![Thunderbird logo](https://assets-prod.sumo.prod.webservices.mozgcp.net/media/uploads/products/2024-02-12-07-36-53-599028_1.png)
How can I move the data from my TB installation on Windows to a new TB installation on Mac?
I'd hoped this question was answered at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/moving-thunderbird-data-to-a-new-computer, but that article assumes a Mac-to-Mac migration, and it doesn't work for a Windows-to-Mac migration. The discussion at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1324908 addresses the issue, but what the poster did to get things working is rather vague ("I took more from one [response] and a little from the other two...]. Can someone please summarize or point me to a summary of what needs to be done to move the files in a TB installation on Windows 10 to MacOS 14 Sonoma so that the installation on the Mac will work like the one on Windows did?
I have a lot of old mail, so my TB directory is over 40 GB. Copying it from my Windows machine to my Mac (either over a network or via a USB drive) takes quite a while, so I'm trying to avoid any more trial and error than I've already gone through.
Thanks.
PS - I apologize for the use of raw URLs above, but I was unable to figure out Mozilla's markup language, and there's no preview button for posts, so I decided to go with something I figured was unlikely to get mangled in the publication process.
தீர்வு தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டது
I finally got it working in the most "Duh!" way possible: On Windows, I exported my TB profile, and on the Mac, I imported it. That was basically it. Some of settings for how mailbox contents are displayed were not transferred over, so I had to set them on the Mac, and I had to enter the password for my ISP's mail service a couple of times, but other than that, export/import seems to have worked the way one would hope it would.
It is beyond me why this utterly straightforward approach to moving TB from one machine to another doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere. If there's a hidden drawback to it, I'd be grateful to be told about it.
Read this answer in context 👍 0All Replies (1)
தீர்வு தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டது
I finally got it working in the most "Duh!" way possible: On Windows, I exported my TB profile, and on the Mac, I imported it. That was basically it. Some of settings for how mailbox contents are displayed were not transferred over, so I had to set them on the Mac, and I had to enter the password for my ISP's mail service a couple of times, but other than that, export/import seems to have worked the way one would hope it would.
It is beyond me why this utterly straightforward approach to moving TB from one machine to another doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere. If there's a hidden drawback to it, I'd be grateful to be told about it.