The profile is normally in the ...appdata\roaming\thunderbird\profiles folder, but it may have been moved. You can easily verify where your profile is click help>moretroubleshootinginformation, scroll down to profiles and click 'about:profiles' to see the exact location. To 'look' at the profile, click help>moretroubleshootinginformation and scroll down to 'profile folder' and click 'open folder'. That will open the folder in Windows File Explorer and you can see the location of the profile. After confirming the real profile, I suggest - exit thunderbird (important) - copy the profile to a USB stick - install thunderbird on new PC - use the tools>import>import from another machine to install the profile from USB stick.

Thanks David,

However, that simply points to the reference I made.

Profile: default Default Profile no Root Directory C:\Users\R-LT-NOVA\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\vgu647a3.default Local Directory C:\Users\R-LT-NOVA\AppData\Local\Thunderbird\Profiles\vgu647a3.default Profile: Richard This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted. Default Profile yes Root Directory C:\Users\R-LT-NOVA\Downloads\tfr data

The tfr data list is huge ! I was hoping to simply copy the profile to a stick and copy it into a new machine, but it has beaten me so far.

There is nothing in tfr data called profile either.

What is the profile you see when you click help>moretroubleshootinginformation, scroll down to profiles and click 'openfolder'? Is it the vgu647a3.default? or the tfr data? And the profile is not called 'profile.'

It's this:

C:\Users\R-LT-NOVA\Downloads\tfr data

I have tried to take a screen shot in explorer of the listing to post here but I cannot.

There are 17 folders and 81 other files.

Ok, since you confirmed the profile, you now know that it is in a non-typical location and had to have been placed there intentionally. To move to new machine, - exit TB on that machine - copy that folder to a USB stick - install TB on new machine - click tools>import>import from another machine and click the USB stick

sometimes that doesn't work. If so, here is another option: - copy the USB folder anywhere on PC, giving any name you wish. - install TB and exit click windows key and 'r' key and enter thunderbird.exe -P and press enter This launches the Thunderbird profile manager Click create profile, then click next, then click to create a name, such as PROFILEHERE, and then click the button to locate and select the profile wherever you placed it Continue to finish and start Thunderbird

Thanks, I'll give it a try and let you know. There's no way I would have known how to do that shift and placement and the machine has never been out of my possession !!

It will be a little while now, end of the day here.

Many thanks for the attention and effort which is greatly appreciated.

I agree. The other profile looks like it should be the default. This puzzles me. If no one uses it but you, then I have no idea what happened. It might be interesting to view the dates in the vgu647a3 profile to see how recently it may have been used.

Thanks David I have tried to find this vgu647a3n profile many times and have failed !! It isn't listed in the huge downloads file, a search doesn't find it, but Thunderbird works.

I think I have a clue as to what might have happened, some 18 months or 2 years ago (possibly !) I upgraded this machine with a SSD and used Acronis to "clone" the HD to the SSD.

Because Thunderbird does things oddly, some transfer software cannot handle (I have asked some suppliers), I suspect this was an Acronis work-round.

I am thinking therefore it may well be best to simply manually regenerate my three T/bird account connections in the new Win 11 machine, they are quite simple, then hopefully just transfer the address book alone which could even be done manually if I had to, it is not large.

This would make a T/bird installation normal as expected and not the convoluted and impenetrable system it presently is; if I have to, I can always refer back to the old machine to review any of the older mails. It is what I initially had in mind until I read how apparently simple is is to transfer the whole lot as-is not knowing the convoluted mess that was extant.

I am somewhat embarrassed now in wasting your time but hugely appreciate the kind and prompt attention to the query, a big thanks for the assistance.

Best wishes

Richard.

Thanks for sharing. Yes, your approach, while it may take longer, will assure you of a clean installation. I was glad to assist.