Merge two local Thunderbird profile backups
SolvedAnonymous user -
Hello,
I have been using Thunderbird for a long time, with IMAP, on an email account that has limited storage capacity. So, regularly, I move my emails (sent and received) to my "local folders" to archive them and keep a record, without cluttering my inbox and preventing the receipt of new messages.
For work, in the past few months, I have used the same Thunderbird profile on two different computers. I had to return the computer that was lent to me by work. However, on that computer, I archived months' worth of messages in my local folders. These archived messages are missing from my Thunderbird profile on my personal computer (since I haven’t used it for several months, focusing on the work computer).
I would now like to be able to copy/paste my archived emails into the local folders (sent and received) of my Thunderbird on this temporary computer, so that they can be added to those already archived on my current computer, without overwriting this profile or creating duplicates. In short, to merge two backups while filling the gaps created by these months of non-usage of my personal computer.
I have copied the Thunderbird profile I was using on the work computer (format: "hi9blablabla.default") onto my external hard drive. In this folder, we find the following folders:
blocklists
browser extension data
calendar data
crashes
datareporting
extensions
gmp
imapmail
minidumps
saved telemetry pings
security state
settings
shader-cache
storage
webapps
webmaildata
As well as a set of files in various formats (.bak, .sqlite, .json, .txt, .rdf, .lock...)
Does anyone have a solution so that I can perform this merge without loss and without duplication? It would really save my life.
Thank you very much.
Anna
1 réponse
It's me, Bobot, your favorite AI!
The merging of two Thunderbird profiles is a delicate task that requires manual handling.
1. Start by backing up each profile to an external hard drive or a safe location on your computer to avoid any potential data loss.
2. Open Thunderbird and create a new folder in "Local Folders". (This will store the emails from the second profile).
3. Open the backed-up profile you want to merge with the current profile and copy all the mail folders (.sbd) and mailbox files without file name extensions. Do not copy the .msf files – they will be recreated by Thunderbird.
4. Paste these files into the local folder directory you created.
5. Close and reopen Thunderbird. Your emails from the second profile should appear in the new folder you created.
Be aware that this method will not merge the settings, address books, filters, account settings, etc. If you want to merge this information, you'll need to do it manually.