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Thunderbird 153 “Meadow” is the clearest answer to what’s new: the Extended Support Release announcement lists a redesigned Account Hub, native Exchange email support through EWS, and several desktop usability changes. More work is underway for Exchange, Android, and iOS, but most of it has no confirmed release date. Thunderbird’s public roadmap reflects current priorities and can change.
What’s available in Thunderbird 153 “Meadow”
Thunderbird announced version 153 “Meadow” as an available Extended Support Release on July 22, 2026. Its changes include account setup, address-book configuration, Exchange email, and desktop usability improvements. The rollout was gradual while stability was assessed, so availability can vary by distribution and over time. Thunderbird’s release announcement gives the version’s details.
Account setup and address books
The redesigned Account Hub is intended to make adding accounts easier. It includes autodiscovery and protocol detection, and can help configure associated calendars and address books. The release also introduces a new flow for setting up local and remote address books.
Exchange email: EWS is available; Graph work was ongoing
The announcement says Thunderbird 153 supports native Exchange email through Exchange Web Services (EWS), without requiring an add-on. Microsoft Graph support is included in the core code but was disabled behind a preference while development continued. The announcement targeted fuller Graph support, including calendar and address-book integration, for later in 2026; that was a target, not confirmation of delivery.
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Other desktop changes
- Thunderbird can use operating-system accent colors.
- Native notifications offer more direct message actions, including marking a message as read, deleting it, or flagging it as spam.
- OAuth authentication can use the default browser, and Thundermail sign-in has a one-click flow.
- Folder-sorting controls were improved, alongside bug fixes.
The announcement described monthly updates for Thunderbird’s Release channel. The 153 ESR update was rolling out gradually; it said manual upgrade was available through Help > About. Channel policies and rollout status can change, so check current release notes and distribution guidance before choosing an update path.
What desktop development is working toward
Thunderbird’s December 2025 annual review listed a database update, expanded Exchange and protocol support, and a Calendar interface refresh among its 2026 desktop plans. Those were intentions rather than a promise that each item would ship. Thunderbird says its public roadmaps reflect current priorities, are reviewed quarterly, and may change. Its roadmap explanation describes that approach.
Graph API, calendar, and database work
A June 25, 2026 development digest said Graph API implementation was nearing feature parity with EWS, with calendar integration as the next stage. It also reported ongoing work on the Global Message Database and improvements to the add-on ecosystem. This is a dated progress report, not evidence that Graph or calendar support is now complete. Read the June development digest for the status it reported.
What add-on users and developers should know
The same digest said Thunderbird postponed deprecating experiment APIs in the Monthly Release channel for an additional year. The team also described efforts to expand official WebExtension APIs and improve migration paths for extension developers. This is platform-maintenance work; it should not be mistaken for a newly shipped end-user feature.
What is changing on Android and iOS
The mobile updates described in June and July 2026 report work in progress rather than completed features. They do not establish dates for when the items below will be generally available. The June mobile report and the July report provide the dated snapshots.
Android
- Transfer from desktop: the team reported work on QR-code transfer of settings, including support for setting up Thundermail accounts.
- Notifications and reliability: following reports of missing or poorly displayed notifications, the team planned quick fixes and was considering broader changes to synchronization, notifications, performance, and the app database.
- Database refactor: in July, work on a database refactor had started. Room was being considered, not confirmed as the final choice. Thunderbird linked database work to drafts, notifications, syncing, reliability, and power use.
- Push notifications: the team discussed making push easier to configure and planned to enable it by default for new accounts that support it. The report did not say that this had shipped.
iOS
In June, Thunderbird reported that its core IMAP, SMTP, and MIME libraries were set up and that local account storage and email composition were underway. A WYSIWYG editor was planned for composing new messages. July’s report said work continued on the compose screen, account drawer, and OAuth, while the rich-text editor was still being developed. The cited updates do not establish a general App Store release date.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Thunderbird clients and Thundermail are different things
Thunderbird’s desktop and mobile apps remain free email clients compatible with any email service. Thundermail is a separate service, alongside Appointment and Send; the existence of those services does not make them required Thunderbird features.
In a June 23, 2026 update, Thunderbird said webmail had moved up in priority, with an early alpha expected the following month, and that two-factor authentication was in progress. Those were plans reported at that date, not evidence of current availability. The Thundermail update also described work on Send’s integration for end-to-end encrypted file attachments and a one-click connection between Appointment and the Thundermail calendar. It identified custom domains, multi-factor authentication, and DNSSEC/DANE as user-requested or roadmap topics—not as confirmed released capabilities.
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How to interpret the feature timeline
| Area | Status in the cited 2026 sources | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderbird 153 desktop changes | Announced as available in the July 22, 2026 release announcement | Includes Account Hub changes, EWS email support, notification actions, and other desktop improvements; rollout was gradual. |
| Exchange Graph and calendar/address-book integration | Development ongoing in the June 25 digest; later-2026 target in the July release announcement | Do not assume the target was met without checking a newer release source. |
| Android improvements | Work and plans reported in June and July | QR transfer, database changes, notification reliability, and push configuration were not all confirmed as shipped. |
| iOS app | Under development in the June and July reports | Core protocols and app components were being built; no general release date was established. |
| Thundermail and related services | Separate service offering; some service features were plans or work in progress in June | Check the service’s current status rather than treating roadmap items as available client features. |
For a channel choice, distinguish monthly updates on Thunderbird Release from the ESR channel, which the release announcement presents as a longer-support channel. Confirm current channel policy and versions before relying on that distinction; the release announcement’s rollout details are specific to its July 2026 update.
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