New mail notification icon for Thunderbird not showing in system tray on Windows 7

Few weeks ago I noticed that whenever I got new mail, Thunderbird wouldn’t notify me of it anymore. At first I thought it was some buggy update (noticed change when going from version 9 to version 10), but going back to version 9 wouldn’t fix my problem. I finally got some time to read endless user forums and one particular got solution for me: Mozillazine forums.

Solution that worked for me:

1. Locate the shortcut that executes your Thunderbird (Start -> Programs -> Start-up -> Thunderbird)
2. Right-click the link icon and select “Properties”
3. Switch to “Compatibility” tab
4. In “Compatibility mode” section check “Run this program in compatibility mode for:”
5. Select “Windows Vista (Service Pack 2)” from combo-box

I would like to add two more things to make sure you’re all set-up:

1. Check Windows notification area settings
1. Right-click on the Task-bar
2. Select “Properties”
3. In “Notification area” section, click “Customize” button
4. Find “Thunderbird” and select “Show icon and notification” in combo-box next to it
2. Check Thunderbird notification settings
1. In Thunderbird, select from main menu “Tools” -> “Options”
2. Select “General” tab
3. In “When new messages arrive” section, check “Show an alert”

Restart Thunderbird and voila – you should now receive new mail notifications.