Where does T bird store email files and how can I change tha

[TheHelmetHook com]

Guys, I just downloaded T bird 68.4.1 and installed it on a win 7, 64 machine and I would like to know WHERE it stores downlodad imap emails and also, how do I get it to do it somewhere else?

I assume I would have to completely uninstall it and start over which is ok.

I do want to keep my SSD os drive free of unnecessary info 'cause the one I have now is just about full or rather, the one
I have in the old puter is. This new one is ok for now but I want to keep it low because I have duplicate drives where I clone
the OS drive in case something goes wrong. Well, I intend to keep doing that on new drives but the less stuff I keep on the OS
drive, the smaller drives I can buy for cloning and thus, saving money.

Thanks guys.

George

[DanRaisch]

See this for information on where the Thunderbird profile (user data and messages) is stored -- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Thunderbird

See this for information on moving the location of the data store -- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_profile_folder

[TheHelmetHook com]

Before I try this. can I just move the info or do I have to redo everything?

Thanks

[DanRaisch]

Not exactly and no. Just follow the information in that second link. You don't have to redo the installation or set up of that account but you do have to change settings in Thunderbird so that it knows where to find the data files after the move.

[TheHelmetHook com]

Thanks, I'll be back with more questions 'cause there's no way I'm not gonna mess this up

[TheHelmetHook com]

Yeah, as I expected, I messed it up. I simply cannot follow instructions. Reading comprehension issue.

Any chance you or anyone else could help me through team viewer 8?

THanks

George

[tanstaafl]

"I would like to know WHERE it stores downlodad imap emails"

If you are talking about offline folders for a IMAP account why do you care? Just add the IMAP account and it will automatically find and use the original messages which are still stored in remote folders on the IMAP server. Thunderbird will by default download a copy of them and keep the remote and offline folders in sync. The offline folders are optional - they're mainly a good way to create files that you can use to backup your mail. IMAP accounts are quite different from POP accounts where you have to download a copy of a message to your drive to read it.

If you are not talking about offline folders do you mean mail that has been copied/moved to folders in the Local Folders special account?

Its against the forum's rules for anybody to remotely connect to your PC. Its too prone to potential abuse, and we want to share solutions with other people.

You can keep the profile where it is, but configure each account to store any of its files elsewhere. That would let you have a profile on your boot drive but store any downloaded mail on other drives. See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_m ... hunderbird

[TheHelmetHook com]

Yeah, I tried that but couldn't figure it out. I"m a it dense when it comes to reading instructions.

Thanks

[tanstaafl]

Where did you have problems with:

1. Set Thunderbird to use offline mode by selecting File -> Offline -> Work Offline. It only takes a minute to change the local directory but working offline eliminates any chance of downloading a new message while you are doing that.

2. Exit Thunderbird. Create a directory in the new location where you would like to store your mail. If you are changing the storage location for more than one account, create a separate directory for each account.

3. Go to your existing profile folder and copy your mail files over to the new location. For each account you want to move find that account's folder in the "Mail" folder (POP3 accounts) or the "ImapMail" folder (IMAP accounts) and copy its entire contents, including all of its subfolders, over to the new location. If you're not sure where an account stores its folders look in "Tools -> Account Settings -> [account name] -> Server Settings -> Local directory.

4. Start Thunderbird and go to "Tools -> Account Settings -> [account name] -> Server Settings". Where it says "Local directory", click on the "Browse..." button to select the folder you created in step 2. Click the "OK" button and verify that the "Local directory" field shows the correct path to the new storage location of your mail.

5. If you have more than one mail account, repeat step 4 for each account whose mail you moved in steps 2-3.

6. Set Thunderbird to use online mode again by selecting File -> Offline -> Work Online. Once you're certain that Thunderbird recognizes the new location of your mail, you can go back and delete the old mail files from your profile folder.

[TheHelmetHook com]

I'm just gonna have a buddy try to help me although he's not a t bird man. My brain kinda just stops when I see a written instruction. When I was younger and bought something, I'd take the manual and give it to a buddy of mine and told him. Tell me how this works/.

He'd read and then explain it to me and no problems but do NOT ask me to read instructions. That and forms freak me out which is the reason I haven't done my taxes for four years