Thunderbird Community Forum

I have my incoming IMAP emails stored on my local computer drive where the default Thunderbird installation puts it. This is fine.

My question is, can I move the local folders directory to another external drive or network attached storage? I am doing this as I have a small local SSD and combining all emails the size is massive.

I want to move my TB data store to a different drive but am unsure whether just to move the profile folder or all the other stuff like installs.ini as well. I have changed the datastore entry in settings, but do I need to modify the profiles.ini file as well, and if so what should it be changed to? At present it is in c:\users\mike\app data\roaming\thunderbird and I want it to go to D:\mail profiles. I'd be grateful for advice please. Thanks Mike Phillips

"Your Thunderbird profile cannot be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible" keeps appearing mid-screen. version 147.0.1 re-installed several times (Win-10). Transfers of profile attempted from operating PC (Win-10) Cannot locate profile even in a "fresh Install" although the shortcut appears on screen and other associated files seem to be installed. Helps have been downloaded and tried. Same issue. I've received help suggestions from Lin and sfhowes both on 2-6-26.. Thanks for your help.

I recently upgraded Thunderbird from v140.7-ESR to v147-Release and would be grateful if someone could answer some questions.

After upgrading I noticed there are 3 profile folders even though I am the only user of my Win11 laptop.

Profile Folders 92yfgi88.default-esr - 3.654 GB - 2026/01/23 12:50:27 >> My profile jf63jfuk.default-default - 1.533 GB - 2024/06/05 21:27:32 y9efj7q9.default - 47 Byte - 2026/01/23 12:30:15

The folder y9efj7q9.default only contains 2 files - parent.lock (0kb) and times.json (1kb).

1. Can I safely delete profiles I don't use?

2. Why is -ESR still shown at end of my profile folder name? - I thought it would be renamed when I changed to the release channel version.

3. Can I manually rename my profile folder? - I know I can rename a profile using Profile Manager but this doesn't rename the folder.

4. If not possible to rename my "92yfgi88.default-esr" folder, I assume I can just copy it's contents to another new profile folder and tell TBird to start using that?

5. Can I use Windows File Explorer to delete/rename profiles, or must this be done from within Thunderbird?

Also, any idea why Thunderbird Notifications still show as coming from Mozilla Thunderbird ESR, even though I now use the Release version? I've checked Windows 11 System > Notifications and it is still shown there as Mozilla Thunderbird ESR.. Why? and how to fix?

Thanks in advance..

I have two personal Thunderbird accounts that were under two other email addresses on an old computer. They are [email1] @mlecwb.net and [email2] @mlecwb.net

Can I access them another way, since that computer is not working well enough to download emails? Plus the old email addresses will be disappearing with the the company l have the email addresses under.....

Then if I can get into the old messages, can I download and save some of the messages - or at least important ones in specific group files - onto another computer or a laptop? Or even on a CD?

Also, could I still use Thunderbird under another email address?

Susan Clark Harris [email3] @outlook.com

I tried to transfer my Thunderbird e-mail account to a new Laptop. I followed the instructions for using an external harddrive. I copied my profile , connected the external harddrive to the new device and filled my profile in. But actually I don't find Thunderbird e-mail in the taskbar and I can't access to it. What do I have to do?

I use Thunderbird 115.18.0 on a Windows 7 machine. I wish to transfer all my Thunderbird data to a machine running Linux Mint 21.3 which has Thunderbird 128.12.0esr. I have not been successful after many tries. Could this be because the Thunderbird revisions are different? If so, can I get 115.18.0 to install on my Mint machine? If not how should I proceed? I have already tried creating a new .thunderbird directory with ********.default directory from the other machine. I have also tried a new .thunderbird directory with a the ********default-release directory as directed by one site.

We are unable to sign in to thunderburd

using correct crudentials. We wen to geek squad to correct this issue. He installed webnet as a work around.

He said we would not lose any thunderbird emails however all the new and saved emails are no longer available to see or open. We would like you to reinstall thunderbird and restore all the lost emails. How does this get resolved?

I moved to a new PC and copied my thunderbird profile for my emails. I do not have access to my old PC at the moment. Is there any way to "log out" or disable the emails on the other PC by deleting the thunderbird profile access or similar?

I could go manually through google to log them out, but it will also remove the access on the new PC and in this situation there are a lot of accounts and the setup is a hassle.

