Solution: With the focus on the open compose window, select from menu: Tools > Mail & Newsgroups [Ctrl+1]
There are related inconsistencies though. * If an email is opened for reading in a new window, the shortcut key changes: Tools > Mail & Newsgroups [Alt+1] * If only search, message filters, activity manager and preferences windows are open, no top level menus are visible and neither [Ctrl+1] nor [Alt+1] does anything. The latter is a bug. However, there is a work-round that works in the other cases as well: * Launcher > right click Thunderbird icon > "Compose New Message", which then gives access to the first solution above. This problem is irritating for me, because I often have large numbers of Thunderbird windows open, and until I found the above solutions/workrounds, if I accidentally closed the main window (which I have done many times), in order to reopen it, I had to close all the other windows, thus losing track of all my work-in-progress when I restarted Thunderbird. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Desktop Packages, which is subscribed to thunderbird in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1507652 Title: thunderbird main window can't be started from unity starter icon if email compose window is opened Status in thunderbird package in Ubuntu: Confirmed Bug description: If the email compose window has been opened in the `thunderbird` main window and then the main window is closed so that the compose window stays open there's no way to open the main window again without closing the compose window. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04 Package: thunderbird 1:38.3.0+build1-0ubuntu0.15.04.1 Uname: Linux 4.2.2-040202-generic x86_64 AddonCompatCheckDisabled: False ApportVersion: 2.17.2-0ubuntu1.5 Architecture: amd64 AudioDevicesInUse: BEN. PID ZUGR. BEFEHL /dev/snd/controlC0: richter 3036 F.... pulseaudio BootDmesg: (Nothing has been logged yet.) BuildID: 20150930121410 Channel: Unavailable Date: Mon Oct 19 17:18:53 2015 Extensions: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing ForcedLayersAccel: False IfupdownConfig: # interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8) auto lo iface lo inet loopback IncompatibleExtensions: Unavailable (corrupt or non-existant compatibility.ini or extensions.sqlite) InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-09-14 (34 days ago) InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Release amd64 (20150422) IpRoute: default via 192.168.179.1 dev eth2 proto static metric 100 10.0.3.0/24 dev lxcbr0 proto kernel scope link src 10.0.3.1 169.254.0.0/16 dev eth2 scope link metric 1000 192.168.122.0/24 dev virbr0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.122.1 192.168.179.0/24 dev eth2 proto kernel scope link metric 100 Locales: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing MarkForUpload: True Plugins: IcedTea-Web Plugin (using IcedTea-Web 1.5.2 (1.5.2-1ubuntu2)) - /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/amd64/IcedTeaPlugin.so (icedtea-7-plugin) iTunes Application Detector - /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/librhythmbox-itms-detection-plugin.so (rhythmbox-mozilla) Shockwave Flash - /usr/lib/flashplugin-installer/libflashplayer.so PrefSources: prefs.js [Profile]/extensions/{847b3a00-7ab1-11d4-8f02-006008948af5}/defaults/preferences/enigmail.js [Profile]/extensions/{e2fda1a4-762b-4020-b5ad-a41df1933103}/defaults/preferences/lightning.js Profiles: Profile0 (Default) - LastVersion=38.3.0/20150930121410 (In use) RelatedPackageVersions: icedtea-7-plugin 1.5.2-1ubuntu2 rhythmbox-mozilla 3.1-1ubuntu3 RunningIncompatibleAddons: False SourcePackage: thunderbird SystemImageInfo: current build number: 0 device name: channel: daily last update: Unknown Themes: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install) dmi.bios.date: 07/12/2013 dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO dmi.bios.version: 71CN51WW(V1.21) dmi.board.asset.tag: No Asset Tag dmi.board.name: INVALID dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO dmi.board.version: 31900003WIN8 STD MLT dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag dmi.chassis.type: 10 dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO dmi.chassis.version: Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 Touch dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvr71CN51WW(V1.21):bd07/12/2013:svnLENOVO:pn20221:pvrLenovoIdeaPadZ500Touch:rvnLENOVO:rnINVALID:rvr31900003WIN8STDMLT:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrLenovoIdeaPadZ500Touch: dmi.product.name: 20221 dmi.product.version: Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 Touch dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/thunderbird/+bug/1507652/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages Post to : desktop-packages@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp