Thunderbird Now Directly Connects to Microsoft Exchange accounts
Mozilla Thunderbird users can now connect to Microsoft Exchange accounts natively, eliminating the need for third-party add-ons. The latest Thunderbird update brings full support for Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS), enabling seamless access to corporate email, calendars, and contacts for millions of users.
For years, Thunderbird users relying on Microsoft Exchange for email have depended on extensions like Exchange EWS Provider to bridge the compatibility gap. This new native support simplifies setup and improves reliability, directly addressing a long-standing request from the Thunderbird community. The move is particularly significant as many organizations still utilize EWS, and Microsoft has committed to supporting it “for the foreseeable future” alongside its transition to the Microsoft Graph interface.
Currently, Thunderbird supports core Exchange features including viewing, sending, replying/forwarding, and managing messages. Users can also handle attachments (saving, displaying, detaching, and deleting), search email content (subject and body), and utilize rapid filtering. Account connection is facilitated through standard OAuth2 for Microsoft 365 domains and basic password authentication for on-premise exchange servers.
The Thunderbird development team acknowledges the importance of broader Microsoft integration and has outlined future plans. These include Calendar and Address book/contacts syncing, advanced filter actions, support for custom OAuth2 app/tenant IDs for Microsoft 365, and authentication methods like NTLM and OAuth2 for on-premise servers, as well as Microsoft Graph integration.
While timelines for these additions remain unspecified, mozilla prioritizes EWS support to serve the largest possible user base currently reliant on the protocol.Further information and account porting instructions are available on the official Mozilla Thunderbird support wiki: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/thunderbird-and-exchange.
