How to find or change the Thunderbird profile location (step-by-step)

Mozilla Thunderbird is an email client used for managing personal information, such as emails, contacts, calendar entries, and notes. It stores all this information, including passwords, settings, and messages, in a separate profile folder from the Thunderbird program files.

Knowing the location of the Thunderbird profile folder is crucial for backing up your Thunderbird data or moving it to another location. In this article, we'll guide you through finding and changing the Thunderbird data storage location, as well as how to back up Thunderbird to ensure the safety of your data.

Where are Thunderbird files stored?

By default, the Thunderbird profile folder is located in:

• Windows: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles
• Mac OS: ~/Library/Thunderbird

If you customized the installation or changed the location of your Thunderbird profile, you can find its location using one of these methods:

Method 1: Find the Thunderbird Profile Location in Thunderbird

Step 1: Launch the Mozilla Thunderbird application. From the top menu bar, click on "Tools" and then select "Account Settings".

Step 2: In the left panel of the Account Settings window, select Services.

Step 3. You should see the specific Thunderbird profile location under "Local Directory". Click on the "Browse..." button to open the folder.

Method 2: Finding the Thunderbird Profile Folder Without Thunderbird

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the Run command.

Step 2. Copy and paste the following path: %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles\, then click OK.

Step 3. You should now see all data saved in the Thunderbird account.

How to Change Where Thunderbird Saves Your Emails

Moving the Thunderbird files from their default profile location to another can be useful in certain situations, for example, if you want to store your Thunderbird on a different hard drive with more storage space or back up your Thunderbird data on an external device.

To change the location where Thunderbird stores your data, just follow these steps:

Step 1. If Thunderbird is running, exit it.

Step 2: Find the folder that contains your profile data, and move it to a new location on your computer.

Step 3: Open Thunderbird, and go to Menu > Tools > Account Settings > Server Settings.

Step 4. Click the "Browse..." button and select the new location for your Thunderbird profile.

Step 5: Click “OK,” then restart Thunderbird for the changes to take effect.

How to Ensure the Security of Thunderbird Profile Files

As we mentioned earlier, the Thunderbird profile is stored separately from the static program files. Whenever your settings, passwords, mail accounts, and so on change, the local profile folder changes accordingly. Hence, it's very important to regularly back up Thunderbird profile to ensure the safety of your saved Thunderbird data. This way, you can have all your Thunderbird data backed up and easily restore Thunderbird data with the backup in case you accidentally delete the Thunderbird storage files or the Thunderbird application fails.

Todo Backup Home, an excellent backup and recovery software for Windows users, is available to back up and restore Thunderbird profile files. It allows you to easily create a backup of your Thunderbird profile to protect against data loss or system failure, and schedule Thunderbird backup with just a few clicks. Now, let's see how to easily back up and restore a Thunderbird profile:

Back up the content you have saved in Thunderbird:

Step 1: Tap the Select Backup button to begin the backup process.

Create File Backup Step 1

Step 2. There are four backup types to choose from: Files, Disk, System, and Mail. Click on Files.

Step 3: The left pane lists both local and network files. You can expand the directories to choose which files to back up.

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to choose where you want to save your backup.

Click on "Options" and set a password for encrypted backups under "Backup Options." Set up a schedule under "Backup Plan" and choose to start a backup on specific events. There are many other options you can explore to customize your backup job as needed.

You can store backups on a local drive, in the Tools cloud service, or on a NAS.

Step 6. Todo Backup lets you back up your data to third-party cloud drives and its own cloud drive.

If you want to back up to a third-party cloud, choose “Local Disk,” then scroll down and add a cloud device, and sign in to your account.

You can also choose to use the tools cloud drive. Click on tools Cloud and sign up and log in with your tools account.

Step 7. Click "Backup Now" to start the backup process. When it's done, the backup will be displayed as a card on the left panel. Right-click on the backup task for further management.

**Restore Thunderbird Profile:**

Step 1. Launch Todo Backup and click on "Browse Recovery".

Click “Browse” to restore

< strong > Step 2. Navigate to your backup destination and select the backup file you want to restore. (A backup file created with Todo Backup is a .pbd file.)

Select the backup file

Step 3: Choose a recovery location. You can choose a specific location to restore to, or restore to the original location.

Step 4. Tap on "Continue" to start the restore process.

If you use Mac OS X, the easiest way to back up your Thunderbird data is with Time Machine.

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Summary

In summary, this article provided a step-by-step guide on how to find and change the Thunderbird profile location and back up your Thunderbird data to protect it from potential risks. We hope that you now know where Thunderbird stores its profile folder and can use this knowledge to better manage your Thunderbird data.

Tools Todo Backup Home is the software best suited for Windows users to back up their Thunderbird profile. If you're looking for an all-in-one storage solution for Thunderbird, Tools Todo Backup Home is your best bet.

Frequently Asked Questions About Thunderbird's Profile Location

Where is the Thunderbird profile?

By default, Thunderbird files are stored in your computer's “Profile” folder. You can find the Thunderbird Profile folder at C:\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\.

Can I move my Thunderbird data to an external device?

Yes, you can move your Thunderbird data, such as emails, contacts, and settings, to an external device. You would simply need to copy the Thunderbird profile folder from its default storage location and paste it onto the external device.

How do I back up my Thunderbird data?

If you use Windows, the best Thunderbird backup software to use is Todo Backup. If you use Mac OS X, the easiest way to back up your Thunderbird data is with Time Machine.

Does Thunderbird save email locally?

Yes, Thunderbird saves your emails in its local profile folder. When you change the storage location for Thunderbird, it saves your emails in the new profile folder at the location you specified.