Open Search

Thunderbird Thunderbird Last updated: 42% of users voted this helpful

If you want to search a website for text you see in a message in Thunderbird, you can instantly run the search from Thunderbird.

How to perform a Search

Let’s say you see the phrase "I like Minotaur" and want to search the web for Minotaur. Just highlight the word "Minotaur", then right-click and select Search Bing for "Minotaur"

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Thunderbird will show the search results in your default browser.

How to change the search engine

By default, Bing is set as the search engine. To change it, do the following:

  1. In the menu bar, click the Thunderbird menu and select Settings.Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and choose Settings.
  2. Select the General panel.
  3. Under Default Search Engine, use the drop-down menu to select your preferred search engine from the list.
  4. Click OK to close the Options window.Click Close to close the Preferences window.Close the Preferences window.

How to add Google to the search engine list

Google is not included in the search engine list, but you can add it by installing the Google Search for Thunderbird add-on.

  1. Press the Alt key to display the menu bar, then click on the Tools menu and choose Add-ons.In the menu bar, open the Tools menu and select Add-ons.Press the F10 key to display the menu bar, then click on the Tools menu and choose Add-ons.
  2. On the left sidebar, make sure Extensions is selected.
  3. In the search field in the top-right corner, enter Google Search.
  4. Beside Google Search for Thunderbird, click Install.

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  5. Restart Thunderbird.

After you install the add-on, Google will be available in the list of search engines.

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