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What Thunderbird files do I need to back up in order to restore emails later?

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  • Last reply by gf1701

gf1701
gf1701
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I've been using Windows 10 File History as my backup tool and have decided to move on to a 3rd-party backup solution, either Acronis or Backup4All, where I will use an incremental backup scheme. I’m not sure what Thunderbird files I need to back up in order to be able to restore old copies if needed. Windows File History makes copies of every single Thunderbird profile file every time I send or receive e-mail, including many files that are empty (e.g., AlternateServices, parent, SecurityPreload State), and those that seem to have no bearing on the content of e-mails (e.g., permissions, search.json, sessionCheckpoints, Telemetry.ShutdownTime). They don’t add up to a lot of space, but they do add up. So I’d like to know what files I actually need to back up so that I am able to later import or restore (I haven’t had to do so yet, so I don’t know the process) old e-mail copies. Thanks.

I've been using Windows 10 File History as my backup tool and have decided to move on to a 3rd-party backup solution, either Acronis or Backup4All, where I will use an incremental backup scheme. I’m not sure what Thunderbird files I need to back up in order to be able to restore old copies if needed. Windows File History makes copies of every single Thunderbird profile file every time I send or receive e-mail, including many files that are empty (e.g., AlternateServices, parent, SecurityPreload State), and those that seem to have no bearing on the content of e-mails (e.g., permissions, search.json, sessionCheckpoints, Telemetry.ShutdownTime). They don’t add up to a lot of space, but they do add up. So I’d like to know what files I actually need to back up so that I am able to later import or restore (I haven’t had to do so yet, so I don’t know the process) old e-mail copies. Thanks.

All Replies (2)

Matt
Matt
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Given Thunderbird profile including mail is a single organism, trying to back up a part of it is a bit like backing up your legs, but not your head. All the parts work together.

Are you using IMAP mail accounts? in which case mail backup is a moot point as it is synchronised to the server?

If you use synchronized calendars and contacts along with IMAP local backups offer little.

gf1701
gf1701 Question owner
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I use IMAP, and it's a gmail account, but I keep local copies of all folders on my computer. I have no idea what is accessible via gmail, and for how long, or how to access anything that I can't see on gmail.com. So backups of my local files are more important to me than leaving my fate it in Google's hands. So this is not a moot point for me. I would appreciate it if someone could provide an answer to my question.