How to Check Thunderbird Profile Folder Location on Different System
A very popular, free & open source email client, Mozilla Thunderbird, which allows users to manage their data, such as email, contacts, calendars, and other settings, in the same place. It saves all file data in the path directory on your local PC, which is known as the profile folder. This includes all of your emails, add-ons, contacts and account configurations and other settings.
But the problem is coming, if a user wants to transfer their data to a different pc because of crashing issues, then he/she can’t able to find Thunderbird profile folder location, which is important to know as it contains all mailbox data like inbox, sent, spam, etc.
So, in this article, we’ll discover how to check the Thunderbird email file location on both Windows and macOS, and back it up safely so that none of your data will be deleted or lost.
What is Thunderbird Profile Folder Location?
Before knowing the location, understand what is Mozilla Thunderbird mailbox is:
It’s a special directory, works exactly like a container on your operating system, which saves all of your Thunderbird data, such as:
- Emails which get stored in MBOX file format
- Add-ons and other personalisation
- Address books in SQLite or MAB format
- Preferences or other account settings
Here, many users got confused with the email storage; it’s only the profile folder that includes your Thunderbird email file location, which stores the mailbox files and other items.
Thunderbird generates a path directory, and by default, it comes with the suffix called default-release. For ex:
You’ll find this in different subfolders like first users, second AppData, then Thunderbird and so on. Basically, it’s very deeply buried in hidden folders, which we don’t know.
Quick Check Thunderbird Profile Folder Location on Different Systems
This Thunderbird email file location may differ from other OS, such as Windows, macOS as well and Linux. So, quickly find them:
1) Mozilla Thunderbird Mailbox Location on Windows
On the Windows operating system, the Thunderbird profile folder location is saved under the AppData, and its path is:
C:\Users\akshat\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\tool123.default-release\
But you can manually access it by following these steps:
- click Windows+R, write %appdata% and press Enter.
- Open the Thunderbird folder where you navigate to the profile.
- Then, choose your profile folder.
There is also a shortcut method to save time:
- Launch Thunderbird on your pc.
- Press the Help button in main menu.
- Click on More Troubleshooting Information.
- Tap on Open Folder, which is next to profile folder.
By following these steps, you can easily get your Thunderbird profile folder location.
2) Thunderbird Email File Location on macOS
If you’re operating a Mac, then your Thunderbird email folder location is saved in the user’s library path directory, and the path is:
/Users/aastha/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/uffx456.default-release/
To access it, follow these steps:
- Open Finder, press Go, then Go to Folder.
- Type /Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/and then Enter.
- Open the profile folder.
Note: If you’re operating on a POP3 server or an IMAP server, then the path will be:
For POP3 Account: Profiles\<ProfileName>\Mail\
For IMAP Account: Profiles\<ProfileName>\ImapMail\
So, whether you’re looking for Thunderbird profile folder location, both can be found within the same path directory, but in another subfolders.
Manually Access the Thunderbird Email File Location
To manually access your mailbox files:
- Open Thunderbird > Help > More Troubleshooting Information.
- Press Open Folder, which is under the profile folder.
- Go to Mail (POP3) or IMAPMail (IMAP).
- Now, you can see your files in folders like inbox, sent, etc.
Note: You can use a proactive SysTools MBOX Viewer Tool, which helps you to open the mbox file for better readability.
But here are some challenges faced by a user when finding Thunderbird mailbox location, given below.
Common Errors with Thunderbird Profile Folder Location
- Multiple Accounts: If there are many Thunderbird profiles, then the user may get confused.
- Misplaced Emails: If your MSF or any MBOX file got deleted, then some of your important emails may not be displayed.
- Corrupted Profile Folder: Thunderbird will not be able to scan the data if your files or your account have been corrupted.
- Big MBOX Files: Your storage gets full and may raise the problem of performance if your files size in increasing.
So, if you want to prevent all of these issues, then we recommend using an automated tool which can easily manage your files without putting extra effort into finding the location.
Alternative Solution to Check the Thunderbird Email File Location
If you’re finding the Thunderbird mailbox location alone, then it might be risky for the deletion of data. To avoid the risk of data loss & corruption, we suggest using SysTools Thunderbird Store Locator Software,which helps you to make the management process easier by doing these:
- Fast detection speed for the profile folder, which is stored in your system.
- It prevents the risk of accidental deletion of data.
- Provides a Copy and Save Selected Folders to save the data into a safer destination.
- Both non-technical as well as technical users can access it very easily as it has a user-friendly interface.
- Works well with older versions before Windows 10.
To understand this tool, check its working:
Effective Steps of the Aforementioned Software
- Download & run the Proactive tool on your operating system.
- Select the important Email Folders and press the Copy Option.
- Click OK button on the pop-up to complete the copying part.
- Hit the CSV option to save the file in the .CSV format.
- Choose your desired Location according to where you want to store the information.
- Your CSV file is saved, and finally, you can check and go to the selected destination.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve understood where and how you can effectively find your Thunderbird profile folder location using both manual and the best dedicated tool, whether you’re using Windows or macOS. While working with a manual method, it might be risky for those users who have each email as important as there is no guarantee of losing data, but for the users who want their work to be on time, safe, they surely use the secure, trusted, reliable utility which is mentioned above.