I need to search in ALL folders, ALL in a while!

[Barabba]

Hi, I can't find the way to search for a destination address i ALL (I repeat, ALL) the Thunderbird database. This email can be in one of the several accounts configured, it can be in Inbox as well as sent or deleted items, or it can be in some Archive folder.

How can I search EVERYWHERE by just a simple click? It makes me crazy to search selecting each group.
Thank you a lot!

[tanstaafl]

Use global search. Its enabled using tools -> options -> advanced -> general -> global search/indexing. That will add another search edit field in the upper right corner of the main window. It will create a background process that creates/updates a SQL database to make searching faster, and to search every folder in every account.

Or create a single virtual folder using http://kb.mozillazine.org/Saved_Search that includes every folder in every account. You can search that normally. It will be much slower since it doesn't have a pre-built search index (the database I mentioned) like global search does, but you also don't have the additional overhead either. If you only search everything once in a while it might be a better fit, especially if you have mainly IMAP accounts. With an IMAP account Thunderbird doesn't have to do the actual search, it can ask the mail server to do it (much faster).

[DanRaisch]

Do you have the Global Search and Indexer switched on using menu path Tools->Options->Advanced->General? If so, press Ctrl+K and enter the search value in the entry field, then press "Enter".

[Barabba]

thank you, it works!