How to copy server-based emails/folder structure to Thunderbird on home computer

Can you share who your email provider is? Do they support IMAP access to your email account? If so, it may not be necessary to copy anything, IMAP provides access to the remote content as-is, within Thunderbird.

Hi Fabian,

It turns out my email provider does use IMAP to allow synchronising, but I didn't know about this while setting up Thunderbird.

If it is possible, how do I change the port number for incoming IMAP mail on my existing setup (as shown in steps 2 & 3 in "How to set up Thunderbird").

Thanks for your help.

First make sure that IMAP forwarding is actually selected in your webmail account accessed via a browser.

If you have already tried to create a mail account and it is a Pop mail account, you cannot simply change ports. If you have not downloaded any emails then delete the Pop mail account:

• Tools > Account Settings for the mail account

or

• 3bar menu icon > Options > Account Settings for the mail account
• Select the mail account
• click on 'Account Actions'
• Select 'Remove account'
• click on OK

If you have already downloaded any emails, leave the Pop mail account alone as it may have deleted emails off the server. Stop it checking for new mail.

• Tools > Account Settings > Server settings for the mail account

or

• 3bar menu icon > Options > Account Settings > Server Settings for the mail account

• Deselect: check for new messages at startup
• Deselect: check for new messages every xx minutes
• Deselect: Automatically download new messages.

• Select: Leave messages on server.
• Click on OK

Now Create a new IMAP mail account:

• File > New > Existing Mail account

or

• 3bar menu icon > New Messages > Exisitng mail account

• Enter your name
• Enter your full email address
• Enter the password you use to access that mail account via webmail
• click on 'Continue'

Thunderbird will try to use it's database to locate configuration.

Make sure IMAP has been selected. check that the server settings for incoming and outgoing are correct. If all looks correct click on 'Done'

If cannot locate then click on 'Manual Config' button check details match what your server settings should be. then click on 'RE-test' button. When configuration found, click on 'Done'.

If you need further assistance: Please supply the server settings you are using.

Usually, an IMAP will use ports: Incoming:

• Port: 993
• Connection Security: SSL/TLS
• Authentication method: Normal Password

Outgoing: Either:

• Port: 465
• Connection Security: SSL/TLS
• Authentication method: Normal Password

OR:

• Port: 587
• Connection Security: STARTTLS
• Authentication method: Normal Password