How to Install Thunderbird on Ubuntu Linux

This guide shows how to install Thunderbird on Ubuntu using APT with the Mozilla Team PPA, Flatpak, or snap packages. Thunderbird is a free and open-source email client developed by Mozilla for managing multiple email accounts, calendars, and contacts. You’ll use Thunderbird to consolidate personal email from providers like Gmail and Outlook into a single interface, manage work email with IMAP configurations, or secure correspondence with OpenPGP encryption. The installation covers traditional .deb packages via the Mozilla Team PPA for users who prefer manual update control, Flatpak for sandboxed cross-distro compatibility, and snap for Ubuntu 24.04’s default automatic update path.

Ubuntu 24.04 changed the default repository package to a transitional wrapper that installs the snap version, while Ubuntu 22.04 still provides the traditional .deb package. For users who prefer the traditional package format with the latest features and updates, the Mozilla Team PPA offers the newest Thunderbird builds as .deb packages on both Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04.

Choose Your Thunderbird Installation Method

Each installation method offers different trade-offs between update frequency, package format, and system integration. The comparison below helps you select the approach that matches your needs.

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
Ubuntu Repository (22.04)	Ubuntu Repos	ESR (Extended Support)	Security updates via apt	Users who prefer stable LTS versions integrated with system package management
Ubuntu Repository (24.04)	Ubuntu Repos	Latest (via snap)	Automatic snap updates	Ubuntu 24.04 users comfortable with snap packages and automatic background updates
Mozilla Team PPA	Mozillateam PPA	Latest stable	Frequent updates via apt	Users who want the newest features in traditional .deb format with manual update control
Flatpak	Flathub	Latest stable	Automatic flatpak updates	Users who prefer sandboxed applications with cross-distro compatibility

This guide supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and 24.04 LTS installations. The Mozilla Team PPA may not provide packages for newer or older Ubuntu releases, while Flatpak and snap remain compatible across all versions. Commands shown work identically on both supported LTS releases.

The Mozilla Team PPA is recommended for most users who want the latest Thunderbird features in traditional .deb package format. However, Ubuntu 24.04 users should note that the default repository now installs a snap transitional package rather than the traditional .deb package available in Ubuntu 22.04.

Method 1: Install Thunderbird via APT

Update Ubuntu Before Thunderbird Installation

Update your package list to ensure you have the latest repository information:

sudo apt update

Install Thunderbird via Ubuntu Repository or Mozilla Team PPA

There are two options for installing Thunderbird using APT. Below, this guide will cover both methods.

Option 1: Install Thunderbird with Ubuntu Repository

Thunderbird is available in the official Ubuntu repository. However, this method installs the version provided by Ubuntu, which might not be the latest version available.

To install the Ubuntu version, run the following command:

sudo apt install thunderbird

Ubuntu 24.04 behavior change: On Ubuntu 24.04, this command installs a transitional package that depends on snapd and installs the snap version of Thunderbird rather than the traditional .deb package. Ubuntu 22.04 still installs the traditional .deb package. If you prefer the .deb format on Ubuntu 24.04, use the Mozilla Team PPA method below with APT pinning to ensure the PPA version takes priority over the snap transitional package.

Option 2: Install Thunderbird via Mozillateam PPA

For the most current Thunderbird version in traditional .deb format, use the Mozillateam PPA. This method typically delivers updates closer to Mozilla’s upstream release cycle and provides the latest stable releases directly from the Mozilla team.

First, import the Mozillateam PPA with the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/ppa -y

The add-apt-repository command registers the Mozilla Team PPA in your APT sources and imports the repository’s GPG signing key for package verification. Additionally, the -y flag automatically confirms the addition without prompting. Next, update your package list to reflect the new PPA:

sudo apt update

For Ubuntu 24.04 users, you need to configure APT pinning to prioritize the PPA over the snap transitional package. After updating your package list, create a preference file that ensures the PPA version installs instead of the snap wrapper:

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences.d/thunderbird-ppa
Package: thunderbird
Pin: release o=LP-PPA-mozillateam
Pin-Priority: 1001

Package: thunderbird
Pin: release o=Ubuntu
Pin-Priority: -1
EOF

The heredoc syntax creates an APT preferences file assigning priority 1001 to Thunderbird packages from the Mozilla Team PPA (higher than the default 500) and priority -1 to Ubuntu’s snap transitional package (blocking installation). Consequently, APT will now exclusively install and upgrade Thunderbird from the PPA. Note that Ubuntu 22.04 users can skip this step since the snap transitional package does not exist on that release.

Verify the pinning configuration worked by checking APT’s package priorities:

apt-cache policy thunderbird

thunderbird:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 1:140.x.x
  Version table:
     2:1snap1-0ubuntu3 -1
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages
     1:140.x.x 1001
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/mozillateam/ppa/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages

As shown above, the output confirms the PPA version (priority 1001) will install instead of the snap transitional package (priority -1).

Once APT priorities are configured, proceed to install the latest stable version of Thunderbird from the Mozilla PPA:

sudo apt install thunderbird -y

Verify the installation completed successfully by checking the Thunderbird version:

thunderbird --version

Mozilla Thunderbird 140.x.x

The version output confirms Thunderbird installed successfully from the Mozilla PPA. Should you later decide to remove the PPA, follow the PPA removal guide.

