import .mbox to new profile
Hello: tbird nebula 128.6.0esr w11p. I want to put my 2024 (esp gmail acct) mail into a new profile, keep that profile as mere backup. I've used systools gmail backup & takeout to make what looks like (it opened as a pdf, I think) a successful .mbox file now on my desktop. I've searched the posts here (48 listed) & googled (UPenn has only real answers, but seem too sketchy for me), but no real assurance what I want to do will work. I have created new tbird profiles over the yrs w/no trouble but not for this purpose. But let's say I can successfully create a new profile, & where I want it. So... -do I just create the profile -do I (a) create all the accts (b) just click the "import" fcns in tbird tools (I don't need to remove anything emailish in the new inbox (for example) that tbird put there, since I would not have moved anything from current active tbird profile --right?). And (c) tbird would convert the mbox file(s) from the systools/takeout folder I designate, and the mail in "inbox" & "inbox.msf" folders (for example) would magically happen in the new profile, as converted from that mbox?
Thank you.
Modified by linusr
All Replies (2)
what are you creating the accounts for? Thunderbird is not happy unless it has one account, but the mail data you have is in no way associated with a mail account.
You should be able to import your mbox files using the import export tools addon to the local folders in Thundferbird. https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools-ng/?src=ss
Thunderbird has limited built-in import capabilities and, strangely enough, doesn't seem to have built-in import/export capabilities for individual mailboxes, but that functionality can be added to Thunderbird by installing an add-on (extension) called ImportExportTools which I see Matt has already provided a link for.
Thunderbird stores mail in mbox files with no filename extension within the profile folder. Each mbox file corresponds to a mail folder in Thunderbird. The mail folder hierarchy in Thunderbird is derived directly from the mbox filesystem hierarchy within the profile folder. You can import mailboxes into Thunderbird by merely putting the corresponding mbox file (only the mbox file, with no filename extension and with no accompanying files) in the appropriate place within the profile folder. The next time Thunderbird is launched, it will automatically recognise the mbox file, create the associated .msf index file, and show it as a folder at the corresponding place within the mail hierarchy in the folder pane, with all the messages in it.
There is not a single mbox file format, though, but rather a set of file formats collectively known as mbox. This may make it preferable in some cases to use an import tool to ensure the resulting mbox file will be in the exact mbox format expected by Thunderbird.
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