WorldNet Knowledgebase

Step 1: Locate and Backup the Old Thunderbird Profile

1. On the old computer, open Thunderbird.

2. Go to Help > Troubleshooting Information.
   Note: If the menu bar (File, Edit, View, etc.) is not visible in Thunderbird, press the Alt key on your keyboard to temporarily show it.

   

3. Under Profile Folder, click Open Folder.

   

4. A file explorer window will open showing your profile folder (e.g. xxxxxxxx.default-esr)

   

5. Go one level up to the Profiles folder and copy the entire xxxxxxxx.default-esrfolder.

   

6. Also, copy the profiles.ini file from:

   • C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\

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7. Transfer both the profile folder and profiles.ini to the new computer using a USB drive, external HDD, or network share.

Note: The AppData folder is hidden by default. Enable "Hidden items" in Windows File Explorer to access it.

Step 2: Prepare the New Computer

1. Install Thunderbird on the new computer (if not already installed).

2. Launch Thunderbird once, then close it completely.

   • This creates the initial configuration files and folders.

Step 3: Replace Profile Files on the New Computer

1. Navigate to:

   • C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\

2. Backup or delete the existing Profiles folder.

3. Paste the previously copied profile folder (e.g. xxxxxxxx.default-release/esr) into the Profiles directory.

4. Overwrite the existing profiles.ini file with the one you copied from the old computer.

Step 4: Launch Thunderbird

• Open Thunderbird. It should now load your old profile with all emails, accounts, and settings intact.

• If not, run thunderbird.exe -p to manually select the correct profile from the Profile Manager.