SO, I have an email that Windows Mail refuses to work with. Messages come through weirdly, and it also stops syncing every few days, meaning emails are missed. It's a known issue specific to the Sky Yahoo! email service.

Therefore, looking for an alternative, without having to go for Microsoft Outlook. Any suggestions? Is Mozilla Thunderbird a good alternative?

 

I'm using it for ages with no problems on Windows and macOS. You can easily transfer your whole profile between different machines.

 

I'm on linux but on windows I've also used Thunderbird as well, the one and only ultimate solution

 

Havin a quick look at Thunderbird, is there any way to change the view to be more like the iPad/Outlook kind of view with the reading pane on the right? Also, any way of making the reading pane dark instead of the glaring bright white (whcih is blinding on my 35" ultrawide )?

 

Dark theme?

 

I'm confused. If you have a Yahoo email address why not go and make a short cut to Yahoo Email's Webpage!

 

It's not Yahoo, per se. A TV/broadband provider in the UK called Sky used to use old school Yahoo as their email provider, meaning you have an @sky.com email address, but it's actually a Yahoo email address. However, it doesn't integrate properly with Yahoo services. Windows Mail also doesn't really like it as it sometimes displays the underlying source code of emails instead of the text, that Microsoft and Yahoo are blaming each other for, with neither wanting to resolve and Sky standing off showing no interest in resolving. You then have to use a password generator on the SKy website to be able to get Windows Mail to even acknowledge your email account due to OAuth2 issues, and inevitably this seems to fall out of sync every few days and therefore emails stop working with deleting the email account from your computing and re-adding from anew being the only solution.

You can see some of the issues detailed here, and been going on for well over a year by now: Answered: unable to receive mail on Microsoft Mail from Sky ... | Sky Community

 

Seems to only change the header and outers. The reading pane is always white no matter what theme I use, including if I try to install add-on dark themes.

 

Send a letter of complaint to Sky explaining the above with a Carbon Copy to OFCOM.. Make sure to add at the end of your email to say you understand OFCOM wont intervene on customer issues they WILL however penalise the balls off of them if they don't show they are doing everything to fix it.

Also, mention they are in breach of contract!

 

I left Sky years ago though, so the contracted customer element has long gone I'm afraid, or I would do something like this!

 

I use Mozilla Thunderbird, portable version. So I can easily back it up, and if needed use it from a USB memory if needed, it includes easy to program filters and many more functions... Obviously you can use it with several email addresses.

 

Thunderbird. Been using it since it came out. Never had any problems.

 

If you want a more iPad / Apple mail experience look at Mailspring. It's OpenSource a little faster than MozTB a little more configurable but not any worse or any better. It's prettier and more modern and almost the same thing.

Thunderbird has a small edge when it comes to encryption, signing, and key management. You can do all the same things in Mailspring it's just a bit more complicated.

 

Another vote for Mailspring.

 

Why does the reading pane have a white background on mine then? Is there a setting I'm missing or needs changing?

 

Sounds like this Sky email will be a pain in the ass for as long as you or it lives. Better to bite the bullet and bin it off now I would say. I know it's a pain changing your email addresses in all your accounts, but I bet you'd have it done in a day or two and then you have the rest of your life not to worry about it and not be a slave to Murdoch and his cronies.

 

I have tried pretty much every free alternative to the built-in Windows Mail and only Thunderbird manages to fit my necessities. I've been using it for almost ten years now.

Worth noting that if your mail provider kinda sucks (even Outlook does from time to time), it will suck on Windows Mail, Mailspring, Thunderbird, everywhere. It's a server problem, not a client problem.

 

Tried Maikspeing this evening and it looks to fit the bill so far. Easy, non complicated, to the point and just works, while looking pretty modern yet clean and simple. I like it so far and that I can easily add in my multiple accounts and so on. Cheers for the recommendation