How to Move Thunderbird to New Computer? – Complete Guide

Published By Jamie Kaler

Approved By Rollins Duke

Published On October 14th, 2024

Reading Time 9 Min Read

Do you want to move Thunderbird to new computer? Then you are on the right page, here we are going to explain one of the best and safest methods to transfer Thunderbird to another computer including emails, contacts/address book, calendar, local folders and other data.

As we all know Thunderbird is an open source and desktop-based email client for free to send and receive emails. As well as, it maintains your other data also including contacts, calendars, notes, journals, etc.

However, multiple time situations come when users want to move Thunderbird to new computer or PC for several reasons. But they don’t know the right methods with complete information, so here we will show you all the possible and safest methods.

Users Concern

“I just bought a new Windows 10 PC and I want to transfer my Thunderbird email to another computer and new user account. I’ve looked in Thunderbird’s ‘Tools’ menu for some sort of ‘Export’ feature – hoping to export your user data for re-import on the new machine – but, there doesn’t appear to be an option to move Thunderbird to new computer. Can you help?” – Dennis, New Jersey

“One of my customers has a fresh Windows 7 install and was wondering if it is possible to somehow move/copy account settings on Mozilla Thunderbird so he doesn’t want to reinstall it. He was looking for a way to move all over from a fresh install of the Mozilla email client (Thunderbird) to the new Windows 7 install. This will save a lot of time and work. How do we transfer Thunderbird to new computer?” – Susanne, California

How to Move Thunderbird to New Computer?

Step 1: Download and run the software.
Step 2: Add the Thunderbird profile data.
Step 3: Select the required folders/subfolders.
Step 4: Choose Thunderbird as a saving option.
Step 5: Browse the file and hit on the Convert button.

For more details about the given steps, follow the alternate solution.

How to Transfer Thunderbird to Another Computer Manually?

We will copy and paste the actual location of your Thunderbird profile. Also, we will show how you can transfer address book/contacts and calendar data to another computer. All methods are given below to move Thunderbird to another computer, step-by-step guide are given below in detail:

#1: Move Thunderbird to New Computer with Emails

This method has two different step to accomplish your task. Firstly, we will copy the details and then we will paste it. Both steps are given below in details, follow them:

Step 1: Copy the Old Thunderbird Profile Location

Firstly, open your Thunderbird account.
Choose “Help Option” from the top corner/Menu.
Select the “Troubleshooting Information” option.
Choose “Open Folder” from the “Profile Folder” tab.
Or you can find this location on your system:
C:\Users\welcome\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\4qci4xo4.default-release
Now go three folders back: (C:\Users\welcome\AppData\Roaming)
And look for the Thunderbird folder and copy it to any flash drive.

Step 2: Paste into New Thunderbird Profile

Now connect this pen drive to a new computer.
Open your Thunderbird.
Go to the “Help Option” from the “Menu” or from the top corner.
Choose the “Troubleshooting Information” option from the list.
Select the “Public Folder” tab and choose “Open Folder”.
Click on the “Roaming Folder” and paste that copied location here.
A confirmation will appear for overwriting and hit the “Yes” button.

#2: Copy Thunderbird Address Book to New Computer

Similarly, here we will export contacts & calendars from Thunderbird, and then we will upload that file into new computer’s profile. Follow the given steps carefully:

Step 1: Export Address Books

Open your Thunderbird account.
Go to “Tools >> Address Book”.
Select the required address book.
Right click on it and choose “Export”.
Enter a desired file name as needed.
Choose “Comma Separate” File as “File Type”.
Browse the location to save resultant file.
Lastly, click on the “Save”button to move Thunderbird to new computer.

Step 2: Upload Exported File to New Thunderbird Profile

Again, go to “Address Book” in Thunderbird.
Click on the “Import” icon.
Choose “Comma Separated File” option.
Browse the exported file.
Lastly, click on the “Import” button.

And your address book will be uploaded to new computer successfully. After contacts, lets move to the calendar data.

#3: Move Thunderbird Calendar to New Computer

Again, you have to follow two steps to upload your calendar data. For copy Thunderbird calendar to another computer, we have to export data first and then we will import that data to another computer:

Step 1: Export Calendar Data

Go to Calendar in Thunderbird.
Right click on the desired calendar.
Choose “Export Calendar…” option.
Browse the location and put a file name.
Lastly, click on the “Save” button.

