Jtdylktuy

My bad old German email address has been hacked and is sending spam to everyone I know. I want to send a change of address to everyone in my Thunderbird address book in such a way that they don't all get a long list of addressees.

And then, obviously, close the guy down - this I can handle.

If I go into Address Book, select all addresses and click Write, it generates a new email with many, many, many, many To fields filled in (no option offered to make them all bcc's).

I have the mail merge plug-in and have looked at the instructions, but I don't quite see what I need to do to pick up everyone in my Address Book. Sorry to waste the superpowers of Stack Overflow on this paltry problem, but I have searched and searched and answer comes there none.

Here are all of the steps. You were at step 6 when you were not sure what to do.
To send a simple email with attachments to a group of people where each person gets an email from you without seeing the other names on your list proceed as follows.

1. Go to your (email inbox) folder in Thunderbird but DO NOT click on Write.


2. Click on Personal Address Book folder. Skip the next step if you want to send to everyone in this folder.


3. In your Personal Address Book folder click on a sub-folder with multiple names you want to send an email to.


4. Click on Write (Multiple names from that subfolder show up in a new email)


5. Fill in Subject and add your desired body of text and click on Attach (if you have something to attach).


6. When everything looks good you are ready to send to each recipient.


7. Click on File/MailMerge


8. The Mail Merge window shows up. If your folder was in your Personal Address Book then in the Mail Merge window for Address Book choose Personal Address Book. So in this Mail Merge window you should have: (Source: Address Book, Delivery Mode: Send Now, Address Book: Personal Address Book)


9. Click OK button.


10. A new active window (with the title: Mail Merge) shows up and starts sending the email to each of the individuals on the list.


11. The Progress bar shows the percent delivered. When the Current number reaches the Total number all emails have been sent and the Mail Merge window will disappear.

It's NOT important, HOW you fill the "To:" fields in your message - individually by double-click every one, or by group(s) in subfolder(s) of your address book(s), or by selecting some or all addresses and then clicking on the "Add to To:" near to bottom..

The only important thing is to NOT click on the Send button (i. e. NOT immediately send your prepared message in the standard way), but send it exclusively via the Mail Merge plugin (from the File or Send menu).

The Mail Merge plugin will then perform its dirty work: it makes many copies of your message, one for each recipient listed in your "To:" field(s), and removes all other email addresses from the "To:" field(s), so the result will be exactly the same as if you individually prepare and send that message for every of the selected users separately.