You can open locally saved mail in Thunderbird. What are you trying to achieve in the first place?

Sorry I wasn't clear. I know I can open locally saved email in Thunderbird. My email though is VERY important for many issues. Granted, it's in the Cloud with gmail, but I want it on my local hard drive, where I can read it whenever I want, and make a backup copy to my external hard drive.

Gmail's free cloud storage may go away someday, Thunderbird may go away like Window's Live Mail did 3 weeks ago. I can't lose the access and ability to read these saved emails if Thunderbird goes away someday.

Brad

It is confusing that you chose to mention "Local Folders" when this is precisely the name of a standard account in Thunderbird.

For most of us, saving message in this Local Folders account would suffice as a permanent store.

If you use File|Save, or drag-and-drop to put messages into a separate folder, outside Thunderbird, then you will get eml files, which several email clients would be able to open, Thunderbird included.

If you want more general formats, I suggest you install the ImportExportTools add-on and review the options it offers you. You would be able to export messages to plain text, html or (heaven forfend) pdf. I wish you luck with trying to thread together exported messages.

Import Export Tools How to install add-ons.

Thunderbird is a program you downloaded and installed on your own computer. No-one else can take it away from you.

Sorry if my using "Local Folders" caused any confusion. Yet it does refer to both the folders on my local hard-drive, and what Thunderbird calls it.

I just tried that File-Save thing as you mentioned, THANKS. It worked, and saved the test email on my local hard-drive as an .eml file. And I understand that several email clients would be able to open the saved mail. However, I couldn't find a way to read the saved email on Thunderbird, unless at the same time I save it on my local hard-drive I leave the original on gmail. Which may be the only option.

Yes, I downloaded Thunderbird and installed it on my own computer. Seems I did the same thing for Windows Live Mail. Under any case, if Thunderbird goes away, unless I burned the installation program to a CD, what do I do? Or if my PC dies? Who keeps copies of all installed programs original information.

I miss Windows Live Mail. Why didn't they put it in the Public Domain? I tried to download it a couple of days ago, apparently it's gone forever, so if my computer dies, I lose Windows Live Mail. Hence my look now for a replacement.

Brad

Did you actually try double clicking the EML file? it is the accepted way of opening files on Windows.

If you found File > Save as to export the email how about File > Open to read it.

I really wonder why you would be placing mail outside of Thunderbird so you can search it. Window has the worst search I have ever seen, outside of this forums search option. Thunderbird's is far superior in my opinion.

Thunderbird's native storage format of mbox is about as old as email. it is easily read by many tools and utilities, so having Thunderbird around is really not all that necessary going forward. The mbox format is at least as well supported as EML. Given Mbox is a stack of EML files away, both text formats.

So what happens if you double click an eml file? Or use shift+right-click and select "open with" then nominate Thunderbird.

I repeat; Thunderbird is a program you download and you install. No-one can take it away from you. For peace of mind, download and save the installer. Then you can install it and reinstall it ad infinitum.

I did try double clicking the .eml file, it always opened using Windows Live Mail. Forgot about using the option "open with", so color me stupid. Thanks for reminding me about that.

It's not so much of placing mail outside of Thunderbird so I can search it, it's so I can find specific email by folder, sender, date, not lose it, etc

And, I thought when I downloaded Thunderbird, I was just getting a kernel, to start a download/install. Didn't realize it was the full program. I looked at it's size, obviously the full program. Thanks for that tidbit.

So, I think this is is solved. I can use Thunderbird basically forever, on all my future computers when the old ones die. Just make sure I've got a backup of the folder on my local hard drive of where all the offline folders are, reinstall them, and I'm back in business. And of course a backup of Thunderbird.

THANKS FOR EVERYONE'S HELP!

Brad

just a hint. Go to windows control panel and change the default email client to thunderbird from Windows live mail. You might also need to change the file associations in control panel.

OR use Thunderbird to do it.

Options > Advanced > General and chick check now