Step 2: Copy Calendar Data

Move your exported calendar data file to another computer through any external media like USB drive. After transferring file, follow the given steps:

Go to “Events and Tasks” from “Menu”.
Choose “Import” option from the list.
A window will show and “Continue” button.
Browse the file and hit on the “Open” icon.
After that, click on the “Continue” option.
Lastly, hit on the “Start Import” >> “Finish”.

And its done, as you can see there is multiple steps to move Thunderbird to new computer or another PC. Also, there are some more drawbacks, which you have to keep in mind before starting the process:

An external media is required to move your exported data like emails, contacts and calendar to another computer.
Users have to follow different methods and steps for moving data.
Thunderbird must be installed and configured on your system. Also, it should be in working condition to extract data.
These methods have high risk of data loss and missing files situations, while transferring data.

So, if you want to perform this task for professional work, then you should go for the alternate method. I know you wonder why expert tool; we have mentioned all the details below:

Why Alternate Solution to Move Thunderbird to New Computer?

Many tools are available in the market, but RecoveryTools Thunderbird Migrator software

is an all-in-one software that directly imports Thunderbird profile data including emails, contacts, calendar etc with single tool.

This software is designed in such a way, that users only need to choose the source Thunderbird profile Repository then the software will instantly import these items into the Thunderbird email client on a new PC.

Also, this tool works with corrupted, damaged, and inaccessible Thunderbird profile’s data without losing any single information.

Download Now Purchase Now

How to Transfer Thunderbird to New Computer?

Download the software on your system and install it.
Select the options Convert Emails or Contacts & Calendar which data you want to transfer Thunderbird to new computer.
Secondly, dual options to load Thunderbird data, the first one is manually and automatically.
Load either the whole Thunderbird Profile Directory or selectively choose Mailbox files.
Now, select the Thunderbird option from the list of saving options. It will automatically save the mailbox items at the default Thunderbird profile location.
Click on the Filter Options tab to move Thunderbird to new computer selectively.
Next, select the location to save the result using the Browse button.
Lastly, click on the Convert button to move Thunderbird to new computer.

Entices Features to Transfer Thunderbird to Another Computer

Convert Thunderbird Complete Data – this software has two separate options to convert emails Contacts & calendars separately. Users can select the required options as per their needs
Fast Process – Thunderbird profile converter allows moving to batch multiple Thunderbird profiles into a new computer. In this process, the software takes only a few minutes to import your data.
Preserve Folder Hierarchy – During the conversion of emails, all details and related information of the Thunderbird mailbox are saved in the original form.
No Thunderbird Installation Required – With this tool, users do not need to install Thunderbird or any third-party plug-in or application. Users can move Thunderbird to new computer email client.
Load Thunderbird Profile: If your profile relates to the same machine in good condition, then this tool provides you an option, which loads the Thunderbird profile data automatically from the default storage location.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1: How do I export everything from Thunderbird?
1. Open your Thunderbird account.
2. Click on the Tools >> Export option.
3. A new window appears, select the Export button.
4. Select the location to save the resultant file.
5. Click on the Save button.
Your complete Thunderbird profile will be saved in ZIP format at the selected location.
Q 2: Where is Mozilla Thunderbird data stored?
Ans:- This is the location where Thunderbird stores its data: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles. Mac OS: ~/Library/ Thunderbird
Q 3: Can I reinstall Thunderbird without losing email?
Ans:- Yes, because Thunderbird saved emails and other data locally. So you can reinstall your Thunderbird without losing your email.
Q 4: What is the storage limit for Thunderbird email?
Ans:- 4 GB is the storage limit for Thunderbird emails.
Q 5: Is Thunderbird more secure than Gmail?
Ans:- Yes, Thunderbird is a desktop-based email client that saves your complete profile data locally so there is no chance to loss data, viruses, or cyber-attacks. On the other hand, Gmail is a web-based client, which requires an internet connection. And, there is a high risk of data loss.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed how to move Thunderbird to new computer. Furthermore, we discussed the two methods in the above section. But there are some drawbacks to the manual method as well. Hence, there is a need for some professional Thunderbird backup software that proves to be very powerful. And we recommend you the best tools that transfer Thunderbird to new computer with ease.