Thunderbird Backup and Restore Complete Process

Summary: There are many ways to back up and restore Thunderbird emails. You can use the popular Thunderbird ImportExport NG tool, Thunderbird’s native import and export tool, or manually copy and paste data from one profile location to another. However, the best way to recover Thunderbird emails from a backup is by using the BitRecover Thunderbird Restore Tool.

Why Backup and Restore Mozilla Thunderbird Data? Core Scenarios

There can be various reasons why a user may need to back up and restore Thunderbird email with contacts & calendar.

1. When moving Thunderbird from one computer to another.
2. Restoring Thunderbird backup to repair the Thunderbird profile and data needs.
3. In case of Thunderbird application or system crash.
4. Merging multiple Thunderbird profiles into one profile.

Note: There are three kinds of Thunderbird Backup that the user may need to restore.

1. Thunderbird ZIP backup
2. Thunderbird emails in MBOX format
3. Complete profile folder copied to another location

Method 1: Import Export NG Tool to Backup and Restore Thunderbird

The ImportExport NG tool is a free add-on to export and import emails in Thunderbird's local folder.

Note: With this method of backup and restore of Thunderbird profile, you will miss out on multiple Thunderbird aspects, like Contacts & Calendar. And Thunderbird settings and much more.

1. Open Mozilla Thunderbird on your PC.
2. Go to Hamburger Menu >> Themes & Extensions.
3. Search for ImportExport NG Tools.
4. Add the tool.

After you have added the tool, you can go to the specific mailbox in Thunderbird that you want to back up.

To restore MBOX in Thunderbird with the tool, right-click on the Local Folder >> ImportExportNG Tool >> Import MBOX.

Method 2: Native Thunderbird Export and Import Option

You can also import settings and data into Thunderbird without any add-ons and extraction on Mac and Windows devices.

Note: The built-in backup and restore option of the tool only handles ZIP files of Thunderbird’s specific architecture type. Generic import of files does not work with this method.

Backup Thunderbird using the native tool.

Click on Tools >> Export >> Export as ZIP

Restore Thunderbird backup Using Native Tool:

1. Click on Tools > Import in the menu bar.
2. Select an import source from the list.
3. Choose Import from a file (ZIP).
4. Click the Continue button.
5. Select a file from your computer
6. Press Continue & Start Import.

Method 3: Copying and Pasting Thunderbird Profile Data

The entire Thunderbird data is stored in the Thunderbird profile location.

1. Windows: C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\
2. Mac: /Users/YourUsername/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/
3. Linux: /home/YourUsername/.thunderbird/

You can replace YourUsername with your actual system username.

The default-release file stores the entire information. You can back up the file by copying on another drive onto yor computer or to an external drive. The restore process using this method involves creating a new profile in Thunderbird using the Thunderbird Profile Manager and then replacing all the empty data with the backed-up data.

BitRecover Thunderbird Backup & Restore Tool: Professional Way

BitRecover Thunderbird Restore Tool is a dedicated solution to export data from Thunderbird into multiple file formats and restore the data into the Thunderbird profile folder automatically without any limitations. It provides a fast, secure, offline, and easy way to restore Thunderbird data without dealing with technical steps.