Thunderbird sometimes 'loses' contact with profile. It's still there. Skip the email wizard, click the Home tab, then right-click near top of page and select Menu Bar. Then, click help>moretroubleshootinginformation, scroll down to Profiles, click 'about:profiles' and your profile should appear and can be selected.

David, Thank you for that little gem; the instructions were clear and easy to follow. It shows me 2 profiles, the one in use 'default-release' and another called 'default'.

If I look into the structure of 'default-release' it contains my ImapMail and all other folders seem relevant.

It would appear that this is the profile being used but it's empty. Any ideas?

This is the opening screen for the above profile.

I would select the one that shows your IMAP account.

Hi David, I have but makes no difference. I've then added a profile directory, AllanTB, copied the folders (with the ImapData) and set the new profile as default. Still the same result, empty.

It could be that the 'default-release' profile has just lost info on how to access stored info. As per images you posted - set the 'default-release' as the default profile and restart

Menu icon > Help > More Troubleshooting Information Application Basics - Profile Folder - click on 'Open Folder' It will open in a anew window. Set up the view so you see columns showing name, type, modified date and size Set up sort by name Look for 'prefs.js' file Do you see many prefs.js' files maybe some with numbers. Please post an image which shows all 'prefs.js' files

Thunderbird uses the 'prefs.js' file so it knows where all the various data mail accounts etc etc are stored. I need to see what you have got and its size and when it was modified. Maybe you have one with a number which still has data.

Hi, All done and image included. Thank you for your input.

The image shows you are currently using: 'prefs.js' which has a low size of 9kb and was created on 25th Aug '22. I suspect that was when you updated.

It will be the basic info and will not have the accounts etc information, so Thunderbird has no idea what data is stored in other files.

I can see you have other prefs files I'm talking now about 'prefs-5.js' which was last updated in jan 2021 and has a good size of 52kb. I do not know if you have added any new accounts since that date, but it obviously has data about accounts.

Please do the following to see if that file gets all the data back.

• Menu icon > Help > More Troubleshooting Information
• Application Basics - Profile Folder - click on 'Open Folder'

It will open in a new window.

• Exit Thunderbird now - this is important.

• Rename the 'prefs.js' file as 'prefs.js.old' - this keeps it, but Thunderbird will not use it.
• Rename 'prefs-5.js' as 'prefs.js', so Thunderbird will be forced to use it.

Start Thunderbird.

Please report back on results.

Wonderful. That's done the job. All my important emails are IMAP so they'll update as they're left on the server, I just need to check my email server for any missing addresses. The pop3 well they are pop3 and will be missing forever, but nothing important.

Thank you so much, I had a feeling everything was there but didn't know what to do to recover. Great help and thank you, also thank you to David for the assistance too.

Best Regards

Allan

Oh can I clean up, should I clean up the really old prefs.js files?

Update. I'm missing all my new IMAP email accounts, I'll have to add them all from the email server, hopefully, all will be ok. Lots of plugins and filters missing. Here goes, a bit of housekeeping and repetitive tasks to carry out hopefully this isn't a common issue.

The old prefs-x.js files can be deleted.

Oh can I clean up, should I clean up the really old prefs.js files?

there is no need to keep them.

After adding all your imap accounts again. I would advise you create a backup because you never know when it might be useful. Sometimes, it's not just the mail that needs to be retrieved, but it can be a specific file.

There are two ways to access this - one directly and one via Thunderbird.

I've added example images below as a guide

Method 1 - directly

• Exit Thunderbird.
• In windows search type : %Appdata%
• Select the %Appdata% file folder
• Select 'Roaming'
• Copy the 'Thunderbird' folder to an external drive.

Method 2 - via Thunderbird

• Menu icon > Help > More TRoubleshooting Information
• Under 'Application Basics' - Profile folder - click on 'Open Folder'
• Exit Thunderbird now.
• Go up 3 levels to the 'Roaming' folder
• Copy the 'Thunderbird' folder to an external drive.

@Toad-hall: For my own awareness, I noticed you didn't suggest tools>export to backup the profile. Wouldn't that be easier?

