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Downloading files/images from email - How to default to the last folder used?

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  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

kwadublin
kwadublin
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Here is my scenario: I frequently email myself pictures from my iPhone that I want to store on my PC. I will attach X number of pictures in an email on my phone and send them to myself. I then access that email from Thunderbird. I right-click the image and select "Save Image As..." and pick the folder on my hard drive, create a filename for the image, and save the image (typically a JPG image).

For example, let's say I have an email with 3 JPG files. I will right click the first one, choose "Save Image As.." and navigate to C:\Temp and save the file with a file name of my choosing. I go back the Thunderbird and right click on the second image and select "Save Image As..". Instead of it defaulting to C:\Temp, it takes be back to Desktop as my save-to location and not C:\Temp. When I have a message with 5 or more files, this gets to be somewhat cumbersome and time consuming, especially when I am navigating to my Data hard drive and selecting a folder 3-4 levels down.

In Thunderbird, in Tools > Settings, I see the settings for "Files and Attachments". All of them, except PDF, are set to "Always Ask". I see options for MOV and PNG files, but nothing for JPG/JPEG files.

Is there a way to have the Save To location be whatever was last used? I thought that was the way it worked in the past, but now it doesn't. Any guidance is appreciated. Thanks!

Here is my scenario: I frequently email myself pictures from my iPhone that I want to store on my PC. I will attach X number of pictures in an email on my phone and send them to myself. I then access that email from Thunderbird. I right-click the image and select "Save Image As..." and pick the folder on my hard drive, create a filename for the image, and save the image (typically a JPG image). For example, let's say I have an email with 3 JPG files. I will right click the first one, choose "Save Image As.." and navigate to C:\Temp and save the file with a file name of my choosing. I go back the Thunderbird and right click on the second image and select "Save Image As..". Instead of it defaulting to C:\Temp, it takes be back to Desktop as my save-to location and not C:\Temp. When I have a message with 5 or more files, this gets to be somewhat cumbersome and time consuming, especially when I am navigating to my Data hard drive and selecting a folder 3-4 levels down. In Thunderbird, in Tools > Settings, I see the settings for "Files and Attachments". All of them, except PDF, are set to "Always Ask". I see options for MOV and PNG files, but nothing for JPG/JPEG files. Is there a way to have the Save To location be whatever was last used? I thought that was the way it worked in the past, but now it doesn't. Any guidance is appreciated. Thanks!

All Replies (2)

Toad-Hall
Toad-Hall
  • Top 10 Contributor
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re : In Thunderbird, in Tools > Settings, I see the settings for "Files and Attachments". All of them, except PDF, are set to "Always Ask". I see options for MOV and PNG files, but nothing for JPG/JPEG files.

You need to set that option.

  • Right click on the JPG attachment (not the image itself as shown in the content) and select 'Open'
  • A window opens asking you what to do.
  • Select 'Open with' and choose prefered option. I use Windows OS and selected 'Photos (default)'
  • Select checkbox 'Do this automatically for files like this from now on'
  • Click on 'OK'

This will now open the image using Photos. It will also set the JPG option in 'Settings' > 'General' under 'Files & Attachments'.

Modified by Toad-Hall

Toad-Hall
Toad-Hall
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re :Is there a way to have the Save To location be whatever was last used?

I have discovered the following seems to do for me.

If I right click on the JPG attachment (not the actual image as displayed inline) and select 'Save' Then choose where to save etc. When I choose another JPG 'attachment' - right click on it and select 'Save', it always chooses the previously selected location.

In 'Config Editor' it uses the following setting for Save Attachment: 'messenger.save.dir'

I have found that even if I manually edit the preference, it will use that edited pref. Saving the Attachment seems more reliable.

RE: Right click on image itself - not the attachment The right click on actual inline image and select 'Save image as' is using: 'browser.download.lastDir'

However, I have found that if I manually edit that pref, it still does not use it until I have selected that location whilst saving the image. So, there must be another cache/setting being used to update that preference.

Also noticed that if you went to an image saved some time ago in an entirely different folder - used right click on actual inline image and select 'Save image as' then it did go to the folder it was previously saved in - but it was not the folder where I last saved an image.

It would also seem a different save to directory is auto selected depending upon the folder name. eg: folder called Family has email with jpg image which I 'saved image as' into a special Family Images folder - I then moved an email with image into the Family folder - it wanted to then save that new image into the Family Images folder - apparently there seems to be a cached memory somewhere which also involves the folder the email was stored into.

So it's not directory consistant when using 'Save image as' option. There seems to be a lot more if, buts and ands going on.