How to Backup Thunderbird Emails to External Hard Drive [Three Ways]

PAGE CONTENT:

Why Do We Need to Back up Thunderbird Email to External Drive
How to Back up Thunderbird Emails to External Drive with Three Possible Ways
Another Way to Backup Email, such as Outlook
Conclusion

Why Do We Need to Back up Thunderbird Email to External Drive

Despite the misconception that Thunderbird email data is automatically backed up, users should still take steps to protect their emails. In the event of a computer virus or system crash, Thunderbird emails can become unrecoverable, making backup essential. Backing up Thunderbird emails to an external hard drive offers several benefits.

Better data security. Making a Thunderbird email backup to an external drive can enhance data security. Unlike Outlook, Thunderbird's security features are not robust, making it more vulnerable to hackers and virus attacks, so backing up emails to an external drive can provide an extra layer of protection.
Improve performance. Backing up Thunderbird emails to an external hard drive can reduce the mailbox size and enhance the server's performance by freeing up local space on the server.
Effortless Data Migration. If Thunderbird emails are saved on a hard drive, it's easier to transfer them, and having a backup can be helpful when exporting data to another system.

How to Back up Thunderbird Emails to External Drive with Three Possible Ways

Solution 1. Backup Thunderbird Profile
Solution 2. Export Thunderbird Emails Using Add-on
Solution 3. Use Save As Option to Backup Thunderbird Emails to External Drive

Backing up your Thunderbird emails to an external hard drive is crucial to prevent data loss. There are three methods to back up Thunderbird mailbox items to an external hard drive, and you can choose one that suits your needs. These methods allow you to make a backup of your Thunderbird emails and ensure they are safely stored on an external hard drive.

Solution 1. Backup Thunderbird Profile

To create a backup of your Thunderbird profile, first, close Thunderbird. Then, navigate to the location of your Thunderbird profile folder, which is usually located in the "Documents" folder. Look for a folder with a name that matches your system's username.

Step 1. Launch Thunderbird.

Step 2. To access the menu options for your account, click on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the screen. This will display a menu with various options, including settings, help, and account information.

Step 3. Click on Help, then choose Troubleshooting Information.

Step 4. Go to Profile Folder and click on Open Folder.

Step 5. To launch the profile directory after clicking on Open Folder, you can add a line of code to your script that navigates to the specified directory. For example, you could use the `os` module in Python to execute a shell command that opens the directory in the file explorer.

Step 6. To transfer data from one hard drive to another, go to the respective folder on the destination hard drive and paste the data there after copying the desired folder from the source hard drive.

Solution 2. Export Thunderbird Emails Using Add-on

A special add-To export and import emails from a Thunderbird account, you can use a tool like Mozilla's own Mail Backup X or other third-party software. These tools allow you to back up your emails, contacts, and other data, and then import them into another email client or account. You can also use Thunderbird's built-in export feature to export your emails in a format like EML or MBOX, which can then be imported into another email client.

Step 1. Launch Thunderbird and install the ImportExportTools NG add-on in it.

using add-on-1

Step 2. Restart Thunderbird after the add-on is installed.

Step 3. Right-click on a folder you want to backup, then select the "Backup" option from the context menu. This will initiate the backup process for the selected folder.

Step 4. To backup Thunderbird emails on a hard drive in EML format, choose ImportExportTools NG, then select Export folder, and finally choose EML format. This will export your Thunderbird emails in a format that can be easily imported into other email clients.

using add-on-2

Step 5. Choose a location on the hard drive to save the files and click on Select Folder.

using add-on-3

Solution 3. Use Save As Option to Backup Thunderbird Emails to External Drive

To back up Thunderbird emails to an external hard drive, click on the "File" menu, then select "Save As" and choose the external hard drive as the destination. Select the email folder you want to back up and choose a file format, such as EML or MBOX. You can also select the email format, such as HTML or plain text.

Step 1. Open Thunderbird.

Step 2. Save the emails you want to keep on the external hard drive by selecting them and clicking the "Save" or "Export" button, depending on your email client or service. This will ensure that the emails are backed up and can be accessed later if needed.

Step 3. To save the current webpage as a file, click on the Menu button (three horizontal lines) and then select the "Save As" option from the dropdown menu.

Step 4. Save selected emails to a specified folder by providing a folder name.

Step 5. To initiate a backup of your data, click on the Save button. This will trigger the backup process to run and save your data in a secure location.

Another Way to Backup Email, such as Outlook

Thunderbird is an open-source email client developed by Mozilla, used by both professionals and individuals to send and receive emails. It can run smoothly on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS, and functions similarly to other email service providers like Outlook.

Thunderbird and Outlook are two popular email service providers, with Outlook being a user-friendly email tool offered by Microsoft that works seamlessly with various operating systems and devices. Its compatibility with multiple apps makes it a top choice for both personal and business use, and its widespread adoption ensures high email deliverability. As a result, it's essential to know how to backup Outlook emails to ensure secure and reliable data management.

Fortunately, you can use third-To back up Outlook, you can use third-party backup software, such as Qiling Backup, which can automatically back up your Outlook data, including emails, contacts, and calendar events, to a safe location, ensuring that your important information is protected and easily recoverable in case of data loss or corruption.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Qiling Backup Home is a professional backup tool that can be used for various purposes, including backing up Outlook emails, files, and folders, and providing universal restore capabilities. It offers full, incremental, and differential backup options, as well as 250GB of free cloud storage, making it a versatile and convenient solution for users.

Conclusion

When using Thunderbird professionally, it's essential to make routine backups of your emails to a hard drive. There are three methods to back up Thunderbird emails, and a practical backup utility is also available for users to back up email tools like Outlook. Users can choose a method that suits their needs.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

FAQs

1. How do I move my Thunderbird folders to another drive?

Locate the Thunderbird profile folder you want to move to another location.
Copy the entire profile folder to the new location or a USB drive.
Paste the profile folder to the new location.

2. Why do emails disappear from Thunderbird?

When using POP, mail is removed from the server after it's downloaded, making it seem like it disappears from Thunderbird when deleted on the server by another device.

3. How do I retrieve deleted emails in Thunderbird?

To recover deleted Thunderbird emails from the trash, follow these steps:

Select your Thunderbird account.
To recover a deleted message, open the Trash folder and select the message you want to recover. From there, you can choose an option to restore the message to its original location, or save it to a different location on your device.
Right-To recover a message in Thunderbird, click on the message and select Move To. Then, choose the Thunderbird folder where you want to save the recovered message.