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

Lost emails from one computer, can I replace with files from another computer?

  • 1 reply
  • 0 have this problem
  • 14 views
  • Last reply by david

more options

While trying to move emails from my inbox to a folder, several months worth of emails disappeared. I've tried doing a global search for them, but there's no trace of them.

I have access to the same email account using Thunderbird on two separate Macs. So one computer's Thunderbird has all of my emails, but the other computer's Thunderbird is now missing those several months.

I've tried using a Time Machine app to reverse the Thunderbird profile folder in the Mac's Library, but that didn't work.

Can I take the Thunderbird folder from the Mac's Library on the unaffected computer and simply copy-and-paste to the affected computer? When I tried looking up other help articles about doing this, I'm reading warnings that this action could negatively affect the emails on the good computer.

I also want to ensure that I'm copying the emails from the good computer, and not exporting them, thus removing them from the good computer. I want to continue having the same emails on two computers.

I'm also open to other suggestions for how to retrieve my lost emails.

Thanks in advance for responses on this.

While trying to move emails from my inbox to a folder, several months worth of emails disappeared. I've tried doing a global search for them, but there's no trace of them. I have access to the same email account using Thunderbird on two separate Macs. So one computer's Thunderbird has all of my emails, but the other computer's Thunderbird is now missing those several months. I've tried using a Time Machine app to reverse the Thunderbird profile folder in the Mac's Library, but that didn't work. Can I take the Thunderbird folder from the Mac's Library on the unaffected computer and simply copy-and-paste to the affected computer? When I tried looking up other help articles about doing this, I'm reading warnings that this action could negatively affect the emails on the good computer. I also want to ensure that I'm copying the emails from the good computer, and not exporting them, thus removing them from the good computer. I want to continue having the same emails on two computers. I'm also open to other suggestions for how to retrieve my lost emails. Thanks in advance for responses on this.

Chosen solution

I do not know a Mac, but if salvaging the messages is paramount, this should work: - exit TB - using the Mac's file manager, locate the Mail folder in profile (I am assuming POP account). This might appear as Mail\<accountname>INBOX, INBOX.msf, etc. COPY all the entries and pasted them into the Mail\Local Folders folder of the other machine and then restart TB. That doesn't bring any accounts in sync, but it does salvage the messages.

Read this answer in context 👍 1

All Replies (1)

more options

Chosen Solution

I do not know a Mac, but if salvaging the messages is paramount, this should work: - exit TB - using the Mac's file manager, locate the Mail folder in profile (I am assuming POP account). This might appear as Mail\<accountname>INBOX, INBOX.msf, etc. COPY all the entries and pasted them into the Mail\Local Folders folder of the other machine and then restart TB. That doesn't bring any accounts in sync, but it does salvage the messages.