How do I back up my Thunderbird profile?
Backing up a Thunderbird profile is an important step to ensure that your emails, address book, settings, and other data are safe. Thunderbird keeps all user data in a profile folder, which can be backed up by following a few straightforward steps.
First, you need to locate your Thunderbird profile folder. This can typically be found by navigating to the directory on your computer where Thunderbird is installed. Profiles are usually located in the user directory, specifically under the path:
On Windows, it is typically found in C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\
On macOS, you can find it in /Users//Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/
On Linux, it is generally located at /home//.thunderbird/
Once you have located your profile folder, copy the entire folder to a safe location. This could be an external hard drive, a USB flash drive, or a cloud storage service. Make sure that Thunderbird is closed while you are copying the files, as this will prevent any data corruption.
When you need to restore your profile, simply copy the backed-up profile folder back to its original location. This process ensures that all emails and settings are preserved, allowing you to recover your data easily. For more specific information or instructions tailored to your operating system, you may consider checking the current Thunderbird webpages.

Answered Jun 26, 2025
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