Recover from computer crash restoration to new Tnderbird install

- What is your operating system?

- Are these POP3 accounts or IMAP?

Please clarify your goal: does the new computer already have Thunderbird installed and are there already accounts set up in it? Are you trying to add accounts from the old computer along side of them? Or are you trying to replicate the profile on the old computer on the new one?

Hey there! 👋 Totally doable, and you don't need to remember whether you had breakfast — just go slow and back everything up before touching anything .

Here's the safe way to do this without clobbering either profile:

• • 1. Find both profile folders first**

- New computer: open Thunderbird → Help → More Troubleshooting Information → "Profile Folder" → Open Folder. Note this path. - Old computer (from the USB copy): look for a path like `.../Thunderbird/Profiles/xxxxxxxx.default-release`. There's also a `profiles.ini` one level up that tells you which folder is the default.

• • 2. Back up BOTH before doing anything** 🔒

Just copy each full profile folder somewhere safe (a separate folder on the USB, or a "backups" folder on the new machine). This is your undo button if something goes sideways.

• • 3. Don't just overwrite the new profile with the old one**

This is the #1 way people mess things up — dragging the old profile folder on top of the new one can wipe out new mail or duplicate everything weirdly. Instead:

- **Close Thunderbird completely** on the new computer. - Create a **brand new empty profile** just for the import (Thunderbird has a Profile Manager for this — run `thunderbird -P` from a terminal/Run box, or Help → Troubleshooting Info → Profile Manager). - Copy the *contents* of the old profile's `Mail` and `ImapMail` folders into the corresponding folders of this new profile. - Also grab `abook.mab` / the address book `.sqlite` files if you want her contacts.

• • 4. Merge, don't just move**

If she wants everything combined into ONE profile (old mail + new mail together), the cleanest tool for this is the **ImportExportTools NG** add-on 🧩 — install it in Thunderbird, then use it to export the old "Local Folders" as .eml/.mbox and import them into the new profile's folders. This avoids conflicts way better than manually copying raw folder files, especially if account setups differ.

• • 5. Once it's imported, verify before deleting anything**

Check that all her folders, message counts, and contacts look right. Only delete the old data (or wipe the USB) after you're 100% sure. 🙌

If you tell me: - Whether she's on IMAP or POP for her main account, and - Whether you want ONE merged profile or just want to recover the old mail into the new setup as extra folders

...I can give you the exact folder-by-folder steps instead of the general version. 💪