Since the launch of the Email Expiration Date initiative, we’ve been working to promote the Expires header as a practical solution to reduce the environmental footprint of our email inboxes. Today, we’re reaching a major milestone: the Thunderbird extension that finally enables automatic cleanup of expired emails is now available.
This open-source extension, aptly named Email Expiration Manager, scans your email inboxes for messages containing an expiration date and processes them automatically according to your preferences. No more manual sorting: the extension does the work for you.
A Development Driven by the French Community
A huge thank you to Pierre-Yves Dubreucq from Mindbaz, who took the initiative to develop this extension. His work demonstrates that it’s possible to move from technical standards to the practical tools users need.
For now, it’s mainly French companies that are implementing the Expires header in their emails. This French momentum is no coincidence—the project was born in France and is primarily driven by French players (Brevo, Mindbaz, Cofidis, Numberly, Splio, Sweego, France TV, etc.).
How It Works
The extension analyzes your Thunderbird mailbox to identify emails containing the Expires header. When an email has passed its expiration date, the extension acts according to your preferences:
- Permanent deletion
- Moving to a dedicated folder
- Automatic checks (at startup, periodically) or manual checks
Simulation Mode: Test Before You Act
Before getting started, the extension offers a simulation mode that shows you exactly what would be deleted without making any changes. This approach allows you to get comfortable with the tool confidently.
Complete Control
You choose:
- Which email accounts to monitor
- Which folders to analyze
- The frequency of checks
- The action to perform on expired emails
Transparency and Traceability
Every action is recorded in a detailed activity log, exportable as JSON. This complete transparency allows you to track precisely the extension’s impact on your mailbox.
Open Source and Privacy-Friendly
The extension is published under the GPLv3 license and its code is fully accessible on GitHub. No data is collected; all processing happens locally on your machine.
It’s already available in French, English, Spanish, and German, and its architecture makes it easy to add other languages.
Installation
Directly from the Thunderbird Add-ons catalog by searching for “Email Expiration”.
From GitHub: https://github.com/Mindbaz/Email-Expiration-Manager
To install the extension from GitHub:
- Download the
.xpifile from the GitHub page - In Thunderbird: Menu → Add-ons and Themes → ⚙️
Complete documentation, testing guide, and contribution guidelines are available on the GitHub repository.
Join the Movement
For users: Install the extension, test it, share your feedback. Every installation counts.
For email senders: If you’re not implementing the Expires header yet, now’s the time to get started. With a client-side extension now available, your efforts will have a concrete impact.
For developers: The code is well documented and contributions are welcome. Bug fixes, new features, translations: everything is possible.
For organizations: Deploy the extension across your Thunderbird installations. IT teams can preconfigure settings for sustainable practices across the entire organization.
Resources
- Thunderbird Extension: https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/email-expiration-manager/
- Source Code: https://github.com/Mindbaz/Email-Expiration-Manager
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