Importing folders: Difference between revisions

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This article gives step by step instructions for how to import folders from another profile for a new user who has never installed an extension. It assumes you're using Windows but you should still be able to follow the instructions using a file manager on another operating system.
This article gives step by step instructions for how to import folders from another profile for a new user who has never installed an extension. It assumes you're using Windows but you should still be able to follow the instructions using a file manager on another operating system. The ImportExportTools extension can also be used to export folders.  


==Install the mboximport extension==
==Install the ImportExportTools extension==


* Goto [http://nic-nac-project.de/~kaosmos/mboximport-en.htm this web site] using your browser.
'''Thunderbird instructions'''
* Right click on the download link and choose "save link as" (or "save target as") from the context menu to download the file. You want to right click to avoid Firefox thinking that you're trying to install that extension in it.  
 
* Go to [https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-us/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/ this web page] and click on the download now button. Choose "save file" and press the OK button to save the file when the popup asks what should Firefox do with that file.  
* Start Thunderbird.
* Start Thunderbird.
* Goto Tools -> Extensions and press the Install button.
* Go to Tools -> Addons -> Extensions. Select the icon that looks like a gear [[Image:gear.png|alt text]] near the top of the window and then select "Install add-on from file" from the list box. If you can't find the gear like icon you are probably looking on the Get Add-ons pane, not the Extensions pane.
* Browse to where you downloaded the .xpi file, select it and press Open.
* Browse to where you downloaded the .xpi file, select it and press Open.
* It will then display a "Software Installation" screen with a grayed out "Install" button. After a couple of seconds it will finish processing the .xpi file and replace that button with a "Install Now" button. Press the button.
* Exit Thunderbird.
* Exit Thunderbird.
* Start Thunderbird again. It should now have a Tools -> Import/Export command.
* Start Thunderbird again. It should now have a Tools -> ImportExportTools -> "import mbox file" command. Don't use it yet, just check that it exists. 
 
'''SeaMonkey instructions'''
* Go to http://xsidebar.mozdev.org/modifiedmailnews.html#importexporttools using SeaMonkey.
* Install the latest version directly by clicking on the install link.
* Exit and Restart SeaMonkey.
* It should now have a Tools -> Import/Export in mbox/eml format command in the MailNews (Messenger) window.


==Find your old profile==
==Find your old profile==


Your folders are stored as mbox files in a profile. These are text files with the folders name and no file extension. For example your inbox folder is the "inbox." file. You can safely read one using a text editor to verify it contains mail messages though its not user friendly because it contains the raw message source, including all of the headers and big blocks of characters all run together whenever you have a binary attachment.  
Your folders are stored as mbox files in a profile. These are text files with the folders name and no file extension. For example your inbox folder is the "inbox." file and the Sent folder is the "Sent." file. You can safely read one using a text editor to verify it contains mail messages though its not user friendly because it contains the raw message source, including all of the headers and big blocks of characters all run together whenever you have a binary attachment.  


Read [[Profile | this article]] to figure out where your profile is stored. If you used the [[Profile_manager | profile manager]] to create your profile in a non-default location look in the profiles.ini file for a list of known profiles. That file is in the parent directory for the Profiles directory.
* If you are using a recent version of Thunderbird use Help -> Troubleshooting Information -> Show Folder to open your systems file manager (Windows Explorer) at your profile.  


Goto your profile directory using Windows Explorer. You may need to enable "Show hidden files and folders" and disable "Hide extensions for known file types" and "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" in Tools -> Folder Options -> View to see it. You may get a warning message that your computer won't work if you do this. Changing those settings causes no harm, its really warning you not to change or delete any of the files or directories used to store the operating system.  
* Otherwise read [[Profile_folder#Thunderbird| this article]] to figure out where your profile is stored. Then go to your profile directory using Windows Explorer. If you're not sure you found a Thunderbird profile look for a prefs.js file and a Mail subdirectory.  


