There are instructions here http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_profile_folder_-_Thunderbird and here https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-tb If you move your profile folder, you move everything: emails, addressbook, calendar, the lot.

Thank you. I will try that.

What happens if when you open Thunderbird on the old computer and all of your information (address book, older emails that are archived, calendar, tags, etc.) are gone?

Does it mean they have been completely erased?

I opened Thunderbird on my old computer and all the above is now gone/lost.

Your data are in your profile, so they should be wherever it is. Have you removed the profile folder from your old computer -- or at least moved it from its original location?

All I did was followed these instructions and then opened Thunderbird on my old computer and everything was gone.

I have no idea what I'm doing here, obviously. How do I find the "old" profile to find my address book, etc.?

   Close Thunderbird.
   Copy the profile folder to where you want to store it. (You can copy it anywhere, except the program directory.)
   Start the Profile Manager. One way to do that is to type Thunderbird -profilemanager from the run line in Windows Start menu. A window similar to the one shown will open. Usually Thunderbird isn't on the path, so you will probably need to specify the program location when you do that. One way to do that is to copy the contents of the Target: edit field in the shortcut used to run Thunderbird and then add -profilemanager to it.
   Click on the "Create Profile..." button.
   In the dialog that opens, enter a descriptive name for the profile.
   Click on the "Choose Folder..." button. A "Browse for Folder" dialog will open.
   Select the profile folder you copied and click OK.
   Check that the path shown in the "Completing the Create Profile Wizard" dialog is correct, and then click "Finish".
   Select the new profile and press the Start button to have Thunderbird use the moved profile.
   If most of the folders for an account aren't visible and your inbox looks empty find the local directory setting at the bottom of the Tools -> Account Settings -> Server Settings page, and use the "Browse" button to update its location. Normally it points to a directory named after the mail server used by that account, unless you using a global inbox. In that case it points to the Local Folders directory in the profile.

Apologies, I should have been more explicit. 1. If you don't know what you are doing then the first step is to make a safe copy of your profile folder. You say that you have followed the instructions. The second instruction is 'copy the profile folder to where you want to store it'. You've done that -- great. So now go to that location on your computer and make a backup copy of the whole profile folder -- e.g. on a memory stick. 2. The page from which you got the instructions gives a lot of information about profiles and how to move them which I thought you would find helpful. Some way above the instructions you have followed there is a sentence which begins: 'If you want to move your profile to a new PC, see ... ' followed by a link. I assumed from your question that you wanted to move your profile to a new (or different) PC. Did you follow that link? If you are a Windows user it recommends the use of a program called MozBackup: did you try to use that program to handle the transfer for you?

I should have just left it alone. I cannot find the original profile with the backup of all of my emails, address book, etc., so it is probably lost. I should have just left it alone b/c now all of my archived emails that I refer to on a regular basis are gone, too.

I have found the location of the "missing" folders on my laptop.

C:\Users\swilburn\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\Profiles\9eegc1sh.default\Mail\Local Folders

Thunderbird is using this link/folder for my email C:\Users\swilburn\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\Profiles\ImapMail\mail.termis.org

How do I get it to recognize the first folder? Do I have to create a new profile?

Lets back up here. Your profile folder is C:\Users\swilburn\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\Profiles\9eegc1sh.default

That folder and everything is and it's sub folders contain is your profile.

I have no idea what any of this was called on your old computer. But trying to move bits of a profile . like mail or address books or imap mail is always going to turn into an unmitigated disaster. Moving the whoe profile is almost a non event.

But what is not clear is what is the location of your profile on the old computer?

Generally if you type %appdata% into the start menu / Search and press enter the windows file manager will open. locate the Thunderbird folder in that windows.

Copy it and it;s sub folder to your new computer. Get the location on the new computer by type %appdata% on that machine. The absolute location %appdata% refers to changes from Windows version to windows version and user to user. So it is an excellent way to find the new root appdata folder that is used by Thunderbird.

by copying the Thunderbird folder, you get the data exactly as it was on the old machine. When Thunderbird starts, even your add-ons are there.

Thanks. The issue is is that for some reason, I have multiple profile folders and Thunderbird is only recognizing the latest update that for some reason does not contain my address book, folders, etc.

How do I get it to recognize this folder specifically that contains all of my data?

C:\Users\swilburn\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\Profiles\9eegc1sh.default

really the easiest way is get this add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/profileswitcher/

Install it See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/installing-addon-thunderbird

Use the add-on to tell Thunderbird to create a new profile in the folder 9eegc1sh.default and use it That will see the old data recognized.

Thank you for your continued help. Downloaded the Add on, so now I go to the directions to create a new profile that is directed to where my old data is stored, correct?

swilburn said

Thank you for your continued help. Downloaded the Add on, so now I go to the directions to create a new profile that is directed to where my old data is stored, correct?

Correct.

Some instructions that have worked for lots of folk over the years. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_profile_folder_-_Thunderbird#Use_the_Profile_Manager_to_move_your_profile

Hi Matt, Was able to get all of my files/folders moved over to my new computer, but now Thunderbird is not responding. It will open, I can click on an email in my inbox, but if I try to click on anything in Thunderbird after that, it freezes.

Any ideas?

My guess is there is a lot of data and you have an anti virus that is now going nuts scanning all of it... the result is shoddy access for Thunderbird.

Personally I recommend creating exclusions in anti virus products for the mail folder in your profile. That stops the anti virus fighting for access to the files every time a mail comes in and it is added.

Thank you for your help, Matt.