Thunderbird : FAQs : Backing Up and Restoring

Thunderbird does not have a built-in function to back up your stored email messages, address books, filters, and other application data. Thus, in order to make a backup or to restore backed-up application data, you must either do it manually or use an external utility. Note: by default, Thunderbird stores your mail, address books, and account settings in the profile folder. The options discussed below assume that all such application data is stored in the profile folder and that you have not deliberately set up Thunderbird to store it elsewhere.

Manually backing up and restoring

Backing up: You can back up a single profile by copying your profile folder (the ********.slt folder and all subdirectories). However, it is recommended that you instead go "up" in the directory hierarchy a few levels to the "Thunderbird" directory, and make a copy of the "Thunderbird" directory and all of its subdirectories. By doing so, you will be including in your backup the registry.dat file, which tells Thunderbird where your profiles are located. You can then burn these files to a CD or store them elsewhere for safekeeping.

Restoring all backed-up profiles (on the same OS): If you are moving Thunderbird to a different computer with the same OS, or if you are reformatting your hard drive and reinstalling the same OS, or in similar situations, you can restore all of your backed-up Thunderbird profiles at once:

• Exit Thunderbird if it is running.
• Copy the entire backed-up "Thunderbird" directory back to the exact same location that it was in when you made the backup. The entire directory structure must be preserved.
• If Thunderbird is not already installed on the computer, install it.
• Launch Thunderbird. When it starts, it should automatically use the registry.dat file to locate your profiles and allow you to use them as before.

Restoring a single backed-up profile (on the same OS, or from one OS to another): Follow the instructions given here.

Using the MozBackup utility (Windows only)

MozBackup is a standalone utility rather than a Thunderbird extension. It works by backing up a Thunderbird profile into a single file (named *.pcv), which can then be restored on the same Windows computer or a different one. (MozBackup can also be used to backup and restore Firefox, Mozilla Suite, and Netscape 7 profiles.) It can be downloaded at the MozBackup homepage, where you will also find screenshots of the utility's interface and a link to the MozBackup discussion forum.

Note: If you are planning to use MozBackup for making regular backups, it is recommended that you first test it to verify that it will properly restore your Thunderbird profile. It seems not to work well in certain situations, such as with profiles that have been deliberately created in non-default locations.

Backing up:

• If Thunderbird is running, exit the application.
• After downloading and installing MozBackup, launch the utility, choose the "Backup" option, and follow the instructions.
• At the bottom of the next screen, you can specify the location of the backup file (*.pcv) that will be created. Take note of where the file will be saved.
• Click on through the remaining screens until the .pcv file has been created. Then burn this file onto a CD or store it elsewhere for safekeeping.

Restoring:

• Make sure Thunderbird has been installed on the computer. If it has not been launched yet, it is probably best to launch it once to make sure the registry.dat file has been created. Exit Thunderbird before proceeding.
• Launch MozBackup, choose the "Restore" option, and follow the instructions.
• The next screen will prompt you, "Select the profile you want to restore." Important: the profile you select will be overwritten by the contents of the profile that is backed up in the .pcv file. If you do not want to overwrite any of the profiles listed in the MozBackup screen, you should create a new profile by clicking on the "New Profile" button (you may need to click on the "Refresh" button afterwards), or if this doesn't work you can exit MozBackup, create a new profile with the Thunderbird profile manager, and launch MozBackup to begin the restore process again.
• Select the .pcv file that contains your backed-up profile. If you are restoring to a different computer, you will need to transfer the .pcv file to that computer first.
• Click on through the remaining screens until the profile has been restored, and exit MozBackup.
• Launch Thunderbird. The restored profile should now be available for use.