This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Thunderbird newest version & 20 years of emails are gone!

  • 11 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 4 views
  • Last reply by david

more options

Thunderbird downloaded it's newest version into my computer & all emails from 2003 up to yesterday are gone. Hopefully they exist somewhere & would like to retrieve them.

Thunderbird downloaded it's newest version into my computer & all emails from 2003 up to yesterday are gone. Hopefully they exist somewhere & would like to retrieve them.

All Replies (11)

more options

When I first opened the app they were all there but none of the individual emails would open up when clicked on. I quit Thunderbird & reopened it & they were all gone!

more options

CAN ANYONE HELP?

more options

Are you saying the accounts are still there and the folders are there, but the messages are missing? I presume this is a POP account.

more options

Yes, it's a POP account.

more options

I also have this problem. I have been a user for many years. The automatic update ran last night.

I now get the Welcome to Mozilla Thunderbird 102.6.1 screen and am asked to SET UP an account. I choose: - Import from Another Program - Import from another Thunderbird installation - Choose the profile folder - select the folder - continue - start import - importing - COMPLETE - Finish - RESTART Thunderbird as directed ... nothing has updated or restored.

more options

I think the rollout of the newest Thunderbird is a serious mistake. To involuntarily upload of a new version which seems quirky is not the way to introduce a change. To do so in the medical field is unethical. This rollout should not been any different. First a video should have been prepared to demonstrate the difference, along with an appropriate narrative. Second information on rollback should be better documented. This is not like losing access to YouTube and such. Email is life blood of multiple generations of users internet experience. I have an important email hungup. Thanks for the memories.

more options

Still haven't solved the problem! I think I have a "Thunderbird" folder that was saved (in an external drive) almost a year before this happened so if someone has a way of "reinstalling" it I might have lost 1 year instead of 20+ years of emails Do you have any ideas or solutions?

more options

@arielremos, can you post a screenshot of the contents of the folder?

more options

@allen, There is validity to your concern, yet I question why you apparently have Thunderbird set to automatically install updates. There have been many published articles on the upcoming change that do address your concerns, so we are really on the same page. Like you, I have concerns and plan to do a full backup prior to the update.

more options

David, these are screenshots of the folder (& the profile also):

more options

@arielremos, you can restore the entire profile, or just the messages. If you would like the entire profile, try these steps; - click tools>Import>import from another installation>choose a profile folder - then select the lyjkler.default folder from your screenshot If the profile is not corrupted, it should load

If you just want the messages (assuming it was a POP account), - exit thunderbird - locate the Mail folder in profile (your screenshot did not include it) and in it should be a folder for the account and in that folder should be the message folders. Copy all of them to your Local Folders folder (although it may be important to rename them so they don't conflict with any folders you already have there).