Your Thunderbird profile cannot be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible.
I have read about others having this issue but the solution that they are given will not work for me. It says to go to the profile manager and delete the profile, Thunderbird won't even open. I have uninstalled, tried to install different versions, continue you to get the same thing. I am at a loss.
Chosen solution
Hi frustratedusingthunderbird, Thunderbird stores your user data and settings in a special profile folder and pulls information from this folder every time you start Thunderbird. The default profile folder location is under the %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles folder.
Profile was moved or renamed
If you know where your profile is, try one of the following methods to help Thunderbird find it.
- Move the profile folder back to its original location.
- Restore the profile's original name if you've changed it.
- Create a new profile using the Profile Manager. Give it a descriptive name, click on the Choose Folder button, and then select the profile folder you moved or renamed, before you finish the Create a new profile wizard.
Profile was deleted
If you deleted or lost your profile folder and have no way of restoring it, use one of these methods to create a new Thunderbird profile:
NOTE: Your new profile will not contain settings or user data from your deleted or lost profile.
- Method 1: Use the Profile Manager wizard
Follow the steps in the Using Multiple Profiles article to create a new profile.
- Method 2: Manually delete the profiles.ini file
If you have problems accessing the Profile Manager, you can create a new default Thunderbird profile by deleting the profiles.ini file, using these steps:
- Click the Windows Start button or press the Windows key
to open the Start Menu.
- Type %appdata% in the search box and press the Enter key. The hidden AppData\Roaming folder will open.
- Double-click the {filepath Thunderbird} folder.
- Delete (or rename, for example, to profiles.iniOLD) the profiles.ini file.
NOTE: Instead of deleting the profiles.ini file, you can delete (or rename) the folder that contains it. For example, right-click the Thunderbird folder and rename it ThunderbirdOLD. When you start Thunderbird, a new profile will be created.
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Chosen Solution
Hi frustratedusingthunderbird, Thunderbird stores your user data and settings in a special profile folder and pulls information from this folder every time you start Thunderbird. The default profile folder location is under the %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles folder.
Profile was moved or renamed
If you know where your profile is, try one of the following methods to help Thunderbird find it.
- Move the profile folder back to its original location.
- Restore the profile's original name if you've changed it.
- Create a new profile using the Profile Manager. Give it a descriptive name, click on the Choose Folder button, and then select the profile folder you moved or renamed, before you finish the Create a new profile wizard.
Profile was deleted
If you deleted or lost your profile folder and have no way of restoring it, use one of these methods to create a new Thunderbird profile:
NOTE: Your new profile will not contain settings or user data from your deleted or lost profile.
- Method 1: Use the Profile Manager wizard
Follow the steps in the Using Multiple Profiles article to create a new profile.
- Method 2: Manually delete the profiles.ini file
If you have problems accessing the Profile Manager, you can create a new default Thunderbird profile by deleting the profiles.ini file, using these steps:
- Click the Windows Start button or press the Windows key to open the Start Menu.
- Type %appdata% in the search box and press the Enter key. The hidden AppData\Roaming folder will open.
- Double-click the {filepath Thunderbird} folder.
- Delete (or rename, for example, to profiles.iniOLD) the profiles.ini file.
NOTE: Instead of deleting the profiles.ini file, you can delete (or rename) the folder that contains it. For example, right-click the Thunderbird folder and rename it ThunderbirdOLD. When you start Thunderbird, a new profile will be created.