Solved File context menu ‘Send to>Mail Recipient’ no longer works


@Try3 - Yes, I've tried it with jpeg, pdf, docx and txt files but there is no response when clicking on 'Mail recipient'. :(

@Edwin - Thanks. I checked the registry and 'Mozilla Thunderbird' is the 'Data' value in both Current User and Local Machine.
 

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Frustrating this.
Have you tried creating a new user temporarily to test the functionality?
On my side, I have deleted my Mail Recipient from 'Send To',
rebooted, recreated it with the .exe and assigned it to Thunderbird again.
It s working as before so useless to say I am sadly running out of ideas here.
 

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    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF Gaming FX705GM
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    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
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    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
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    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
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    Memory
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@OAT - No I have not tried creating a new user so I may try that. The problem happens with both current profiles. Me (Administrator) and wife (Standard user). It would be unusual for both current profiles to be corrupt but I suppose it costs nothing but time to try a new user profile.

I also ran DISM /Online /cleanup-image /scanhealth which found no component store corruption.
Then sfc /scannow which found no integrity violations.
Then ran chkdsk /scan which found no problems.
 

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    Windows 11 Pro
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    PC/Desktop
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    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
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    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
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    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
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    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
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    Intel Core i5-8250U
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    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
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    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
in Thunderbird, under Tools/Settings/General pane,

Do you have, unlike on the screen capture, Always Check to see...Default Client on StartUp check marked?


Screenshot 2023-03-19 131959.png
 

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    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
    Memory
    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
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    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
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    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
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    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
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    8 GB
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@OAT - The 'Always check...' was ticked so I unticked it but nothing's changed.

I created a new user and the same happens on that new profile but thanks for the suggestion.

I also disabled StartAllBack (SAB) but that made no difference either. SAB is also on my other HP machine and 'Mail recipient' works on that so I don't think it related to SAB.

I wonder if it is a Windows Home-DELL specific issue because the Windows Pro-HP setup is okay. Just clutching at straws here so forgive these unlikely sounding thoughts.
 

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System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
I wonder if it is a Windows Home-DELL specific issue
Ken,

The Windows 11 computer I tested it on was a Dell, albeit an old one from 2010.
I don't think any hardware is involved in the process so I cannot see that Dell would be able to mess up this particular thing.

I assume your anti-malware defences are not reporting any detections/ quarantines when you try the Mail recipient item.

Does Thunderbird have command line switches that can be used to generate a new email with an attachment?
If so you might be able to sidestep the problem by creating a shortcut to put into SendTo as I do with Outlook - post #16.

Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
Anti-Malware is same on both machines - Norton 360 v22.23.1.21 with the same detection settings.
Thundrbird settings are the same on both machines and I don't tinker with command-line switches so not applicable I think.

I am thinking of using the sledge-hammer-to-crack-a-nut method. i.e. Creating a full Macrium image of the current setup and then doing an in-place upgrade and selecting the 'Keep personal files and apps' option. A time-consuming effort for such a small annoyance but it's the only thing left to do. If it is still the same after that then I'll need to see if future Windows updates fixes it.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
I don't tinker with command-line switches
I mentioned that because I think it is possible but not being a Thunderbird user I cannot be certain.
This article
makes me think you can create a shortcut with something like these properties to put into your SendTo folder
........\Thunderbird.exe -compose "attachment='%1'"
or possibly even
........\Thunderbird.exe -compose "attachment='%*'"
to enable multiple files to be selected although I'm concerned that this would create a separate email for each selected file rather than one email containing all the selected files.
@OAT can probably provide better advice than I can.
In fact, * can probably provide better advice than I can.

Trying the shortcut method would be a quick & easy test, I would have thought.
It would not affect your normal use of Thunderbird.

Best of luck,
Denis
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
I don't want to introduce complications so I'll pass on using command line switches. :-)
 

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    Windows 11 Pro
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    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
I mentioned that because I think it is possible but not being a Thunderbird user I cannot be certain.
This article
makes me think you can create a shortcut with something like these properties to put into your SendTo folder
........\Thunderbird.exe -compose "attachment='%1'"
or possibly even
........\Thunderbird.exe -compose "attachment='%*'"
to enable multiple files to be selected although I'm concerned that this would create a separate email for each selected file rather than one email containing all the selected files.
@OAT can probably provide better advice than I can.
In fact, * can probably provide better advice than I can.

Trying the shortcut method would be a quick & easy test, I would have thought.
It would not affect your normal use of Thunderbird.

