Thunderbird is a wonderful e-mail shopper, particularly on the Linux platform. It’s open supply, quick, helps many kinds of e-mail accounts, and may be very customizable. Nevertheless, for as nice as a mail program that it’s, it doesn’t have a fast and straightforward approach to ship PGP-encrypted e-mail messages. That’s the place Enigmail is available in. It’s a flowery, simple to use add-on that, as soon as put in can shortly enable PGP encryption in Thunderbird.
On this information, we’ll go over how to arrange the Enigmail encryption extension in Thunderbird, how to generate a brand new key, and extra!
Set up Thunderbird
The Thunderbird mail shopper stays one of the widespread e-mail shoppers within the Linux group. Regardless of this, there are a number of distributions that select not to distribute it. Because of this, you need to set up this system on your Linux OS earlier than persevering with with the tutorial.
To put in Thunderbird launch a terminal window and comply with the set up directions that correspond with the distribution you employ.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu Linux has a comparatively new model of Thunderbird of their software program sources. Customers can set up it with the Apt bundle supervisor.
sudo apt set up thunderbird
Debian
Debian Linux’s packages are normally fairly outdated. Regardless of this, it manages to have a latest model of Thunderbird out there in its software program sources. To put in it, run the next Apt-get command.
Observe: need a newer model of Thunderbird? Comply with our information on getting newer variations of Debian software program!
sudo apt-get set up thunderbird
Arch Linux
Arch Linux is a bleeding-edge Linux distribution. It often delivers the newest packages, so, it’s no shock that model 60.3.1 of Thunderbird is available for set up.
In case you’re on Arch Linux, get Thunderbird with the Pacman command under.
sudo pacman -S thunderbird
Fedora
Fedora Linux has a latest model of Thunderbird in its software program sources. To put in it, open up a terminal window and execute the next DNF command.
sudo dnf set up thunderbird
OpenSUSE
OpenSUSE, like many distributions, has a fairly latest model of the Thunderbird E-mail shopper out there for set up. To put in it, open up a terminal window and run the next Zypper command.
sudo zypper set up thunderbird
Generic Linux
Utilizing a lesser identified Linux distribution and may’t discover Thunderbird within the formally supported software program sources? You’ll want to obtain the app from the web site and set up it manually.
Observe: as of scripting this, model 60.3.1 is the newest secure model of Thunderbird. In case you’re studying this and a later model is out, head over to the release page and seize the model you want.
cd ~/Downloads wget tar xvjf thunderbird-60.3.1.tar.bz2 cd thunderbird
Begin the app with:
./thunderbird
Get Enigmail for Thunderbird
Thunderbird can’t do encryption on its personal, so it depends on third-party add-ons like Enigmail. Sadly, the builders haven’t chosen to ship Enigmail out of the field, so if you’d like PGP encryption for Thunderbird, you want to set up the function your self.
To put in the Enigmail extension, open up Thunderbird. As soon as the app is open, click on the menu button to the best of the search field.
Within the menu, discover the “Add-ons” choice and click on on it to reveal a sub-menu.
Contained in the “Add-ons” sub-menu, you’ll see another choice that claims “Add-ons.” Click on it to launch the Thunderbird mail Add-on supervisor.
Look by means of the Add-ons supervisor web page for the search field that claims “Search on addons.thunderbird.net” and click on on it. Then, write “Enigmail” within the search space, and press Enter on your keyboard to begin looking.
Within the search outcomes, Enigmail needs to be on the high. Click on the “Add to Thunderbird” choice and set up the Add-on.
Clicking the “Add to Thunderbird” choice is not going to immediately set up Enigmail due to safety features. As a substitute, you need to click on the “Allow” button when the “Thunderbird prevented this site from asking you to install software on your computer” message seems.
After clicking “Allow,” Enigmail will set up itself into Thunderbird.
When the set up is full, shut the Thunderbird Add-on tab.
Arrange Enigmail
Now that the Enigmail Add-on is ready up in Thunderbird, you need to set it up. Click on the menu button, then choose “Enigmail” adopted by “Setup Wizard.”
Undergo the Setup Wizard and comply with the on-screen prompts to arrange Enigmail in Thunderbird. Make sure to comply with the entire recommendation it offers you!
When the setup course of is full, return to the Enigmail menu and choose “Key Administration to view your newly generated key.
Use Enigmail
There’s no want to configure Enigmail earlier than sending an e-mail as putting in the Add-on takes care of that for you.
To ship an encrypted message, click on on “write,” fill out an e-mail (such as you usually would) and click on the “send” button to ship out the safe e-mail.
