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Email accounts, transfer hosts

  • 5 replies
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  • Last reply by david

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I am in the process of moving hosting and email from an Outlook-based host to a new domain host. The existing email accounts will be re-created on the new host. I cannot back or export the emails from the current domain host so have added them to my existing Thunderbird install, plan on exporting or backing them up from there then exporting / importing them to the new host.

From Thunderbird, I ran File -> Offline -> Download/Sync and selected just the email accounts (and folders) I need to transfer then ran the tool. Now I am not sure where those emails are saved. From the default profile folder I See multiple sub-folders blocklists, crashes, extensions, imapmail etc - 31 in all. Which files should I be looking for to export ONLY the 2 email accounts of interest and not ALL the email accounts I have in Thunderbird?

Cheers Mike

I am in the process of moving hosting and email from an Outlook-based host to a new domain host. The existing email accounts will be re-created on the new host. I cannot back or export the emails from the current domain host so have added them to my existing Thunderbird install, plan on exporting or backing them up from there then exporting / importing them to the new host. From Thunderbird, I ran File -> Offline -> Download/Sync and selected just the email accounts (and folders) I need to transfer then ran the tool. Now I am not sure where those emails are saved. From the default profile folder I See multiple sub-folders blocklists, crashes, extensions, imapmail etc - 31 in all. Which files should I be looking for to export ONLY the 2 email accounts of interest and not ALL the email accounts I have in Thunderbird? Cheers Mike

All Replies (5)

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File>offline>download/sync downloads the messages from all folders that were authorized for offline access as defined at account settings>synchronization&storage and the Advanced button. This is done for all IMAP accounts in the profile.

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OK so this part is fine, they two accounts are downloaded locally but I don't see where those two specific downloads are saved within the /profiles/ folder structure.

Mike

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They are downloaded within the existing folders, not separate folders. The process is to ensure that you don't just have the headers but all of the content.

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I will show my ignorance and ask which of those 30+ folders and what sort of file(s) am I looking for?

Is it the moral equivalent of the Outlook PST file?

Mike

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If you're looking at the profile from with Windows File Explorer, you will see files with the same name as the account folders, such as input, sent, draft, etc. Each file is in two parts, such as inbox, inbox.msf. The msf file can be ignore for backup purposes as it is the index, which thunderbird would rebuild automatically. The file itself, such as Inbox, is technically in mbox format. An easy way to reload into a new profile would be to install the addon 'importexporttools NG'. then, Highlight 'Local Folders' and rightclick and one of the displayed menu options will be importexport and it offers several import options for mbox files, letting you import individual or multiple in one click.

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