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Access Local Folders after email account is deleted?

  • 7 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 39 views
  • Last reply by snorby

I currently use Thunderbird for my work email (IMAP). I am leaving the company in a few days and wondering if I will still be able to access the emails saved to my Thunderbird Local Folders once I am locked out of the work email account Thunderbird is currently tied too? I'm worried my Local Folders will be inaccessible upon leaving and I still need those emails. Please advise, thank you.

I currently use Thunderbird for my work email (IMAP). I am leaving the company in a few days and wondering if I will still be able to access the emails saved to my Thunderbird Local Folders once I am locked out of the work email account Thunderbird is currently tied too? I'm worried my Local Folders will be inaccessible upon leaving and I still need those emails. Please advise, thank you.

Chosen solution

Local Folders is on your local machine, or at least on whatever storage you choose to put it on. Some users choose a NAS, or a Dropbox location, but the point is that it is under the user's control.

Likewise, POP connected accounts also store locally and their messages are yours to keep.

The main point of concern here are accounts connected by IMAP, where the default storage is on the server. You need to make your own copy of this data and Local Folders is provided to cover this contingency.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-tb

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All Replies (7)

Um, will you be taking the computer with you?

Local Folders would be my usual recommendation in your situation.

I telecommute so the computer I use for work is my personal computer

Zenos, my question is whether my Thunderbird email client Local Folders will still be accessible once my work email account is deleted. The email client is loaded on my personal computer but ...

I don't know if "local folders" is universal for hard-drive, offline folders OR if there's a chance my Thunderbird Local Folders will be deleted/inaccessible once my work account is deleted and there's no server connection to my email client anymore. I hope that clarifies my question better...?

Chosen Solution

Local Folders is on your local machine, or at least on whatever storage you choose to put it on. Some users choose a NAS, or a Dropbox location, but the point is that it is under the user's control.

Likewise, POP connected accounts also store locally and their messages are yours to keep.

The main point of concern here are accounts connected by IMAP, where the default storage is on the server. You need to make your own copy of this data and Local Folders is provided to cover this contingency.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-tb

Thank you Zenos. So, plain and simple, are you saying that the Thunderbird local folders I have in place will still be accessible even though my main account is IMAP connected? OR do I still need to move the Thunderbird local folders OFF Thunderbird (since the current account is IMAP) in order to keep the data? All the data I need is currently in the Thunderbird local folders.

I reviewed the profiles information yesterday and tried to move my files as suggested, but then couldn't open any of the files once moved. I need it as "layman terms" as you can get it! Do you know if there's a Support line I can call because it would be so much easier via phone?

I don't know how to put it any more clearly. Messages stored in Local Folders are stored locally, not on email servers.

Why not copy some messages to Local Folders, disconnect from the internet (thereby severing any possible connection to any email servers) and see for yourself what you have?

Nope, that clears it up. The profiles link you provided just threw me and I wanted to make sure you meant the local folders actually IN Thunderbird were ok OR if you meant I needed to have local folders outside the Thunderbird client to use. Thank you for your help!