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local mail folder

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how do I find the local mail folder in thunderbird so that I can copy it to a USB drive for backup? Thanks.

how do I find the local mail folder in thunderbird so that I can copy it to a USB drive for backup? Thanks.

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Do you mean the profile folder used to store all of your Thunderbird data including mails? See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data

yes, I need to store emails for legal purposes, as my primary email provider which I like, has 10MB limitation and I keep running out of space

Move your messages to folders in the Local Folders account.

Copy your profile to an external drive periodically.

Thanks. I moved messages to folders in the local folders account. I can't figure out the step to copy my profile to an external drive. I am 72 and not very computer literate. Thanks for your help.

The page that Matt linked to has instructions.

Even better would be backing up your whole internal drive periodically.

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