Best of luck,
Denis
Just dropping a shortcut of Thunderbird.exe in the Send To folder works.
Because of the nature of the Send To folder, lt will take the attachment along, without variables needed.
I was looking at desktop.ini in the Send To folder (one needs to unhide it).
The content is as followed, I wonder if the OP has the same.( epecially the first 2 lines)

[LocalizedFileNames]
Mail Recipient.MAPIMail=@sendmail.dll,-4
Desktop (create shortcut).DeskLink=@sendmail.dll,-21
Compressed (zipped) Folder.ZFSendToTarget=@zipfldr.dll,-10148
Documents.mydocs=@shell32.dll,-34575
Bluetooth File Transfer.LNK=@C:\Windows\System32\fsquirt.exe,-2343
 
Last edited:

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Are you saying that it created an email with the selected files included as attachments?

Great,
Denis
 

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  • OS
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Are you saying that it created an email with the selected files included as attachments?

Great,
Denis
Indeed.
 

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    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
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    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
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    ASUS X751BP
    CPU
    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5 M420
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3
    Screen Resolution
    1600X900 16:9
    Hard Drives
    1TB 5400RPM
Oat,
Spiffing.
Please would you post the shortcut properties you used for WiganKen to copy. I had to omit the path to Thunderbird because I don't know where it might be.
Some SendTo shortcuts still need the variable included. I have several and have never really understood why some need them & some don't.

WiganKen,
So you can add OAT's shortcut to SendTo and just ignore the Mail recipient item that doesn't work.
This won't create any complications.

All the best,
Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
Sounds good but where will I find this 'Send To folder'?
 

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  • OS
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    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
Sounds good but where will I find this 'Send To folder'?
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

Just Run it or put it in Explorer address bar.
 

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    Win11 All /Debian/Arch
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    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
    Memory
    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
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    ASUS X751BP
    CPU
    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5 M420
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3
    Screen Resolution
    1600X900 16:9
    Hard Drives
    1TB 5400RPM
@Try3
Thanks a ton for those command line switches! (y)
I created an entry in the root right click menu...

000224.png

... I can confirm, it opens the Compose window only, with the item attached, ready to send! ...

000225.png
 

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@Try3
Is there something you can add to the switch for null Subject?
 

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    ASUS VivoBook
Oat,
Spiffing.
Please would you post the shortcut properties you used for WiganKen to copy. I had to omit the path to Thunderbird because I don't know where it might be.
Some SendTo shortcuts still need the variable included. I have several and have never really understood why some need them & some don't.

WiganKen,
So you can add OAT's shortcut to SendTo and just ignore the Mail recipient item that doesn't work.
This won't create any complications.

All the best,
Denis
Please note that my Thunderbird folder is on the D: drive so it might not help.Screenshot 2023-03-19 171527.png
 

My Computers

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    Win11 All /Debian/Arch
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    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF Gaming FX705GM
    CPU
    2.20 gigahertz Intel i7-8750H Hyper-threaded 12 cores
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX705GM 1.0
    Memory
    24428 Megabytes
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) Display Audio / Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (17.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9
    Hard Drives
    2 SSD SATA/NVM Express 1.3
    WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 500.1 GB
    WDCSDAPNUW-1002 256 GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
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    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & ADSL Bouygues -fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    VMs of Windows 11 stable/Beta/Dev/Canary
    VM of XeroLinux- Arch based & Debian 12
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Insider Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X751BP
    CPU
    AMD Dual Core A6-9220
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5 M420
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3
    Screen Resolution
    1600X900 16:9
    Hard Drives
    1TB 5400RPM
Just dropping a shortcut of Thunderbird.exe in the Send To folder works.
Because of the nature of the Send To folder, lt will take the attachment along, without variables needed.
@OAT - That worked. Brilliant. I now see Thunderbird in the Send to list and clicking on it launches Thunderbird and attaches the file to a new message ready to send when ready.

There was just a slight omission in your Send to path but I am not complaining. I am happy. It doesn't fix the original issue but a very satisfactory workaround fix.
You wrote %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Should be %AppData%\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

As you can see I found the 'Send To' folder but there is no desktop.ini file so I cant check its contents. This does not concern me since my problem is solved.

Thank you all for your monumental efforts.
 
Last edited:

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    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
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Reactions: OAT
Is there something you can add to the switch for null Subject?

I'm not sure what you are asking.
The diagram you posted shows an empty Subject line already.
If you want to know how to use that Context menu entry just to open Thunderbird with no file attached then I'd suggest just trying it with no file selected.


Denis
 

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