It depends a lot on what you want. If you would like direct access to mail from all platforms, then I strongly recommend using IMAP. That is the only way to have transparent access, whether from phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet. Juggling a POP account where you must first download messages and then make available to other platforms is a dance I would not want to do. As far as the current files on POP, you could use the import/export utility and create a POP account also, just to retain access to those messages - and could import them to a local folder from which you could then upload to the IMAP folder. Several steps, but workable, since you're already familiar with that addon.

Thanks, David, for the good advice.

My situation is different from wanting to have access from several devices at the same time.

Either I am in my home town, when I have access from my desktop, or I am traveling, when I have access from the laptop. I do not have a requirement to have access to all my back mail when traveling.

I do have a requirement to, sometimes, when traveling for work, have access to some back mail.

I can put that mail in one or more "folders."

The question is what next? May I simply copy that folder from the desk profile to the lap profile?

[ I prefer to not use IMAP. ]

I can use the tools to copy the messages. But being able to copy the directory between profiles will be much simpler.

[ I won't be skilled at scripting the tools. ]

Thanks again.

I think you may have problems if not careful. If the desktop has access to both profiles, yes, you could set up an offline account on the laptop (POP), alongside your IMAP account. You could copy the POP folder from one PC to the other, being careful on placement. I see dragons here. But I wish you well.

Thanks for the continuing prompt responses, David.

I'm not certain I understand.

The provider I have chosen to take the place of GoDaddy--this week!--deletes messages from the POP server immediately when they are downloaded.

The only time the desk will have any access to the lap is when I plug the lap into the Ethernet to copy working files for a trip. At that time, I could copy a local folder (the directory) from the desk Tbird profile to the the lap Tbird profile.

That is my specific question. Can a local folder be copied between profiles?

If I read your message correctly, you are recommending that I copy that directory to an offline account, to stay clear of the account that will connect to the mail server. To calm the dragons.

==

I don't want to distract from my question above, with another. But this will save you getting another message in this thread:

I had not planned to use IMAP on either machine. (And will not use it on the desk.)

But now that you mention it, could I use IMAP on the laptop to get any new messages--while having the desired back mail in a folder I moved from the desk--so that those new messages would still be on the server when I return to the desk? For downloading with POP.

(When the mail host will delete them. (Durn!) There was never any problem with GoDaddy, which kept messages downloaded with POP until they were deleted. I relied on Thunderbird to keep them on the mail server for only the set number of days.)

I would suggest you export the folders you want to keep using the import export tools. Use Mbox or EML format(mbox, is a single file per folder or EML, same format as mbox but one file per email.) https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools-ng/?src=ss

While you can copy between accounts and drag and drop works for most occasions. (not always and not as reliably as it should for IMAP. See this addon https://github.com/smitgd/addon-copyfolder-tb-esr68/tree/WL which only exists because copy on IMAP has issues)

Using the tool will make an outside of Thunderbird backup that can be read by Thunderbird or a number of other mail programs, so is in my opinion archival quality. No file format lock-in. Once you have that and import it again to a location in Local folders you can not really go wrong. If some part of the dragging them to the new server account for instance fails you have an immutable backup outside of Thunderbird.

Matt, I owe you an apology. I should not have mentioned my departure from GoDaddy. It has nothing to do with my question.

Let me start over.

I have two machines. I use only desktop when in my home town and only laptop when I travel.

I do not use IMAP, and do not plan to use it.

What I want to do is--when preparing to travel--copy some selected messages from Inbox or Sent of the desktop Tbird to the laptop Tbird.

I can copy those messages to a local folder.

I see two ways to get them to the laptop: 1. export on desk and import on lap. 2. copy the local folder from desk profile to lap profile.

My question is: is 2 possible?

You and David agree in recommending export and import. I have the tool and have used it.

Do I understand "... you can copy between accounts..." to mean that--at the start of a trip--I can copy a local folder from the profile on the desktop machine to the profile on the laptop? (I understand you do not recommend it.)

Thanks for your time on this support forum.

2 is possible, but I really do not recommend it. locating the mbox in the profile and copying it using the file system works. But is really something I would say is expert level as very few folks these days are even aware of a command line interface and file system quirks using windows file explorer. I at time have trouble getting it to copy and paste things where I want them and I have been doing this stuff since DOS3.