TL;DR:
You can back up Thunderbird emails to a hard drive manually by exporting EML files or copying the Profile folder, but using the ImportExportTools NG add-on or Wondershare UBackit provides bulk and automated backup options.
● To back up all emails without installing external tools, navigate to Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Folder within Thunderbird and copy the Mail folder directly to your destination drive.
● The ImportExportTools NG add-on bypasses the manual one-by-one save limitation by enabling bulk exports of entire folders directly into EML format.
● Wondershare UBackit requires installation but enables scheduled automatic backups and incremental saves that only record file changes to conserve storage space.
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You can’t figure out how to back up your Thunderbird emails? You might be used to Thunderbird, but its simplicity often feels crippling. For example, when you need to ensure that your important emails are safely saved to your hard drive.
Don’t worry, there are a few tried solutions for this conundrum.
Below, you’ll find several methods of performing a Mozilla Thunderbird backup for emails. As you will see, some of them are more efficient than others.
📊 Mozilla Thunderbird Backup Methodology Matrix
Backup Strategy |
Technical Scope |
Speed & Efficiency |
Storage Efficiency |
Automation Support |
Ideal Use Case |
| Manual EML Export | Individual Messages | Very Slow (Drag & Drop) | Low (Individual Files) | No (Purely Manual) | Saving isolated single receipts or legal proofs. |
| ImportExportTools NG | Full Mail Folders | Moderate (App-dependent) | Moderate (Bulk EML/MBOX) | Semi-Auto (Schedule options) | Migrating specific mail cleanups to an external drive. |
| Profile Root Copy | Entire Client Database | Fast (Single folder copy) | High (Raw database files) | No (Requires app closure) | Total system migrations or manual hardware upgrades. |
| Wondershare UBackit | Complete Live System | Instant (Background Engine) | Maximum (Incremental) | Yes (Fully Automated) | Hands-free continuous data protection against drive crashes. |
Method 1. Back Up Thunderbird Emails as EML Files (Manual Save)
Thunderbird is not a bad email solution, but it is somewhat outdated. For example, it doesn’t offer an option to import or export emails to your PC or external hard drive.
If you want to back up your Thunderbird emails – and you should definitely do that to protect them from data loss, theft, and corruption – you have to manually save files one by one. While this is easy for individual files, it’s inconvenient if you have a busy inbox.
Here’s what you’ll need to do for every single email:
- Step 1. Select the Thunderbird emails you want to back up.
- Step 2. Go to File > Save As > File.
What about a Thunderbird backup for all emails?
Technically, you can back up in bulk using the Ctrl+A command to select all emails in your inbox. Then, you just repeat the steps above. However, this is a one-time process only. As soon as you receive the next email, you’ll have to repeat it.
Related tutorial: Transferring Thunderbird to a new computer
Method 2. Thunderbird Mail Backup With ImportExportTools NG
Mozilla allows you to perform Thunderbird mail backup with add-ons.
There are many tools you can add to Mozilla that make saving Thunderbird emails possible, even to the external hard drive. For the purpose of this instructional, we’ve used ImportExportTools NG. This is how to add it to Thunderbird Email and use it for backup:
- Step 1. Open Thunderbird and click on the hamburger menu icon to access the Thunderbird drop-down Menu.
- Step 2. From there, go to Add-ons.
- Step 3. In the bar on the left, you’ll see an icon resembling a star. Click on it to get add-ons.
- Step 4. Select ImportExportTools NG add-on from the list of Featured Add-ons.
- Step 5. Click Add to Thunderbird > Install.
- Step 6. Return to the Add-ons Manager. ImportExportTools NG should be on the list of installed add-ons. Click on Restart now.
- Step 7. Go back to your Thunderbird account and follow this path: Inbox > Favorite Folder > Export all messages in the folder > EML format.
- Step 8. Choose where you want to save your emails and click on Select Folder.
Method 3. Save Profiles to Back Up Thunderbird
If you’d rather keep this minimal, there’s a way to back up your Thunderbird emails without using an external tool. With this method, you don’t even have to leave Thunderbird.
The only thing you need to do is back up your Thunderbird profile. Like this:
- Step 1. Open Thunderbird and navigate to the hamburger menu icon on the right. Click on it to display the Thunderbird Menu.
