This article explains how to set up and use the chat feature in Mozilla Thunderbird, so you can use instant messaging with your contacts. Instructions apply to Thunderbird 15 and later. To chat in Thunderbird, you need an account with an online instant messaging or chat provider, such as IRC, XMPP, X (formerly Twitter), or Google Talk.

Thunderbird's New Account Wizard makes chatting easy.

Select File > New at the top of the Thunderbird window.

Enter a username. For IRC, you must enter your IRC server name, for example irc.mozilla.org for Mozilla's IRC server. For XMPP, you must also enter your XMPP server name.