University Computer Help Desk

Before You Begin

Thunderbird can be configured as an RSS reader. First, you need to create a "News & Blogs" account in Thunderbird. Then, you need to subscribe to the RSS feeds you want to read.

Create a "News & Blogs" Account in Thunderbird

To configure Thunderbird to read RSS feeds, do the following:

1. Open Thunderbird.
2. Click Tools > Account Settings....
3. Click Account Actions > Add Other Account....
4. Select Blogs & News Feeds, and click Next.
5. To use the default name, "News & Blogs," click Next.
6. Click Finish.
7. Click OK.

A new account named Blogs & News Feeds is now available on the left side of the Thunderbird window. When you subscribe to RSS feeds, they will appear below the Blogs & News Feeds heading.

Subscribe to an RSS Feed in Thunderbird

To subscribe to an RSS feed in Thunderbird, do the following:

1. Open Thunderbird.
2. Right-click Blogs & News Feeds on the left side of the window.
3. Click Manage subscriptions under Feeds.
4. Click Add.
5. Type the address of an RSS feed into the Feed URL: box.
   • For example, the address for the Tech Alerts RSS feed is: http://alerts.illinoisstate.edu/xml/
6. If you prefer to see a plain-text summary of the articles in the RSS feed, put a check mark next to the option, Show the article summary instead of loading the web page. Otherwise, leave this box unchecked.
7. Click OK.
8. Close the RSS Subscriptions window by clicking the X in the upper-right corner. 

The RSS feed to which you subscribed appears beneath Blogs & News Feeds on the left side of the Thunderbird window.

Read an RSS Feed in Thunderbird

To read an RSS feed to which you are subscribed, do the following:

1. Open Thunderbird.
2. Select an RSS feed beneath Blogs & News Feeds to see a list of RSS articles on the right.
3. Select an RSS article on the right to view its contents.