We're calling on all EU-based Mozillians with iOS or iPadOS devices to help us monitor Apple’s new browser choice screens. Join the effort to hold Big Tech to account!

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.

Avatar for Username

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

Replace new TBird Profile with earlier one

  • 2 replies
  • 0 have this problem
  • Last reply by I_Rufus

I_Rufus
I_Rufus
more options

About a month ago I began the process of upgrading from W10 to W11. In the process, several problems happened. One of the problems was with Firefox. After reading and trying many suggestions from the Mozilla site, as well as several other sites, and having no success, I posted my problem on this Mozilla support site and hope that there was someone who could help. There was. After several days of exchanging messages (suggestions, instructions and results - mostly about Profile), Firefox returned.

The other major problem is Thunderbird. I have downloaded a current version (128.5.2esr). I have run it twice and, each time, email was downloaded. So that part seems to be working. What doesn’t appear are the settings I have used and message folders I have created over several years. I suspect that the problems are Profile related.

Starting from Help in the Thunderbird menu, then Troubleshooting Information, then Application Basics, I see Profile Folder. On that line is a button labeled Open Folder followed by (Local Drive). I click Open Folder and File Explorer opens to a folder named ab3xaztm.default-esr. It shows that the folder contains 59 items, including 10 subfolders. All files and folders show a December date.

Following the path C:\Users\rsuth\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\, in addition to ab3x…, there is another folder nlys3gkl.default that contains only 1 file, times.json.

Because of my earlier struggle – and eventual win – with the Firefox problem, I think that the Thunderbird problem might also be fixed in a similar way: Profile.

Slightly before the upgrading from W10 to W11, I made a copy of my Thunderbird folder. I think if I replace the currently active Thunderbird folder with the one I have saved, my Thunderbird problem may be over. However, I’m not certain that will happen and I’m not certain about the specific steps to take to make the replacement. (With my Firefox issue, there were a couple of small important steps I had to take to make it work, and those steps were explained to me by the person who helped me with my Firefox problem. So, after all these words, can someone point me in the direction to solve my Thunderbird problem?

Thanks for reading.

About a month ago I began the process of upgrading from W10 to W11. In the process, several problems happened. One of the problems was with Firefox. After reading and trying many suggestions from the Mozilla site, as well as several other sites, and having no success, I posted my problem on this Mozilla support site and hope that there was someone who could help. There was. After several days of exchanging messages (suggestions, instructions and results - mostly about Profile), Firefox returned. The other major problem is Thunderbird. I have downloaded a current version (128.5.2esr). I have run it twice and, each time, email was downloaded. So that part seems to be working. What doesn’t appear are the settings I have used and message folders I have created over several years. I suspect that the problems are Profile related. Starting from Help in the Thunderbird menu, then Troubleshooting Information, then Application Basics, I see Profile Folder. On that line is a button labeled Open Folder followed by (Local Drive). I click Open Folder and File Explorer opens to a folder named ab3xaztm.default-esr. It shows that the folder contains 59 items, including 10 subfolders. All files and folders show a December date. Following the path C:\Users\rsuth\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\, in addition to ab3x…, there is another folder nlys3gkl.default that contains only 1 file, times.json. Because of my earlier struggle – and eventual win – with the Firefox problem, I think that the Thunderbird problem might also be fixed in a similar way: Profile. Slightly before the upgrading from W10 to W11, I made a copy of my Thunderbird folder. I think if I replace the currently active Thunderbird folder with the one I have saved, my Thunderbird problem may be over. However, I’m not certain that will happen and I’m not certain about the specific steps to take to make the replacement. (With my Firefox issue, there were a couple of small important steps I had to take to make it work, and those steps were explained to me by the person who helped me with my Firefox problem. So, after all these words, can someone point me in the direction to solve my Thunderbird problem? Thanks for reading.

All Replies (2)

Mapenzi
Mapenzi
more options

If you have made a copy of the entire "Thunderbird" folder before upgrading to Win12 you now may - Thunderbird shut down - replace the actual "Thunderbird" folder in ...\AppData\Roaming\... with the saved copy and restart TB.

Helpful?

I_Rufus
I_Rufus Question owner
more options

Thanks for your reply. Before I do a replace, I’d like to give a description of the folder Thunderbird that I created just prior to the move to W11. There is something that puzzles me and causes me to hesitate. I will begin with a somewhat detailed description of the Thunderbird folder (that you can probably skip over) and then a cause and question about my hesitation. The Thunderbird folder was one of the subfolders of C:\Users\rsuth\AppData\Roaming\. It is 8.94 Gb, containing 72 subfolders and 11067 files. Two of the files are installs.ini and profiles.ini. Four of the subfolders are Crash Reports (1010 bytes, 101 files, subfolder events), Pending Pings (empty), Profiles (5.16 Gb, 467 files, 33 subfolders; one of the subfolders is odp….default, containing the files times and json, the other subfolder is gqf….default-release, containing many files and subfolders), and another subfolder named Thunderbird. This second named Thunderbird (3.77 Gb, 34 subfolders, 497 files) has three subfolders: Crash Reports, Pending Pings, and Profiles as well as the files installs.ini and profiles.ini. My hesitation is based upon a folder named Thunderbird containing a subfolder with the same name. So my questions is this: does one Thunderbird folder containing a subfolder with the same name effect the instructions you gave to shut down Thunderbird, then replace the current Thunderbird folder with the first one I described above, or does something else/different need to be done before any replacing?

Helpful?

Ask a question

You must log in to your account to reply to posts. Please start a new question, if you do not have an account yet.