Take your email with you using Thunderbird Portable

Mozilla Thunderbird deserves it's reputation as an excellent email program and this portable version means it can be used on the move installed on a USB memory key or hard disk.

Thunderbird can also be installed onto a hard disk with the advantage that it doesn't leave any files or Registry settings outside of its own folder. This is ideal for trying it out or for computers where you are not allowed to install software into the Program Files folders.

Installation is simple but you will need to select an installation folder. Many programs have a default but this is not the case here. Apart from this it is as simple to install as the normal version of Thunderbird.

The first-time wizard is easy to use and most of the time only requires your email address and password. The exact server settings for many services are included. We were also pleased to see that it chooses Imap when available instead of Pop3. This is a much better email standard, especially if you plan on accessing emails from more than one place.

Thunderbird now has a tabbed interface so it keeps the Desktop tidier. A spam email filter is built in and it will not download images or let you follow links in suspect emails without confirmation. These images are often used by spammers to check if an email address is active so this is a sensible precaution.

Thunderbird can also be downloaded as part of the Portable Apps Suite.

An alternative use for this portable edition is as a backup for a webmail service that has Pop3 or Imap access.

If you do use Thunderbird Portable for this purpose, make sure that it is set to leave emails on the server, otherwise they will disappear from the online service.