How to Fix Thunderbird Not Downloading New Messages Issue

Thunderbird is an email client that enables you to manage multiple email accounts efficiently. Along with that, you can use various extensions for additional features. However, like any other application, it also displays error messages. One such issue is Thunderbird won’t download new messages.

You can resolve this problem by different methods. But first, you need to understand the root causes for the Thunderbird stop downloading messages issue.

What Causes the Thunderbird Not Downloading New Messages Issue?

Although there are numerous reasons for the Thunderbird stop downloading error messages problem, some reasons are more significant than others. Below we explain a few common causes for this Thunderbird issue.

• When your system does not have sufficient storage space to download new Thunderbird emails, you will face this problem. It is one of the major causes of the error message.
• If the Thunderbird mailbox settings are not configured properly, you cannot send and receive emails. Also, the email client shows error messages.
• Corruption of Thunderbird profiles also leads to numerous Thunderbird issues. It might be possible that you are encountering Thunderbird stuck on loading new messages because of the damaged Thunderbird data file.

If you have saved the You have learned about the prominent causes of the Thunderbird issue. It is time to check how to resolve the Thunderbird issue.

Manual Method to Fix the Thunderbird Won’t Download New Messages

The two manual methods are available to resolve the Thunderbird not downloading new messages issue depending on whether your email client uses POP3 or IMAP server. We discuss both procedures. You can adopt any of these methods as per your requirements.

#1. When Thunderbird Uses POP3 Server

If the POP3 server is enabled in your Thunderbird email client and you are unable to download Thunderbird emails, chances are high that the global-messages-db.sqlite will get damaged. This file resides within the Thunderbird profile folder. It contains a copy of all the Thunderbird emails and helps in searching these emails.

Follow the below steps to rebuild the Global Searching/Indexing.

• First, close the Mozilla Thunderbird email client.
• Open the Thunderbird profile folder and search for the global-messages-db.sqlite
• Delete this file. It will force the Thunderbird application to download all mailbox emails.
• Restart Thunderbird to start the indexing and rebuilding of the global-messages-db.sqlite
• You can check the status of rebuilding in the Activity Manager.

These are the steps to fix the Thunderbird not downloading new emails if the Thunderbird application is using the POP server.

#2. When Thunderbird Uses IMAP Server

When IMAP is enabled in the Thunderbird email client, the above procedure will not work. Follow the below steps to resolve the ‘Mozilla Thunderbird not downloading new messages’ issue.

• Launch the Thunderbird application in your system.
• Click on the Tools button in the menu bar.
• After that, select the Account Settings
• Now, click on the Synchronization and Storage tab from the left section.
• Make sure the Keep Messages in all folders for this account on this computer option is enabled.

• Tick the Always keep starred messages option to save starred emails.
• After that, click on the Advanced button in the Message Synchronizing section.
• Select the mailbox folder that you want to download and press OK.

After performing the above steps, you can easily fix the ‘Thunderbird won’t download new messages’ issue. However, if any of the above steps do not work, we recommend the professional Thunderbird Backup Tool.

Best Solution to Download Thunderbird Emails

If you are facing the Mozilla Thunderbird not downloading new email messages issue, DRS Thunderbird Backup Tool is the best solution to download your Thunderbird emails locally. You can save your mailbox data in different file formats like PST, MBOX, MSG, EML, PDF, DOC, PNG, etc. Moreover, the application enables you to migrate from Thunderbird to Office 365, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, iCloud, AOL, and many others. Above all, the software is widely compatible with all versions of Windows OS.

Steps to Download Thunderbird Profile Professionally

• Download and install DRS Thunderbird Backup Tool. Run it as administrator.
• Choose a desired Thunderbird profile and hit the Next button.
• Expand the Save/Backup/Migrate As field and select the required file formats/email client.
• Opt for the remaining migration options as per your requirements and hit the Convert button.

Conclusion

The ‘Thunderbird not downloading new messages’ issue can be caused by various reasons like insufficient storage, inappropriate configuration settings, profile corruption, etc. Depending on whether the email client uses POP3 or IMAP server, you can select a suitable manual technique. If the manual method does not work to download Thunderbird emails, we suggest the professional Thunderbird Backup Tool for downloading complete Thunderbird mailbox data swiftly.

Frequently Asked Questions