If you're not sure you found the profile look for a prefs.js file and a Mail subdirectory. Note that Thunderbird stores its profiles for Windows 2000 and XP under ...\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles , not ...\Application Data\Mozilla\Thunderbird\Profiles.
If you're running Windows 2000 or later you may need to enable "Show hidden files and folders" and disable "Hide extensions for known file types" (its under the Hidden files and folders heading) and "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" in Tools -> Folder Options -> View to see it. You may get a warning message that your computer won't work if you do this. Changing those settings causes no harm, its really warning you not to change or delete any of the files or directories used to store the operating system. See [http://spywarewarrior.com/viewtopic.php?t=272 this thread] if you're running a older version of Windows.


If you still can't find it press the search button in Windows Explorer, check the checkbox for advanced options, and check the checkboxs for search hidden files and folder and search subfolders. Then select your hard drive and search for prefs.js. Some of them may be for other Mozilla applications so you'll need to look at the pathname to figure out which one is Thunderbirds.
==Find the mail folders==


==Find the folders==
If the folder was in Local Folders or you used a global inbox it will be somewhere in the Mail\Local Folders directory within the profile. Otherwise look for a subdirectory named after the accounts mail server. For example, if you're using a Gmail POP account your inbox folder would normally be the "inbox." mbox file at Mail\pop.gmail.com.  If you have multiple accounts with the same email provider the subdirectory might have a numeric suffix, for example Mail\pop.gmail-2.com.


If the folder was in Local Folders or you used a global inbox it will be somewhere in the Mail\Local Folders directory. Otherwise look for a subdirectory named after the accounts mail server. For example, if you're using gmail your inbox would be the "inbox." file at Mail\pop.gmail.com.
'''Ignore the .msf files, they don't have any messages. You want the files with the folders name and no file extension.'''


Thunderbird uses *.sbd subdirectories to create a folder hierarchy. So a Local Folders\1\2\xyz child folder would be the "xyz." file at Mail\Local Folders\1.sbd\2.sbd\3.sbd . That directory would also have a empty xyz.sbd subdirectory created in preperation for you someday creating a child folder of xyz. Ignore it.  
Thunderbird uses *.sbd subdirectories to create a folder hierarchy. So a Local Folders\1\2\xyz folder would be stored as a "xyz." mbox file at Mail\Local Folders\1.sbd\2.sbd\3.sbd . That directory would also have a empty xyz.sbd subdirectory created in preparation for you someday creating a child folder of xyz. Ignore it.
 
If you have "Allow Windows Search to search messages" checked in the options you will see *.wdseml files. If you are using OS X and enabled Spotlight Integration you will see *.mozeml files. Each file is a partial copy (up to about 49KB) of a message in the mail folder, stored in a .mozmsgs subdirectory. Ignore them. You only want the files named after the mail folder with no file extension such as "inbox.", "sent." etc.


==Import the folders==
==Import the folders==


* Select either the Local Folders directory or the POP account you want to import the folder into, in Thunderbird.
Your folders are stored as mbox files in a profile. These are text files with the folders name and no file extension. For example your inbox folder is the "inbox." file. DO NOT try to import "inbox.msf" or "inbox.sbd" - the messages are in "inbox.". That naming convention causes a lot of confusion, it would have been a lot easier if the mbox files had a .mbx or .mbox file extension like some other email clients use.
* Tools -> Import/Export -> import mbox file
 