Thanks again guys and gals. Off to make sure I've got a backup. Thunderbird rarely throws a wobbly but when it does, I'm sure it could have been worse, without your help it surely would have been.

re :The pop3 well they are pop3 and will be missing forever, but nothing important.

If you are still using that pop email address then it is likely those emails are still within the profile. Pop emails are usually fully downloaded - even if you remove the pop account, Thunderbird does not delete them because Thunderbird anticipates you do not have a copy on the server. AS the 'prefs.js' file does not know about the pop account, it will not show it, but that does not mean it has gone.

check to see if pop account emails are still there:

• Menu icon > Help > More Troubleshooting Information
• Application Basics - Profile Folder - click on 'Open Folder'
• click on 'Mail' folder

It will contain pop mail accounts and Local Folders mail account.

• click on the POP mail account name folder

mbox files have no extension and they contain emails. You can open an mbox file using a text editor program like Notepad or Notepad++ assuming it is not huge! Emails are appended to the file in the order downloaded, so oldest will be at the top - newest at bottom.

If you can see that pop account and it has the mbox files of good size: You have some options.

You can create a new pop mail account for that email address and before you download anything access the Account Settings > Server Settings - set the 'Local directory:' to point it to use the original pop account. OR If you do not want to create pop account, you can get copies of emails back into the 'Local Folders' mail account, so at least you can still access them.

Let me know if you see the pop account folder with emails and what you would like to do. I'll post info.

@Toad-hall: For my own awareness, I noticed you didn't suggest tools>export to backup the profile. Wouldn't that be easier?

It backs up the 'profile name' folder as a zipped file which is ok and worth doing if you get a lot of mail and need more frequent backups. But I'm advising you backup the entire lot and not as a zipped file. This means it also backs up other files like the 'profiles.ini' file. It also creates a backup of all profiles - if you have more than one. Finally, it makes it easier to copy/paste just the one folder if you ever want to move it to another computer or indeed reinstate. You would not need to paste in a profile and then set up Thunderbird to recognise it's existance.

I created a folder on other 'D' Drive and also an external drive and called it 'Tbird Backups'. Then when ever I create a backup - in the 'TBird Backups' folder I create a folder of the version number eg: 'V102-2-0' and I put a copy of the 'Thunderbird' folder in it. This means I have a copy of that version. I do this before I update. I keep a couple of backups, so I've got two good versions. I delete old ones once I'm happy I've got a good backup.

Would you be so kind as to mark the comment which says "The image shows you are currently using: 'prefs.js' which has a low size of 9kb and was created on 25th Aug '22. I suspect that was when you updated..." as 'Chosen Solution' It was the comment which advised on switching prefs files to try to get most info back.

@Toad-hall: Thanks, I learn a lot by following your responses; that's why I asked about profiles. Thank you.

re :The pop3 well they are pop3 and will be missing forever, but nothing important. If you are still using that pop email address then it is likely those emails are still within the profile. Pop emails are usually fully downloaded - even if you remove the pop account, Thunderbird does not delete them because Thunderbird anticipates you do not have a copy on the server. AS the 'prefs.js' file does not know about the pop account, it will not show it, but that does not mean it has gone. check to see if pop account emails are still there:

• Menu icon > Help > More Troubleshooting Information
• Application Basics - Profile Folder - click on 'Open Folder'
• click on 'Mail' folder

It will contain pop mail accounts and Local Folders mail account.

• click on the POP mail account name folder

mbox files have no extension and they contain emails. You can open an mbox file using a text editor program like Notepad or Notepad++ assuming it is not huge! Emails are appended to the file in the order downloaded, so oldest will be at the top - newest at bottom. If you can see that pop account and it has the mbox files of good size: You have some options. You can create a new pop mail account for that email address and before you download anything access the Account Settings > Server Settings - set the 'Local directory:' to point it to use the original pop account. OR If you do not want to create pop account, you can get copies of emails back into the 'Local Folders' mail account, so at least you can still access them. Let me know if you see the pop account folder with emails and what you would like to do. I'll post info.

All good. POP3 are intact and downloaded from yesterday and up to date. Thanks again, habitual backup will be performed before updating again. All IMAP created and downloaded, just need to figure out my QuickFilters if they are still ok.