📎 AI Summary:
The forum thread discusses challenges in finding a suitable replacement for Windows Live Mail, with the original poster frustrated by the limitations of the Windows Mail app and Outlook in handling multiple email accounts and providing a unified inbox. A fellow member recommends Thunderbird for its unified inbox feature, which the original poster begins testing but remains unsure about, noting it's better than the other options but not perfect. Overall, the thread reflects dissatisfaction with current Windows email clients and a search for a more capable solution.

N4AOF

Active Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2021
Messages
10
Thread Author #1
I am finally looking for a replacement for the ancient Windows Live Mail program and I am completely amazed that apparently email client programs have gotten so much WORSE in the last decade.

The first replacement that I tried was the nonsense that Windows includes in Win 10 as the so-called "Mail" app. I guess it works ok if you don't really use email, have only one or two email addresses, and those are Windows or Gmail accounts. It is possible to configure mail to handle SMTP/POP email but there the configuration isn't intuitive and there is no help in the app. Like most recent Windows programs (ooops, I forgot, we're supposed to call them "apps" now) the interface was designed to be pretty instead of being useful.

The second program I tried was Microsoft Outlook. At least Outlook is better documented and is capable to being configured with multiple email accounts, but it still lacks the functionality of the old Windows Live Mail that was available free with Win 7.

What I'm looking for would be a single app that can handle multiple accounts that include separate SMTP/POP accounts at my ISP and IMAP accounts at Gmail. I need the app to download ALL those accounts so I can access each of them individually BUT ALSO LET ME HAVE ALL THE NEW MAIL IN A COMBINED INBOX. The old Windows Live Mail this this beautifully.

Neither the new Mail app nor Outlook will let be have a combined inbox. The Mail app is nearly hopeless for multiple accounts. Outlook might be a bit better, but it definitely isn't meant to do what I want.
 

N4AOF

Active Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2021
Messages
10
Thread Author #3
Try Thunderbird as it does have a unified inbox.

Thanks. I'm trying Thunderbird now.

So far I'm not loving it, but on the other hand it is not as bad as either the current Windoze Mail app or Outlook.