How to Backup Thunderbird Emails to External Hard Drive?

Published By Jamie Kaler

Approved By Rollins Duke

Published On March 31st, 2026

Reading Time 6 Min Read

Are you looking for a solution to backup Thunderbird emails to external hard drive? Read the write-up, and easily get the complete solution for Thunderbird backup emails, contacts, calendars, and other data items. In this guide, we will provide a complete step-by-step method to save Thunderbird emails to hard drive, just stay with us till the end.

Thunderbird is a worldwide popular desktop-based email client. It helps to send & receive emails with attachments and manage Thunderbird profile with contacts and calendars of the user-created profile. This free, open-source email client stores email data locally of your emails locally in the folder with the .sbd file extension.

However, this can be a disadvantage for Thunderbird users. In case of system damage or data corruption, users cannot retrieve their Thunderbird Mail profile emails.

Why Save Thunderbird Emails to Hard Drive?

There are multiple reasons that compel users to backup Thunderbird emails to external hard drive or locally. Some of them are given below in detail.

Email clients have the common issue of data loss due to multiple reasons like server issues, hacking, or accidental deletion. So, it is better to have a backup of your data for future safety.
Also, if any user has been using the Thunderbird profile for so long time, They might have old emails, which are important. So, in this case, users want to save Thunderbird emails to hard drive.
The user might want to move to another platform, so it is necessary to export emails from Thunderbird account.

How to Backup Thunderbird Emails to External Hard Drive Manually?

Open your Thunderbird account.
Click on the Tools >> ImportExportNG.
Select the ‘Export to a Folder’ option.
Browse the location to save the resultant file.
And hit on the Save button to backup Thunderbird data.

This method can only take a save of 2 GB of storage of the Thunderbird profile.

Why Manual Methods are Not Prime Choice?

ImportExportTools NG add-ons must be installed on your system.
Thunderbird email client and profile must be working properly without any corruption.
Folder hierarchy will not be maintained.

Backup Thunderbird Emails to Hard Drive Professionally

The simplest way to save Thunderbird emails, contacts, local folders, address books, and other data items is to use the RecoveryTools Thunderbird Converter Tool. The Thunderbird backup tool is one of the best solutions that are easy to use for both technical and non-technical users either technical or novice users.

With the help of this utility, it is possible to back up an unlimited amount of Thunderbird account data without having any kind of limitations throughout the process.

This Thunderbird backup tool provides an option to backup Thunderbird data in multiple formats and email platforms such as Thunderbird to PDF, PST, EML, Text, MSG, Word, and other formats that suit you.

You can download this Thunderbird backup tool using the buttons below:

Download Now Purchase Now

This excellent solution for beginners & professionals also offers an option to select Thunderbird no extension files with dual selection options. Users can save these Thunderbird mailbox items on an external hard drive in various file formats. Not only this the software also allows you to save Thunderbird emails to hard drive or cloud Webmail services directly.

All Steps to Save Thunderbird Emails to Hard Drive

Launch the tool and review all the important instructions.
Now, choose Thunderbird profiles with dual modes such as auto-locate and manual dual selection options.
Now, select the required Thunderbird folders to save Thunderbird emails to hard drive.
Then, choose the required file format the required file format from the list to backup Thunderbird emails to external hard drive.
Click on the Filter Tabs to apply the advanced filter option for selective Thunderbird email backup.
Enable the file naming option to manage your resultant data as per your choice.
Select the desired destination path using the Browse button to save the resultant data.
Finally, click on the Convert button to backup Thunderbird data to external hard drive.

Features of the Mentioned Solution

The best toolkit to backup Thunderbird emails to external hard drive offers various advantages to its users for the backup of Mailbox items. It provides a separate option for the backup of emails, contacts & calendars. Some major features of this Thunderbird backup tool are listed below:

The utility requires Thunderbird installed in your system for the backup process.
The software enables the backup of unlimited Thunderbird data without losing any data.
It allows to directly backup Thunderbird emails to external hard drive from the default profile location.
Data is preserved in an original file format and the entire structure is also managed.
Back up the emails in a user-defined location either locally in the system or in an external hard drive.
It offers to backup Thunderbird emails into 30+ formats including file format and email platforms.
While backing up emails, it automatically include attachments along with emails while in process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: How do I backup my Thunderbird emails and folders?

1. Open a Thunderbird account.
2. Click on the Tools >> ImportExportToolsNG option.
3. Choose the Export Folder option from the list.
4. Browse the location to save the result.
5. Lastly, click on the Select Folder option.

Question 2: Where is the Thunderbird profile data stored?

Storage Location of Thunderbird Profile: Windows: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles.

Question 3: How do I move my Thunderbird profile to a new location?

If you want to move Thunderbird to new computer or location, then you should follow the mentioned blog, where you will get complete information.

Question 4: How do I import Thunderbird profile into Outlook?

1. Open your Thunderbird account.
2. Click on the Tools >> Account Settings option.
3. Choose Account Actions >> Add Mail Account.
4. Enter the login details of your Outlook.
5. Put the IMAP details and hit the Finish icon.

The Conclusion

In the article above, we discussed the complete step-by-step guide to backup Thunderbird emails to external hard drive using the Thunderbird backup tool. By understanding the complete blog, users can save entire data including emails, contacts, calendars, and other mailbox items without having any limitations. Among all other solutions, this is one of the best utilities given on the Internet that will not impose any size limitation to save Thunderbird emails to hard drive. For more information, you can anytime connect with our expert team.

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