Thunderbird email

[garden genie]

The problem with non-microsoft software is that it tends to conscientiously use a different piece of jargon for the same thing, so the word 'backup' does not appear on Thunderbird's menus. If I remember correctly 'Archive' just files the older emails separately but still within Thunderbird. You might find 'export' does what you want, just remember to put the resulting file somewhere you can find it, and repeat the process at intervals. On my Thunderbird, archive is on the Message menu and export is on the Tools menu but your copy will be more uptodate so they may have been re-arranged!
Having said that, I let Windows (10) backup my emails etc. using 'Backup using File History' (which it offers as an alternative to 'back up files to Onedrive') You have the option to add a folder, so you just tell it to back up your thunderbird profile which can be found at C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles . There may be a choice of profiles - I seem to be backing up the one with a current date.

[AngusMcCoatup]

Webmail – using a browser (such as IE, Chrome, Edge, Opera, Firefox) to logon to your email providers’ website to access emails. Emails are not stored on the device you are using to access the email server. Storage space may be limited and retention policies (how long emails will stay on the server before being deleted) may be in place.

Email Client – using dedicated software (such as Outlook, Thunderbird) to access the email provider server. Emails are downloaded and stored locally on the device you are using to access the email server.

Email clients are usually configured in one of two ways:

POP – once an email has been downloaded to a device during the "Check for new emails" process, the email is deleted from the email server. Useful for situations where there is only one device accessing the email account.

IMAP – synchronises one email account over multiple devices. For example, a user could ask Thunderbird to check for new emails on their PC before heading out. Seeing an email of interest, they could then access the emails again on their phone on the train. Because Thunderbird was configured for IMAP access, when the phone connects to the email server, it will see a difference in the messages that have already been downloaded and sync them so that the phone and Thunderbird remain consistent. If the user then decides the email wasn’t that important after all and deletes it on the phone, the next time Thunderbird is asked to connect to the email server, it will also delete that same message from the Thunderbird inbox.

Using an email client, the retention polices can be tailored to your own needs as the messages are stored locally – just make sure you remember to configure that correctly.

Thunderbird has a built-in backup process. Select Tools option from the menu and then Export. Thunderbird will offer to backup accounts, messages and the address book to a single ZIP file by clicking on the Export button. This ZIP file should be backed up but can also be copied to a new device and by using the Import function, the accounts and messages can be restored. Note the warning message displayed during the export phase – if you have emails going back to 1998 with loads of attachments, you may go exceed the 2GB limit in which case you may need to do things using a more manual process or as suggested in #4 using third party backup software.

[farmeroman]

Farmeroman
there is only one* file that needs backing up:
C:\Users\<Username>\Appdata\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst

I don't know why the Outlook folder was empty though; there should be three folders and a few other files in it. Must have the wrong path somehow or possibly permissions are set to "hidden".


Perhaps there is nothing  there because I don`t  use Outlook, I use Windows Live mail 2012.
I can`t find anything hidden in files for that, so am stuck on that .

The emails that were backed up to my Desktop are  from when I had my PC updated to W10, they  go back to 2015 and open with Windows Live 2012.

Ah, you mentioned Outlook on your desktop at one point so I was referring to that. I don't use Windows Live mail or Thunderbird so I can't help you there.

[farmeroman]

One question, why do you need to back up your emails in bulk.  Surely you only need to save important ones to your documents.

Personally I like to keep almost everything. I delete obvious junk and then file every other email (in- and out-going) in a file structure similar to that in my documents folder. That way I can always use the Outlook search feature to find anything of interest - for instance my wife recently asked me when and where we stayed in Langkawi some years ago - instant answer: the Pelangi Beach Resort in 2003. No it's not "important", but it's interesting (to me at least) and storage is so cheap and backup is so simple why not keep it just in case? Saving emails into the documents folder sounds a bit time consuming and messy to me.

FWIW I don't use webmail or cloud storage; I don't trust anyone else with my data, either from a security point of view and/or I don't trust them not to misuse my data, use it for advertising, etc. (yes Google, Apple, Microsoft I'm talking about you). For emails I've always used Outlook and stored my emails locally; I also have my own domain for emails so I have several email addresses that I use for different things.

Anyway, each to their own, etc.

[wilcoxon]

 As a test I have managed to save some emails from Windows Live desktop  to a stick and opened them on the laptop.
They were as Thunderbird documents ?  Anyway I could open them with Thunderbird email so that`s OK. I  tried to save them but couldn`t so  forwarded them to myself and there they were.

I do like to keep things. I did a lot of research for an online Cemetery website , but sadly the owner has died and it`s gone forever.
I do have the initial research on my PC but   I also have the  final version and images I sent to the website on an email.
I have been able to just forward it on to another local History group.

I also found emails from 2015 from my first visit to Switzerland, I didn`t take many photos but my cousin who has now passed away did, she sent them to me and they are still there along with her messages. Nice memories.