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How to Change a Message's Priority in Mozilla Thunderbird

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 11, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Email Yahoo! Mail Gmail

What to Know

Select Options Priority from the message composition window menu > choose priority.Add Priority button: Create a new message, then right-click message's toolbar > Customize > drag priority where you want it. It might be necessary for you to let email recipients know that your message needs their immediate attention. This article explains how to set the importance of an email you send in Mozilla Thunderbird, Netscape, or Mozilla, plus how to add a Priority button in Thunderbird.

Change a Message' s Priority in Mozilla Thunderbird Netscape or Mozilla

Not all email is equally time-sensitive. Use the Priority flag to reflect this urgency when you write and send a message in Mozilla Thunderbird, Netscape or Mozilla. Depending on how important a message is to you (or how important you think it should be for the recipient), you can give it a low, normal or high priority. To change the priority of an outgoing message in Netscape or Mozilla: Select Options Priority from the message composition window menu. As an alternative, you can employ a toolbar button. Click Priority in the message’s toolbar.Select the priority that you want to assign to your message.

Add a Priority Button to the Email Composition Toolbar in Mozilla Thunderbird

To add a priority button to the Mozilla Thunderbird message composition toolbar: Start with a new message in Mozilla Thunderbird. Click the message's composition toolbar with the right mouse button. Select Customize… from the context menu that has appeared. Drag, with the left mouse button, the Priority item to the spot in the toolbar where you want it located. You can position Priority in between attachments and security, for example. Click Done in the Customize Toolbar window.

The History and Importance of Email Importance Headers

Every email needs at least one recipient so every email has a To: field — and, perhaps, a Cc: field or a Bcc: field. Because you cannot send a message without specifying at least one addressee, these corresponding fields are well-developed in email standards. A message's importance has, by comparison, never seemed so, well, important. This insignificance led to a proliferation of header fields for the purpose: everyone and their company rolled their own header or at least interpreted an existing header in new ways. So, we have the "Importance:", "Priority:", "Urgency:", "X-MSMail-Priority:" and "X-Priority:" headers and there are possibly more.

What Happens Behind the Scenes When You Select a Message Priority in Mozilla Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird employs and interprets exactly one of these possible headers when you send an email. When you change the priority of a message you are composing in Mozilla Thunderbird, the following header will be changed or added: X-Priority
Takes the values from 5 to 1 in descending order, 5 for lowest and 1 for highest importance.X-Priority is a non-standard email header; Importance would be a standard header. Specifically, Mozilla Thunderbird will set the following values for the possible importance choices: Lowest: X-Priority: 5 (Lowest)Low: X-Priority: 4 (Low)Normal: X-Priority: NormalHigh: X-Priority: 2 (High)Highest: X-Priority: 1 (Highest) With no priority set explicitly, Mozilla Thunderbird will also not include an X-Priority header. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to View Full Message Headers in Mozilla Thunderbird How to Send Voice Messages on iPhone How to Send Email to Undisclosed Recipients From Gmail How to Save and Use Messages as Templates in Apple Mail How to Send a File Attachment With Outlook.com How to Forward an Email as an Attachment in Outlook How to Compose Messages in HTML or Plain Text How to Send Email to Bcc Recipients in iPhone Mail How to Go to the Next or Previous Message in Gmail Changing the Default Mozilla Thunderbird Message Font How to Specify a Reply-To Address in Outlook.com How to Change Gmail's Default Font Options How to Export Contacts in Mozilla Thunderbird How to Email Multiple Recipients Using Cc and Bcc How to Insert an Image in a Mozilla Thunderbird Email How to View the Source of a Message in Mozilla Thunderbird Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies