For more detailed documentation, refer to the [official <span class="application">Thunderbird</span> help](https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/products/thunderbird).
When starting <span class="application">Thunderbird</span> for the first time, an assistant appears to guide you through the process of configuring <span class="application">Thunderbird</span> to access your email account.
<p>If you are using Gmail, you need to first configure your account to allow access from other email clients, such as <span class="application">Thunderbird</span>.</p>
<ol> <li>Enable IMAP or POP. See <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7126229">Gmail Help: Check Gmail through other email platforms</a>.</li> <li>Turn on 2-Step Verification. See <a href="https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185839">Google Account Help: 2-Step Verification</a>.</li> <li>Create an App Password. See <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/185833">Gmail Help: Sign in with App Passwords</a>.</li> <li>Use the App Password in <em>Thunderbird</em>.</li> </ol>
If the automatic configuration succeeds, you might have to specify which protocol to use to connect to your email provider, either <span class="guilabel">IMAP</span> or <span class="guilabel">POP</span>.