How to Back Up Any Email Account Using Thunderbird
If you need to back up an email account or simply want to export your emails, this article will show you the quickest and easiest method. For some reason, most apps and services don’t make backing up or exporting emails straightforward. Fortunately, Mozilla Thunderbird makes it easy to back up or export any email account in just a few steps.
What You Need Before You Start
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Thunderbird installed Download Thunderbird
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Email login credentials (Make sure you are logged into your accounts)
How to Back Up Any Email Account Using Thunderbird
To begin, you'll need to download Thunderbird from the official website and follow the installation instructions for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux). Once you have done that, you'll need to add your accounts.
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Open Thunderbird.
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Go to File > New > Existing Mail Account.
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Enter your name, email address, and password.
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Choose between IMAP (recommended) or POP3:
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IMAP: Syncs with the server; emails stay online unless explicitly downloaded.
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POP3: Downloads and stores emails locally; best for backups.
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You now have he option to sync your accounts manually, but I generally find it syncs automatically before you even get the chance to use manual sync. The manual process is listed below anyway.
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For IMAP accounts, go to Account Settings > Synchronization & Storage and check the option to keep messages for offline use.
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For POP3, emails are downloaded automatically and stored locally.
Back Up the Thunderbird Profile Folder
All emails and settings are stored in your Thunderbird profile folder. To back it up:
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Windows: C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles
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macOS: ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/
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Linux: ~/.thunderbird/
Copy the entire profile folder to an external drive, cloud storage, or another secure location.
Use Add-ons for Export Tools (Required in Some Scenarios)
If you would rather export all of your emails rather than just backup your primary folder, you will need to get a little Extension for Thunderbird.
- First, click Settings, then click Add-ons and Themes. Then search for ImportExportTools NG
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Install ImportExportTools NG add-on
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Export emails as .eml, .mbox, or even .pdf
- Simply right-click on your inbox or an email and select ImportExportTools NG, then choose the method you want to use to export the data.
Note: If your email service provider is shutting down or you are going to lose access to the email address, this is the best method to use. Though I would still back up the email folder using the earlier step as well.
How to Restore a Thunderbird Backup
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Copy the backed-up profile folder to the correct location on your computer.
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Open Thunderbird with the Profile Manager (thunderbird.exe -p on Windows) and point to the restored profile.
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Restart Thunderbird to access your emails.
FAQ
Can Thunderbird back up Gmail? Yes, simply add your Gmail account via IMAP or POP3 and follow the same steps.
Is POP or IMAP better for backups? POP is better for full, offline backups. IMAP is better for syncing across devices but requires configuration for offline access.
Can I schedule automatic backups? While Thunderbird doesn’t have built-in scheduling, you can use third-party tools or OS-based backup schedulers to back up the profile folder regularly.
How large can the backup files get? Depends on your mailbox size. POP accounts usually result in larger backups since everything is downloaded locally.