# DSPAM Thunderbird Extension -- One-Time Setup

## Why this step exists

The DSPAM extension isn't distributed through Mozilla's official add-on
store -- that requires a paid review/signing process we're not using. Without
this one-time step, Thunderbird won't install or update the extension at
all, because it doesn't trust software from outside that store by default.

This step tells Thunderbird to trust the extension and keep it installed and
up to date automatically, straight from our own server. **You only need to
do this once.** After that, new versions install themselves in the
background -- there's nothing further to do, ever again, on this computer.

## What to expect

The installer will ask for your computer's password (or an admin
confirmation popup). This is normal: granting that trust is exactly what
this step is for, and it's the only thing the installer does.

## What to do

1. Download the installer for your computer:
   - **Windows:** `install-windows.zip`
   - **Mac:** `install-macos.zip`
   - **Linux:** `install-linux.zip`
2. Extract it. Safari does this automatically; on other browsers (Firefox,
   Chrome, Edge), double-click the downloaded `.zip` first to extract it,
   then open the extracted folder.
3. Double-click the file inside (`install-macos.command`,
   `install-windows.bat`, or `install-linux.sh`).
   - **On a Mac**, the first time you do this you'll see a warning that
     Apple can't verify the file. This is expected for software we publish
     ourselves rather than through Apple's store. Click through to your
     Mac's **System Settings -> Privacy & Security**, scroll down, and
     click **Open Anyway** next to the file's name, then try opening it
     again.
4. Enter your password if asked.
5. Quit Thunderbird completely, then reopen it.

That's it. The DSPAM extension will install itself shortly after, and will
silently stay up to date from then on -- no further downloads, clicks,
passwords, or "Check for Updates" buttons needed for future updates. (The
"Check for Updates" button in Thunderbird's own Add-ons Manager doesn't
apply here -- it checks a different mechanism than the one this extension
uses, and will always say "no updates found" regardless of whether one is
actually available.)

## If the installer says it can't find Thunderbird

On Windows, the installer looks for Thunderbird in every usual place: the
64-bit and 32-bit Program Files folders, each user's own `AppData\Local`
folder (for Thunderbird installed for just one user), and wherever Windows
itself has registered it. If Thunderbird is in more than one of those, all
of them are set up.

If it still can't find Thunderbird, it will say so. In that case,
right-click the Thunderbird icon, choose **Open file location**, and tell
whoever is helping you what folder it opens.

The **Microsoft Store** version of Thunderbird can't be set up this way at
all, even by an administrator -- Windows locks its folder down. The
installer recognizes it and tells you to ask for help. **Don't uninstall it
yourself:** the Store version keeps your accounts and mail in a different
place from the regular version, so uninstalling it, or switching to the
copy from [thunderbird.net](https://www.thunderbird.net), can lose your
current setup unless your data is first backed up and moved across.

## Turning it off temporarily

Toggle the switch next to DSPAM Email Guard in Thunderbird's Add-ons
Manager (Tools -> Add-ons and Themes) -- no script needed. This disables
the extension without uninstalling it; toggle it back on any time.

## Removing it completely

Thunderbird won't let you remove an extension that's managed this way
directly -- the "..." menu's Remove option stays unavailable for as long
as the setup step above is in place, by design (the same way company
IT-managed software can't be casually removed by an employee). To actually
uninstall it:

1. Run the matching uninstaller (`uninstall-macos.command`,
   `uninstall-windows.bat`, or `uninstall-linux.sh`) -- same download
   page, same one-time admin password prompt, just undoing the setup step
   instead of doing it.
2. Quit Thunderbird completely and reopen it.
3. *Now* the "..." menu's Remove option works normally -- use it to take
   the extension off.