I tried to start Thunderbird and it would not open. There was a message that read, "Your Thunderbird profile cannot be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible." After trying to fix it and nothing worked, I uninstalled and reinstalled Thunderbird. Now all of my contacts and data is gone. When I tried to use the import tool I selected import from another Thunderbird installation and I can't get past the continue button.

How do I recover all of my data and contacts/addresses?

Hi, how can we identify the version of a profile in order to know the appropriate version of TB ?

I am receiving a message that a newer version have modify my profile and i need the old version but it's no longer on my HD...

Thanks

I'm abandoning Windoze for Linux Mint Mate. The original Win11 Laptop is still available - no cloud connection, the Windows account exists but is unused. The laptop has all my Thunderbird v146.0.0 (64 bit) mail, address books, calendars.

I have a refurbished PC, came with new-install Win11. Now dual-booted as a Linux Mint 22.2, Mate desktop. The Win11 partition is unused and will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

I use gmail since TalkTalk finally terminated access to my Tiscali account. (I dropped TT many years ago.)

I've setup Thunderbird on Mint, can't see how to find its version. It came from the Mint default setups. Gmail is working but missing all the 'Local' stuff. The calendar has a few of my auto-repeat entries but none of the random ones. Some of my address books are missing.

I remember from the Win10 > Win11 migration that I need to move the 'profile'. It will be large but I have big-enough USB memory keys. And no, the machines are not network linked. I don't trust Microsoft and won't allow any of their corrupted stuff any access to my new kit.

Guidance needed:

• What needs to be moved? From where on Win11?
• Where to put the stuff on Mint. How to migrate it?
• Any problems to watch out for?

Help please? Links to resources? Forum posts, online guides, wise words? Or 'just do it this way!'

TIA PeteS

Hello. Today, gone through updates from 115.10.1 to 115.18.0 to 128.14.0 to now 140.6.0 and still cannot shut down Thunderbird in one profile, to then be offered a choice of profile and changeover. It just would not today do that. Instead it re-opens in the original profile, without the profile selection box. Any solutions? Thanks.

Oct 23, 2025, 19:35 CST

I FINALLY was able to find the original profile, all messages in the In Box, plus all folders with their contents. 'Lost' when our ISP's ' tech support person ' had me close/remove the TB POP3 account and create an IMAP account).

I need to merge the new small profile (In Box & with basic folders) into - onto the BIG, original, profile. So each time I get/check mail everything goes to, ends up in, the Thunderbird account containing all the OLD data and new working account.

Please remember I am barely TB literate, so start at 1 (A), not 27 (Z)& no tech words. Nor acronyms please.

Thanks! Remain in GOOD health, be WELL, 'n be

• • SAFE!**

Robin

Hi, I am extremely frustrated at my situation: I have a desktop (main computer), laptop and mobile phone all using Thunderbird, with a GMAIL account (IMAP) On my laptop I accidentally deleted the contents of the Archive (Thunderbird folder) and promptly ALL EMAILS AND HISTORY of emails wer LOST on said laptop. They subsequently disappeared on my mobile phone also. The delete action was also uploaded to GMAIL.com and I could not recover them there as it said I am using a different program. I then went on my desktop in offline mode and all my emails are there in Thunderbird (minus approx 5 days worth while the desktop remained offline (no big deal).

I have tried EVERYTHING to back up/export the profile from my desktop (while offline) and upload the mails onto my laptop to recover them and hopefully feed them to GMAIL. Nothing happens, they do not appear. I see all my emails within the thunderbird profile folder in a "IMAP.GMAIL.COM" folder but not in a "Mail" folder (is that relevant)? Is the laptop loading the emails then immediately deleting them, because it is syncing with GMAIL? I am so so lost. Please help. Thank you

Hi I had a systems crash and did a windows 10 reinstall. Windows created a folder windows.old. In the folder is users/"username"/appdata/local and roaming/thunderbird/profiles/ In the profiles folder for example I have a profile 34eu8280.2020. I transfered this folder to the newly installed thunderbird folder under roaming/thunderbird/profiles/ Next windows+r entered thunderbird-p. Create profile, entered 2020 as profile name, chose folder, entered 34u8280.2020, select folder, finish. In profile manager selected 2020, work offline, unchecked use selected profile without asking at startup, start thunderbird. Profile not showing up only account setup page.

At a lost as to how to proceed.

Any help would be appreciated in restoring profiles

Stan

My C: drive is almost out of available memory and the following profile, jrqu4wd0.default-release, is the culprit. If I delete it what affect will it have on Thunderbird.