How to Backup Thunderbird Emails Locally? 04 Best Solutions

Summary: Are you struggling to find an effective method to backup Thunderbird emails? Whether you are a regular Thunderbird user or just starting, this blog will help you save emails from Thunderbird locally. While Thunderbird is known for its simplicity, sometimes it can be chaotic when it comes to safeguarding your important emails. Therefore, read this blog to find both a manual and a professional Thunderbird Backup Tool to backup Mozilla Thunderbird mail and keep them safe.

Whatever email client you use, keeping your confidential data secure is your priority. Similarly, Thunderbird users need to keep their emails safe. Apart from this, there are other situations too, when backup is needed. Suppose you are switching to a new system, or Thunderbird encounters a virus attack, some unknown errors, etc. In all these situations, backup Mozilla Thunderbird emails work as a savior. Additionally, it has many other benefits as well. 

Benefits of Backup Thunderbird Emails

Here are some advantages of keeping a backup of Thunderbird mailbox:

• When you make a backup, you free up space on the server for new emails.
• Keeping a backup protects your emails and info from hackers.
• If the local server has a problem, you can keep working without issues.
• If something goes wrong or you delete something by mistake, you can recover data from the backup.
• Additionally, you can also move your Thunderbird emails to another computer when you need to.

Solutions to Backup Mozilla Thunderbird Emails

Somewhere Thunderbird is an outdated email client. Like Outlook, it doesn’t offer any import-export feature. However, there are multiple ways you can backup your Thunderbird mailbox locally. They are listed below:

• Manual Save Emails as EML
• Use ImportExportTools NG
• Save Thunderbird Profiles
• Backup Automatically With DRS Software

We will elaborately discuss each of them in steps. Let us begin.

#1. Save Thunderbird Emails to EML Files

This method is good for saving a single email file at once. You need to follow the procedure individually for emails you want to save. Go for the steps below:

1. Launch the Thunderbird application on your system.
2. In Thunderbird mailbox, choose the emails you want to back up.
3. Right-click on the mail and click on Save As…
4. You can change the file name and the saving location. Click Save.

The selected mail will be saved as EML files. So, you can also restore Thunderbird emails from EML files in the future. Further, let us explore another method.

#2. Use ImportExportTools NG to Backup Thunderbird Emails

Mozilla Thunderbird enables users to backup mailbox data locally using add-ons. One such add-on is ImportExportToolsNG. Follow the steps to add the tool in Thunderbird and use it to download Thunderbird mails:

1. Open Thunderbird, and go to the menu (three horizontal lines).
2. Choose Add-ons, search for ImportExportTools NG > click Install.
3. In the Thunderbird mailbox, select the folders you wish to back up.
4. Right-click on the selected folder, and click on ImportExportTools NG.
5. Then, choose the option Export all messages in folder.
6. After that, select the desired format to keep backup emails.
7. Choose a location to save the exported files and it’s done.

#3. Save Profiles to Backup Mozilla Thunderbird Mail

The Thunderbird Profile contains all your Thunderbird data including emails, settings, and contacts. So, you can keep a copy of it on external storage or the cloud to store your Thunderbird data for longer. Follow the given steps:

1. Find your Thunderbird profile folder on your computer. Usually found in:

   Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles

   Mac: /Users/<username>/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles

   Linux: /home/<username>/.thunderbird

2. Copy the entire profile folder to another location (e.g., an external hard drive or cloud storage).

Further, to restore, simply replace the profile folder in the Thunderbird profile directory. This process is reliable enough to backup Thunderbird address book and other data as well. Well, if these procedures fail for some reason, we have a direct approach to backup your Thunderbird mailbox. 

#4. Use Automated Tool to Backup Thunderbird Emails Locally

DRS Thunderbird Mail Backup Tool is easy to use and doesn’t require technical knowledge. This software works well and you can use it to save your Mozilla Thunderbird data to different places including external hard drives. Apart from that, you can migrate Thunderbird emails to Gmail, Yahoo, Office 365, and more. However, keeping a local copy of Thunderbird emails helps you restore Thunderbird emails whenever needed. So, let us proceed with the procedure. 

Note: Thunderbird installation is a must to run this tool.

Follow the steps below for a detailed process:

1. Download and run the Thunderbird Backup Tool on your PC.
2. The software will auto-detect Thunderbird profiles. You can select the desired mailbox profiles > click Next.
3. Next, from the mailbox preview, select the folders you want to backup.
4. Choose the desired file format to backup Thunderbird emails locally.
5. Later, if needed choose the appropriate features given in the tool.
6. Then, click on Convert to complete the process finally. 

Why is Professional Tool the Best?

This tool stands out as one of the best options for saving your Thunderbird mailbox locally. It comes with excellent features that make backing up easy:

• Save all your Thunderbird profiles safely on your computer.
• Automatically includes all Thunderbird mailbox profiles you’ve set up.
• Save Thunderbird emails in formats like PST, EML, EMLX, MSG, CSV, and more.
• Removes duplicate emails from your Thunderbird mailbox while backing up.
• Use filters to create a backup file that’s compact and accurate.
• Works with all versions of Thunderbird and Windows operating systems.

Also Read: Ways to Archive Thunderbird Emails

Conclusion

Hence, these are prominently opted solutions to backup Thunderbird emails and save them locally for future reference. Well, you have multiple options to carry out the process, but the suggested tool is the best of all. It is secure and reliable in all conditions. Moreover, you can examine the tool’s performance before investing any amount.