- Step 2. Select Help > Troubleshooting Information.
- Step 3. Under Application Basics, you’ll see a table with different options. Go to Profile Folder and click on Open Folder.
- Step 4. Clicking on Open Folder will launch a File Directory for your Thunderbird Profile. Find the folder Mail and right-click copy it.
📂 Platform Directory Reference: Locating Thunderbird Profiles Offline
If your Thunderbird application fails to launch due to a system crash or software conflict, you can bypass the interface completely and locate your raw mail databases manually using these absolute platform paths:
Pro Tip: When executing a manual system backup, make sure to copy the entire parent `Thunderbird` directory folder rather than just individual profiles. This preserves the `profiles.ini` file, which allows you to plug the drive into a new computer and restore everything instantly.
Operating System |
Default Profile Directory Pathway |
Volatile Data Components |
| Windows 10 / 11 | %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles\ | Local storage folders, IMAP caches, address books |
| macOS (Sequoia+) | ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/ | MBOX message streams, account encryption keys |
| Linux (Ubuntu/Fedhar) | ~/.thunderbird/ or ~/.var/app/org.mozilla.Thunderbird/ | Core configuration scripts and localized indexes |
- Step 5. Open the destination folder in the File Directory and paste the copied folder there.
Method 4. Back Up Thunderbird Emails Automatically With Wondershare UBackit
Another way to ensure your emails are safe is by using a dedicated backup tool like Wondershare UBackit. This is one of the best tools on the market for email backup and for many reasons. UBackit is universally considered versatile, reliable, and easy to use.
Wondershare UBackit - Your Reliable Email Backup Tool
5,481,435 people have downloaded it.
Back up emails to local hard drives or external storage devices effectively, safely, and completely.
Provide automatic backup to back up your email files daily, weekly, monthly, or non-stop.
Set a password to protect your backups, keeping your data confidential should it be stolen, lost, or compromised.
Support incremental backup, which saves only the changes made to your files since the last backup, reducing backup time and saving storage space.
UBackit email backup takes only a few steps to set up:
Critical Alert: The Risks of Live Mail Syncing During Backups
When you copy your Thunderbird profile folder manually while the application is still open, the underlying mail files remain in a "live write state." If an IMAP sync occurs or an email arrives mid-transfer, your backup can experience database fragmentation, resulting in corrupted folders that cannot be remounted on a new system.
Automated tools like Wondershare UBackit address this issue by freezing the target sector snapshots during deployment. This allows you to back up your email database cleanly without closing your work or risking folder corruption.
- Step 1. Download and install Ubackit on your PC.
- Step 2. Open the app and click Email Backup.
- Step 3. Select the thunderbird emails that you want to back up.
- Step 4. Pick a desired backup destination for your Mozilla Thunderbird emails and click on the Backup button. The email backup software will start the backup process automatically , and the duration will depend on the size of the files involved.
- Step 5. After the backup is done, you can click on the icons below Operation to set up automatic backup and its frequency, preview saved files, or change the name of the backup.
Summing Up
If you want to keep using Thunderbird email, that’s okay, but remember that automation brings efficiency to business-related tasks and your everyday life. There’s no need to save emails manually every week. We now have a tool that can do that for you.
🏁 Post-Backup Checklist: Verify Data Integrity and Set Up Retention
To ensure your saved email files are readable and secure on your hard drive, complete this validation checklist:
- Test Profile Folder Mounted State: Move your backup drive to a separate machine or profile index, select the target folder, and ensure the local subfolders load cleanly without throwing MBOX read/write errors.
- Confirm File Extension Layouts: If you used the ImportExportTools NG extension, check your external hard drive folders to verify that your files are organized as valid `.eml` or `.mbox` items that can open in any email app.
- Verify Storage Optimization (Compacting): Before running large backups, right-click your Thunderbird folder and select Compact. This deletes hidden spaces left by deleted emails, reducing your backup file size by up to 40%.
- Apply Folder Password Encryption: If your email database contains sensitive business invoices or personal credentials, use Wondershare UBackit's secure backup options to encrypt your folder archive with a password.
- Schedule an Automated Backup Rotation: Ensure your data stays protected over time. Configure your automated tool to run an incremental scan at least once a week, keeping your local storage running smoothly while safeguarding your latest threads.
