Migrating Thunderbird from Old to New Computer
How does one transfer the old Thunderbird Profile files from one computer to another? This appears to be a common question on the Internet and here on the Support forum.
I've seen, read and followed the help article but have been unsuccessful after weeks of trying.
I have Thunderbird Ver. 76.11.0 on the target computer and the same version on the source computer.
I have followed the steps outlined very carefully. I'm using an NTSF formatted thumb drive with ample capacity to copy the profile files from the source computer. (I discovered by a very circuitous route that the NTSF formatting is necessary. The 'how to' article should be updated to include a note about this.) I was able to copy the entire Profiles folder successfully from this path: C://users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Thunderbird/Profiles. I have confirmed that the same files and folders from the source machine are on the thumb drive.
I have tried copying the entire Profiles folder over the existing Profiles folder on the target machine, with Thunderbird closed, without success. When I restart Thunderbird on the target machine there are no addresses from my address books and no email history.
I have tried copying just the folders contained within the Profiles folder over the equivalent folders on the target machine - again with Thunderbird closed - with the same result when I restart Thunderbird on the target machine.
Either I am doing something wrong or the instructions in the how-to are wrong. If the process is literally to copy the data from the source machine to the target machine, am I copying the correct files and folders? If not, what should I be copying? If I'm copying the right files and folders, where should they be placed on the target machine. The instructions do not include a complete pathname for the target machine but they do include instructions to copy with Thunderbird closed.
Help will be greatly appreciated and gratefully received.
Chosen solution
As far as I can tell, the relevant article does give directions to move the Thunderbird folder from one computer to another:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/moving-thunderbird-data-to-a-new-computer
but I suppose it could be more explicit in stating the exact locations.
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Instead of copying Profiles, copy the Thunderbird folder, one level up, as this will include the all-important profiles.ini file. Delete the Thunderbird folder on the target PC, then copy in the folder from the source.
After days on end trying to figure this out, your instructions worked on the first try.
I realize that if wishes were horses that beggars would ride, but I wish someone would update the how-to to provide a specific place to put the copied Thunderbird files and folders. I put it in the Roaming folder in this path: C://Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming
Chosen Solution
As far as I can tell, the relevant article does give directions to move the Thunderbird folder from one computer to another:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/moving-thunderbird-data-to-a-new-computer
but I suppose it could be more explicit in stating the exact locations.
Thanks a lot for your help, sfhowes!!!!
Yes, an update to the how-to would be helpful. Also, a caution at the start that .jpg files will not copy to a FAT for FAT32 formatted thumb drive would also be helpful. The thumb drive had to be reformatted to NTSF to work for me.
I've never heard that copying jpg files depends on the formatting, but if there are files bigger than 4GB in the profile, which is common, since each mail folder is a single mbox file, an NTFS drive is necessary, as FAT32 is limited to 4GB.
I might be wrong about the .jpg files not copying. What I ran into was a message asking if I wanted to copy files without their properties. When I searched that message I got the information about losing information about image files if copying to a drive not formatted NTSF. I had nothing to lose on my thumb drive; so I reformatted it to NTSF. Afterwards I had no messages and all file copied without further issues.
On another issue . . . When the Thunderbird files were migrated over, I seem to have lost all message filters. Should they have been copied? Where are they stored? I still have the source laptop with message filters intact.
Filters are stored in msgFilterRules.dat files in every account subfolder of Mail and ImapMail in the profile. They can be copied from backups and between accounts.