In *Thunderbird* 78, OpenPGP private keys are not protected by a passphrase.That's why we recommend that you set up a Primary Password.
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With a MasterPrimary Password, your private key is encrypted in your *Thunderbird* profile and is only unlocked while *Thunderbird* is running.If your *Thunderbird* profile is stored in your Persistent Storage, then your private key is encrypted twice: once by *Thunderbird* in your profile and a second time by the encryption of the Persistent Storage.
With a Primary Password, your private key is encrypted in your *Thunderbird* profile and is only unlocked while *Thunderbird* is running.If your *Thunderbird* profile is stored in your Persistent Storage, then your private key is encrypted twice: once by *Thunderbird* in your profile and a second time by the encryption of the Persistent Storage.