Method 2: Install Thunderbird via Flatpak and Flathub

The Flathub repository hosts the official Thunderbird Flatpak maintained by Mozilla.

Before proceeding, Flatpak must be installed on your system. If you haven’t installed Flatpak yet, first follow the Flatpak installation guide for Ubuntu (~2 minutes) to set it up.

Add Flathub Repository for Thunderbird

Before installing Thunderbird through Flatpak, you must enable the Flathub repository, a primary source for Flatpak applications. To enable Flathub, execute the following command in your terminal:

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

The remote-add command registers Flathub as a system-wide repository, while --if-not-exists prevents duplicate entries and --system makes applications available to all users rather than just your account.

Install Thunderbird via Flatpak Command

With Flathub enabled, you can now install Thunderbird using the “flatpak install” command. Run the following command in your terminal:

sudo flatpak install --system flathub org.mozilla.Thunderbird -y

Verify the installation by checking the Thunderbird version:

flatpak run org.mozilla.Thunderbird --version

Mozilla Thunderbird 140.x.x

The output confirms Thunderbird installed successfully from Flathub.

Method 3: Install Thunderbird via Snap

Ubuntu 24.04 defaults to the snap version through a transitional package in the main repository, while Ubuntu 22.04 users can manually install the snap package.

Install Thunderbird on Ubuntu via Snap Command

Snap requires the snapd daemon to be installed. While most Ubuntu installations include snapd by default, minimal installations may require manual installation. Installing snapd automatically initializes snap core.

sudo apt install snapd

Install Thunderbird as a snap package:

sudo snap install thunderbird

During installation, the snap daemon downloads the Thunderbird package from the Snap Store, creates filesystem mounts for containerization, and then registers the application in your system’s launcher.

Verify the snap installation succeeded by checking the installed version:

snap list thunderbird

Expected output example:

Name         Version  Rev   Tracking       Publisher   Notes
thunderbird  1xx.x.x  xxx   latest/stable  mozilla✓    -

The output confirms Thunderbird is installed via snap and shows the current version tracking the stable channel.

Launch Thunderbird

Once installed via any method, Thunderbird appears in your application menu. Importantly, the launch process is identical regardless of whether you installed through APT, Flatpak, or snap.

Launch Thunderbird from Terminal

If you installed Thunderbird using the APT or PPA method, type the following command in your terminal to launch the application:

thunderbird

Alternatively, for those who installed Thunderbird via Flatpak, you will need to use a different command to start the application. Execute the following command in your terminal:

flatpak run org.mozilla.Thunderbird

If you installed Thunderbird as a snap package, the following command will launch the application:

snap run thunderbird

Launch Thunderbird from Applications Menu

Alternatively, in most cases you may prefer to launch Thunderbird using the desktop environment’s application menu. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Activities overview from your desktop.
2. Click Show Applications (grid icon) to display installed applications.
3. Find and click the Thunderbird Mail icon to launch the email client.

Manage Thunderbird

Update Thunderbird

To keep your Thunderbird application up-to-date, use the appropriate command based on your installation method:

APT Update Method For Thunderbird

If you installed Thunderbird using the APT package manager, update it with the following command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade thunderbird

Flatpak Update Method For Thunderbird

If you installed Thunderbird via Flatpak, use this command to update all Flatpak applications, including Thunderbird:

sudo flatpak update --system

Snap Update Method For Thunderbird

For those who installed Thunderbird using Snap, update your Snap packages with the following command:

sudo snap refresh

Remove Thunderbird

If you no longer need Thunderbird and want to uninstall it from your system, simply use the appropriate command based on your installation method:

APT Remove Method For Thunderbird

For users who installed Thunderbird with the APT package manager, run this command to remove the application:

sudo apt remove --purge thunderbird

Ubuntu 24.04 note: If you installed Thunderbird via the default Ubuntu repository (which installs the snap transitional package), the command above only removes the transitional wrapper. Remove the actual snap package with sudo snap remove thunderbird.

Next, remove orphaned dependencies that were automatically installed:

sudo apt autoremove

Additionally, to remove the Mozilla Team PPA, first remove the repository configuration:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:mozillateam/ppa -y

For Ubuntu 24.04 users, you should also remove the APT pinning preference file if it was created during installation:

sudo rm /etc/apt/preferences.d/thunderbird-ppa

Finally, update your package list and verify Thunderbird is fully removed:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy thunderbird

User data: The ~/.thunderbird directory containing your email, contacts, and settings is not removed by the commands above. Delete it manually with rm -rf ~/.thunderbird only if you no longer need your email data. Back up this directory first if you want to preserve your email archive.

Flatpak Remove Method For Thunderbird

If you installed Thunderbird using Flatpak, remove the application and its associated data with this command:

sudo flatpak uninstall --system --delete-data org.mozilla.Thunderbird -y

Snap Remove Method For Thunderbird

To remove Thunderbird from your system if you installed it with Snap, use this command:

sudo snap remove thunderbird

Conclusion

Thunderbird is now installed and ready to manage your email on Ubuntu. Next, configure your email accounts through the initial setup wizard, import contacts and calendars from previous clients, and explore the add-on ecosystem for productivity features. Finally, keep Thunderbird updated using your chosen installation method to receive security patches and new features from Mozilla.