Are you struggling to convert and migrate your Thunderbird profile, settings and email to a new computer?
Many people choose to use Thunderbird as their email client because of its many benefits, including advanced spam filtering, good reputation as a trusted person, customizability, high security, support for email protocols such as SMTP, POP3 and IMAP, and much more.
The instructions below can also be used to back up and restore Thunderbird data. These steps describe how to manually copy your profile folder to a new computer.
Copy your profile folder from your existing computer to a fresh Thunderbird installation on the new computer to give it access to your files.
Where to store your data
Where your data is stored
Before you can transfer data to a new computer, you need some storage space.
You can choose from many options, such as a USB drive or a cloud server such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive.
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The data you wish to transfer includes yours:
- Emails
- Calendar
- Address Book
- Appointments
- Saved Passwords
- Settings
Copy from your old computer
- Start by opening Thunderbird on the computer you are currently using and then click the menu.
Copying from Old Computer - Start by opening Thunderbird on the computer you are currently using and then click Menu.
- To reduce the size of files and the time it takes to copy and transfer them, empty the Trash and Junk Mail folders.
- Select Help and then Troubleshooting Information.
- The next step is to click on the open folder to access the Thunderbird data file in Windows Explorer.
- Now you need to go back to your Thunderbird account and close it.
- In the profile folder you used earlier, find a folder named roaming. You will find it three levels higher than it is now.
- Find and right-click the Thunderbird folder on your old computer and select copy.
Migrating Your Data to OneDrive
Transfer your data to OneDrive
Now you want to navigate to the drive you are using to transfer data. For this tutorial, we’ll be using OneDrive. But you can use a flash drive or other cloud storage.
You are about to save or paste the Thunderbird data you copied from your old computer to OneDrive.
- To copy files to OneDrive, right-click and select paste.
- In this step, your Thunderbird profile will be copied to OneDrive. The time it takes will depend on the size of your file.
Your destination computer
Your destination computer
On the new PC, click OneDrive. Right-click the Thunderbird folder and choose Copy.
This way, your data is already on the Windows clipboard before you install Thunderbird
Install Thunderbird
- You now want to download and install Thunderbird
- IMPORTANT: DO NOT create any accounts or add new email addresses. “X” from the pop-up screen as shown below.
Install Thunderbird - Now you want to download and Install Thunderbird
- Important: Do not set up any accounts or add any new email addresses. “X” is off the pop-up screen as shown below.
- Instead of creating a new email account, click the Thunderbird menu.
- The next step is the same as for copying a Thunderbird profile. Find the help menu at the top of the navigation and select troubleshooting information.
- In the troubleshooting panel, select an open folder.
- Just like on your old computer, return to Thunderbird on your new computer and close it.
- Then go back to the Thunderbird profile folder and find the folder to move.
- Once inside a floating folder, click anywhere in that folder and select Paste. This will copy your Thunderbird profile folder.
- You will then be prompted to replace files in the destination, skip files, or let you select each file. You want to select the “Replace files at destination” option.
- Open Thunderbird to make sure you copied the data from your old computer to your new one correctly.
- Once launched, you will see that your old settings, email and profile are now on your new computer.
Third Party Tools
Third-Party Tools
Thunderbird doesn’t have a built-in feature to export your profile, email and settings like Outlook does.
Thus, you can manually move your files as described above. Or you can opt for a third-party tool to help you quickly export whatever you need.
Below are some examples of paid tools that you can use if you don’t want to transfer files manually.
Thunderbird Backup Wizard ($ 39)
As we discussed above, before you can transfer your files, you need to make a copy or backup of them.
You can back up all Thunderbird data using the Thunderbird Backup Wizard and save it in various formats.
Limited free demo available. However, this will only give you an idea of ??how the program works.
Also, you will only be able to back up 25 items from each folder. To use the product’s features, you need to purchase it.
Thunderbird Migrator ($ 39)
Thunderbird Migrator is also a paid tool with a limited demo, allowing only 25 backups per file. This is another option that can help you back up your data.
The free and manual process described above for transferring Thunderbird files to a new computer is simple and straightforward.
More tech-savvy users may be interested in using a paid tool for this process, especially if they run multiple client email programs.
Whether you choose manual processing or a third-party tool, after transferring your Thunderbird profile and files, you can start using and enjoying it on your new computer.
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