* Decide what folder in either the Local Folders directory or a POP account that you want to import the folders into. If you're not sure where to import the folders the Inbox in Local Folders is a safe choice. You can not import the folders into a IMAP account (though you could move the folders there afterwards).
* Select that folder with the mouse in the folder pane (the vertical pane on the left that lists the accounts and their folders). If you don't see a folder pane you might need to enable it (View -> Layout -> Folder Pane in the menu bar) or add an account (if you just created a new profile, and don't have any accounts).
* '''Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Import mbox file'''
* Browse to the mbox file and press the Open button.
* Browse to the mbox file and press the Open button.
* Thunderbird will import that folder. It may add a suffix to make the folder name unique. For example, when I imported "inbox." into Local Folders it created a inbox679 folder.
* Thunderbird will import that folder (mbox file). It may add a suffix to make the folder name unique. For example, when I imported "inbox." into Local Folders it created a inbox679 folder.
* Repeat as needed. Note that you can import multiple folders in one step by holding down the Control key while clicking on them in Tools -> Import/Export -> import mbox file.
* Repeat as needed. Note that you can import multiple folders (mbox files) in one step by holding down the Control key while clicking on them in Tools -> ImportExportTools -> import mbox file.
 
Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Import Messages and "Import all messages from a directory" import .eml files. Thunderbird doesn't store messages using .eml files. That is mainly used for import messages from other email clients that don't support mbox files such as Windows Live Mail. One user reported that they if they didn't limit the number of directories of *.eml files to import in one step to about 30 it always created the corresponding folder, but some would have no messages. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=3029723&p=14744647#p14744647]
 
==Export the Folders==
 
[[Image:TBToolsMenu.png]][[Image:ImportExportToolsMenu.png]] [[Image:ImportExportToolsMenu2.png]]
 
You could export your mail folders instead as mbox files using using Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Export folder, as *.eml files using Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Export all messages in the folder -> EML format (you could import them later on using Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Import All Messages from a directory -> also from its subdirectories), or in several different formats that are only meant to display the contents (can't import them).
 
Don't worry if you don't see exactly what is in the screen shots above. The menus for the ImportExportTools add-on have changed several times. The Tools menu might change in future versions of Thunderbird. Its screen shot has four entries from other add-ons.  


==See also==
==See also==
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[[Category:Thunderbird]]
[[Category:Thunderbird]]
[[Category:Migration (mail)]]
[[Category:Migration (mail)]]
[[Category:Issues (Thunderbird)]]

Revision as of 05:37, 29 November 2018

This article was written for Thunderbird but also applies to Mozilla Suite / SeaMonkey (though some menu sequences may differ).

This article gives step by step instructions for how to import folders from another profile for a new user who has never installed an extension. It assumes you're using Windows but you should still be able to follow the instructions using a file manager on another operating system. The ImportExportTools extension can also be used to export folders.

Install the ImportExportTools extension

Thunderbird instructions

  • Go to this web page and click on the download now button. Choose "save file" and press the OK button to save the file when the popup asks what should Firefox do with that file.
  • Start Thunderbird.
  • Go to Tools -> Addons -> Extensions. Select the icon that looks like a gear alt text near the top of the window and then select "Install add-on from file" from the list box. If you can't find the gear like icon you are probably looking on the Get Add-ons pane, not the Extensions pane.
  • Browse to where you downloaded the .xpi file, select it and press Open.
  • It will then display a "Software Installation" screen with a grayed out "Install" button. After a couple of seconds it will finish processing the .xpi file and replace that button with a "Install Now" button. Press the button.
  • Exit Thunderbird.
  • Start Thunderbird again. It should now have a Tools -> ImportExportTools -> "import mbox file" command. Don't use it yet, just check that it exists.

SeaMonkey instructions

Find your old profile

Your folders are stored as mbox files in a profile. These are text files with the folders name and no file extension. For example your inbox folder is the "inbox." file and the Sent folder is the "Sent." file. You can safely read one using a text editor to verify it contains mail messages though its not user friendly because it contains the raw message source, including all of the headers and big blocks of characters all run together whenever you have a binary attachment.

  • If you are using a recent version of Thunderbird use Help -> Troubleshooting Information -> Show Folder to open your systems file manager (Windows Explorer) at your profile.
  • Otherwise read this article to figure out where your profile is stored. Then go to your profile directory using Windows Explorer. If you're not sure you found a Thunderbird profile look for a prefs.js file and a Mail subdirectory.

