Re-installing Thunderbird does not affect the profile. Therefore Thunderbird should just pick up the existing profile.

Hello Christ,

thanks for your reply. It doesn't in this case, I suppose that might be because the profile folder (or in fact the entire Thunderbird folder, containing a folder named Profiles, another one called Crash Reports, and the profiles.ini file) that I'd like it to connect to doesn't reside in its default location. As I tried to point out, I know I could replace the newly formed folder with the older one in its default location, but that's precisely what I'd like to avoid. Instead, I'd have Thunderbird recognize the other location as it previously did.

Does that make sense?

Does that make sense?

Not exactly. While you can move the profile folder itself, you cannot move the location of profiles.ini.

So keep the profiles.ini file at it's default location at ~/Library/Thunderbird. Adjust profiles.ini accordingly to the absolute path of your profile folder.

ok, that's interesting, I didn't know that. I copied the profiles.ini file to its default location (after closing Thunderbird and backing up the previous file of course). Upon restarting it, I got to choose which profile to use, the only choice being “default“. Choosing it prompts me:

Profile Missing

Your Thunderbird profile cannot be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible.

My first guess would be that the old profile file doesn’t contain the path to the actual location, or at least nothing that I could identify as such a path. It says: Path=Profiles/gxxntm4q.default. However, the new profile (the one that was installed during the new installation) doesn't seem much different in that regard. It goes:

[Profile0] Name=default-release IsRelative=1 Path=Profiles/de16dzbm.default-release

[General] StartWithLastProfile=1 Version=2

[Install712DAF5A23ABECDC] Default=Profiles/de16dzbm.default-release Locked=1

Do you make sense of that?

Thanks!

What is the absolute path to your profile folder, including the profile folder name?

That would be /Volumes/Lager 2/Thunderbird .

So 'Thunderbird' is your profile folder? I somehow doubt that.

Anyway, use the profile manager to point Thunderbird to the profile folder underneath /Volumes/Lager 2/Thunderbird. Follow the instructions in section 'Use the Profile Manager to move your profile' in this article. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_profile_folder_-_Thunderbird#Use_the_Profile_Manager_to_move_your_profile

Then use profile manager to start Thunderbird with that profile.

Hello Christ,

thanks again. I did that, but after that Thunderbird started empty as it did before, no change. The profile I want to connect it to however is there, it's almost 19 GB.

Any idea?

Thanks!

Please describe the steps you did in detail. Screenshot(s) may help. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/how-do-i-create-screenshot-my-problem

Hello christ,

following your advice (to meticulously describe the steps), I figured it out. The problem was that inside the folder named Profiles, there was another folder with an inconspicuously technical name, and that folder was the one I in fact had to point Thunderbird to. Now it's all retrieved.

Thanks so much for your patience!!

When your problem is fixed can you mark the topic as 'Solved' please? Thank you.

Of course. Sorry, I hadn't seen that option.