How to open Thunderbird minimised at startup in Ubuntu 16.04

Question

I looked around for a solution that still works in 16.04. I found that previously offered solutions including the one which was accepted were for older versions of Ubuntu.

The results were Thunderbird would open but not minimised.

There are alternative solutions here and here that explain ways to do this, they are general purpose scripts which can be adapted. However, it's a bit complex for the task and not tailored to Thunderbird.

Solution

I achieved the desired behaviour in the following way:

1) Install alltray which provides an easy method to open Thunderbird at startup:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install alltray

2) Add to Startup Applications:

This will open Thunderbird at startup but it will not be minimised.

----- UPDATE Minimize on Start and Close IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED -----

3) Then install Minimize on Start and Close in Thunderbird (Tools->Add-ons->Get Add-ons)

This needs to be configured (Tools->Add-ons->Extensions->Preferences) as follows:

--------------------------------------------------

3) Then install Keep in Taskbar and restart Thunderbird.

This is a combination of previous suggestions from various locations that works in Ubuntu 16.04.

I thought I would share this to provide an easy, updated method for others.

Comments

[Jacob Vlijm]

There are at least two good (working) options for 16.04: askubuntu.com/questions/663187/… and askubuntu.com/questions/853891/… I will link the first one as a dupe.

[Jacob Vlijm]

Ah, I just see now it's an answer to your own question :), nice!

[macourtney7]

I know there are other, more general purpose solutions out there. This method is a combination of various sources and it seems to be a bit more simple as it's specific to Thunderbird. Thought others might find it useful if it were put together in one place.

[Jacob Vlijm]

Nice option, upvoted!

[Ini]

Not working on Ubuntu 18.04