If you're running Windows 2000 or later you may need to enable "Show hidden files and folders" and disable "Hide extensions for known file types" (its under the Hidden files and folders heading) and "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" in Tools -> Folder Options -> View to see it. You may get a warning message that your computer won't work if you do this. Changing those settings causes no harm, its really warning you not to change or delete any of the files or directories used to store the operating system. See this thread if you're running a older version of Windows.

Find the mail folders

If the folder was in Local Folders or you used a global inbox it will be somewhere in the Mail\Local Folders directory within the profile. Otherwise look for a subdirectory named after the accounts mail server. For example, if you're using a Gmail POP account your inbox folder would normally be the "inbox." mbox file at Mail\pop.gmail.com. If you have multiple accounts with the same email provider the subdirectory might have a numeric suffix, for example Mail\pop.gmail-2.com.

Ignore the .msf files, they don't have any messages. You want the files with the folders name and no file extension.

Thunderbird uses *.sbd subdirectories to create a folder hierarchy. So a Local Folders\1\2\xyz folder would be stored as a "xyz." mbox file at Mail\Local Folders\1.sbd\2.sbd\3.sbd . That directory would also have a empty xyz.sbd subdirectory created in preparation for you someday creating a child folder of xyz. Ignore it.

If you have "Allow Windows Search to search messages" checked in the options you will see *.wdseml files. If you are using OS X and enabled Spotlight Integration you will see *.mozeml files. Each file is a partial copy (up to about 49KB) of a message in the mail folder, stored in a .mozmsgs subdirectory. Ignore them. You only want the files named after the mail folder with no file extension such as "inbox.", "sent." etc.

Import the folders

Your folders are stored as mbox files in a profile. These are text files with the folders name and no file extension. For example your inbox folder is the "inbox." file. DO NOT try to import "inbox.msf" or "inbox.sbd" - the messages are in "inbox.". That naming convention causes a lot of confusion, it would have been a lot easier if the mbox files had a .mbx or .mbox file extension like some other email clients use.

  • Decide what folder in either the Local Folders directory or a POP account that you want to import the folders into. If you're not sure where to import the folders the Inbox in Local Folders is a safe choice. You can not import the folders into a IMAP account (though you could move the folders there afterwards).
  • Select that folder with the mouse in the folder pane (the vertical pane on the left that lists the accounts and their folders). If you don't see a folder pane you might need to enable it (View -> Layout -> Folder Pane in the menu bar) or add an account (if you just created a new profile, and don't have any accounts).
  • Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Import mbox file
  • Browse to the mbox file and press the Open button.
  • Thunderbird will import that folder (mbox file). It may add a suffix to make the folder name unique. For example, when I imported "inbox." into Local Folders it created a inbox679 folder.
  • Repeat as needed. Note that you can import multiple folders (mbox files) in one step by holding down the Control key while clicking on them in Tools -> ImportExportTools -> import mbox file.

Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Import Messages and "Import all messages from a directory" import .eml files. Thunderbird doesn't store messages using .eml files. That is mainly used for import messages from other email clients that don't support mbox files such as Windows Live Mail. One user reported that they if they didn't limit the number of directories of *.eml files to import in one step to about 30 it always created the corresponding folder, but some would have no messages. [1]

Export the Folders

You could export your mail folders instead as mbox files using using Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Export folder, as *.eml files using Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Export all messages in the folder -> EML format (you could import them later on using Tools -> ImportExportTools -> Import All Messages from a directory -> also from its subdirectories), or in several different formats that are only meant to display the contents (can't import them).

Don't worry if you don't see exactly what is in the screen shots above. The menus for the ImportExportTools add-on have changed several times. The Tools menu might change in future versions of Thunderbird. Its screen shot has four entries from other add-ons.

See also