How can one search for all e-mails at once?

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Dirki
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Joined: February 27th, 2009, 7:12 am

How can one search for all e-mails at once?

Post by Dirki »

How can one search for all e-mails at once instead of searching in single folders?
- Windows 11 Home, 22H2, 64bit
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tanstaafl
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Re: How can one search for all e-mails at once?

Post by tanstaafl »

Use global search. Its normally enabled by default, but managed in tools -> options -> advanced -> general. It adds another search field in the upper right corner of the main window (above the quick filter bar, if you have that enabled too). See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/global-search

Another possibility is to create a virtual folder based on http://kb.mozillazine.org/Saved_Search that includes the folders you care about. Its not as fast but could be usable if the folders you specify are in IMAP accounts (because it asks the IMAP server to search them) or you don't have many messages stored in POP accounts and/or Local Folders . Saved search creates a virtual folder that you can use as if it was a real folder, but doesn't effect where the messages are physically stored. This is the same type of smoke and mirrors that view -> folders -> unified uses to create a unified inbox for several accounts.
Dirki
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Joined: February 27th, 2009, 7:12 am

Re: How can one search for all e-mails at once?

Post by Dirki »

Thank you!

It should be here, but I cannot find it in the main window:
Image
Yes, I suppose so.

Is it the same as this one:
Image

And thank you for the virtual folder search.
- Windows 11 Home, 22H2, 64bit
- newest stable portable Firefox (not beta)
- newest stable portable Thunderbird (not beta)
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DanRaisch
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Re: How can one search for all e-mails at once?

Post by DanRaisch »

Yes, those images show the Global Search functionality. Ctrl+K will bring the cursor to the Global Search field as shown in your first image. The second image shows the initial search result from which you can use the Filters to narrow the search results..
Dirki
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Joined: February 27th, 2009, 7:12 am

Re: How can one search for all e-mails at once?

Post by Dirki »

Alright, thank you very much, all questions answered!
- Windows 11 Home, 22H2, 64bit
- newest stable portable Firefox (not beta)
- newest stable portable Thunderbird (not beta)
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tanstaafl
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Re: How can one search for all e-mails at once?

Post by tanstaafl »

Global search normally has a edit field at the right end of the mail toolbar (if you have that toolbar enabled) in the main window. The first screen shot is
different from what I'm used to as it looks like its below 2 toolbars. But its clearly above the quick filter bar's edit field, so it has to be the global
search edit field.

When you enter some text in it and press return it displays a pane like the second snapshot where it provides search results and lets you refine the search .
The results depend upon whether it has had time to index all of your mail. It only has to do that once (could take a half hour, depends upon how much
mail you have), and then just update it as you get new mail (very quick).
Dirki
Posts: 953
Joined: February 27th, 2009, 7:12 am

Re: How can one search for all e-mails at once?

Post by Dirki »

Global search normally has a edit field at the right end of the mail toolbar (if you have that toolbar enabled) in the main window. The first screen shot is
different from what I'm used to as it looks like its below 2 toolbars. But its clearly above the quick filter bar's edit field, so it has to be the global
search edit field.
Yes, when clicking search in the golbal search field (first image) in the main window a new search field in a new tab opens.
The results depend upon whether it has had time to index all of your mail. It only has to do that once (could take a half hour, depends upon how much
mail you have), and then just update it as you get new mail (very quick).
Yes, the search runs very quickly, so I guess usually the messages are indexed already.

Many thanks
- Windows 11 Home, 22H2, 64bit
- newest stable portable Firefox (not beta)
- newest stable portable Thunderbird (not beta)
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