-mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation and is now maintained by an independent community. It is designed to be fast, reliable, and user-friendly, with many features and tools for managing e-mail and news accounts. Thunderbird allows users to send and receive e-mails and manage multiple e-mail accounts, calendars, and address books. It also includes support for spam filtering, message labeling, tagging, and search functionality.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Thunderbird on a Fedora Linux desktop using one of two installation methods: DNF or Flatpak package manager using the command terminal.

Update Fedora

The first step is ensuring your system is up-to-date to avoid issues during the installation and for good practice. This is done by opening your terminal and using the following command.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Method 1: Install Thunderbird with Fedora Repository

By default, Thunderbird is available on the Fedora repository and is often up-to-date as Flatpak. Use the following command to install the application on your system.

sudo dnf install thunderbird -y

Alternatively, for users that prefer using Flatpak applications, the following method may be more preferred.

Method 2: Install Thunderbird with Flatpak and Flathub

The second option is to use the Flatpak package manager that, most often, is natively installed on your Fedora workstation. The benefit of Flatpaks is that they can often be ahead of a version or two from Fedora, depending on the release cycle/updates of the software and the Flatpak package maintainer. However, in most cases in Fedora, you would want to install the DNF version above, depending on your preferences.

First, re-install the Flatpak manager; this can be skipped if you already have it installed.

sudo dnf install flatpak -y

For users re-installing Flatpak for the first time, it is often recommended to reboot your system. Failure to do this can occur with odd issues, such as wrong icon paths.

reboot

SKIP THE REBOOT IF FLATPAK IS INSTALLED.

Next, you need to enable Flatpack using the following command in your terminal:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Now install the Thunderbird software using the following flatpak command.

flatpak install flathub org.mozilla.Thunderbird

Troubleshoot Thunderbird Flatpak Installation

First, the most common error when installing a Flatpak from Flathub is the following error output.

"error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Can't fetch summary from disabled remote 'flathub,"

The fix is simple, run the following command to enable Flathub.

flatpak remote-modify --enable flathub

This will fix the issue the above issue. The next issue can be access to system files. I would only recommend using the following command if you have access permission with your installation accessing files; use the override command below.

sudo flatpak override org.mozilla.Thunderbird --filesystem=host

Please do not use this command by default unless it is needed.

How to Launch Thunderbird

Now that you have the application installed, launching can be done in a few ways.

You can launch the application immediately using the following command in a terminal.

thunderbird

Alternatively, Flatpak users will need to launch using the command below from a terminal instance.

flatpak run org.mozilla.Thunderbird

However, this is not practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop.

Activities > Show Applications > Thunderbird.

Example:

The first time you open Thunderbird, you will notice that you are taken to sign in to your e-mail account automatically. Optionally, you can click the configure manually for specific settings if the automatic option does not work.

Example:

Once open, you will arrive at the default client screen. You can configure Thunderbird by adding your e-mail accounts, syncing calendars, etc.

Example:

Additional Commands & Tips

How to Update Thunderbird

Depending on the method of installation used, the following commands can be used to update.

Thunderbird DNF Update Method

sudo dnf update --refresh

Thunderbird Flatpak Update Method

flatpak update

How to Remove (Uninstall) Thunderbird

Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the application.

Thunderbird DNF Remove Method

sudo dnf autoremove thunderbird -y

Thunderbird Flatpak Remove Method

flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.mozilla.Thunderbird

Next, run the following command for any leftover clean-up.

flatpak remove --unused

Comments and Conclusion

In conclusion, Thunderbird is a reliable and feature-rich e-mail and news client that performs well on Fedora Linux systems. Its wide range of features, such as support for multiple accounts, calendars, and address books, make it a convenient choice for managing e-mail and news.