How to Backup Thunderbird Emails to External Hard Drive?

Thunderbird is a leading open-source web-based email/calendaring client which is free for business and personal use. It is used by users and organizations to send and receive their information/data. Moreover, it opts with various built-in features like Email, Calendar, Address book, Chat, File link, Feeds, Newsgroups, etc.

Thunderbird provides user options such as Mail Account Setup Wizard, One-click Address Book, Attachment Reminder. But, using these features of the Thunderbird. Sometimes there is a possibility of getting unauthorized or unorganized threats while accessing or working on Thunderbird by users.

Reason to Backup Thunderbird Emails to External Hard Drive

• Accidental deletion of Thunderbird mailboxes items.
• Chances of Hackers or viruses attacks on the Thunderbird account.
• To protect the account from spam emails.
• Protect from the corruption of mailbox data.
• A user wants to switch from the Thunderbird email client.
• Chances of some physical damage to the system.

These are some reasons that insist users to save Thunderbird mailbox emails to pc. Now, understand the different techniques to backup Thunderbird emails to hard drive.

Methods To Save Thunderbird Emails to External Hard Drive

These are some methods to backup Thunderbird mailbox items to the local system/hard drive/PC. Choose any of one as per your need to copy thunderbird emails.

1: Backup Thunderbird Mailbox to Hard Drive Using Third-Party Tool

Thunderbird Email Backup Tool is a prominent and secure software to backup thunderbird emails into the hard-drive/local system/pc. It backup mailboxes emails directly into different file formats such as PST, PDF, EML, EMLX, HTML, etc. This tool is designed with a highly advanced algorithm to provide users with an interactive user interface. Moreover, it imports Thunderbird emails to Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Office 365, and other email clients.

2: Download Thunderbird Emails to the Hard Drive Using Save As Option

Follow the below mentioned carefully to backup Thunderbird emails on the system:

1. Launch the Mozilla Thunderbird on your system.
   
2. Select and Open the email which you want to save on the hard-drive. You can select all the emails from a specific folder.
3. Now, click on the Menu button, it displays you the drop-down list.
4. Then click on the Save As option.
   
5. In the Save As tab, select the File and press on it.
6. After that, choose the destination location and define the folder name for the selected email.
   
7. At last, click Save to backup the selected email on the system.
   

3: Export Thunderbird Emails into EML/PDF/HTML via ImportExportTools

You can also opt with this ImportExportTools NG in-built in Thunderbird to backup Thunderbird emails into multiple formats such as EML, HTML, Plain text, Spreadsheet, PDF, etc. Then after selecting the file format, save them on your system. Follow the below steps to backup emails using the Import/ExportTools NG:

1. Run the Mozilla Thunderbird on your PC/System and click on the Menu option.
2. Click on the Add-ons option. It will redirect you to the Add-on Manager Window.
3. Now, select the ImportExportTools NG from the tool or search it on the Find More add-ons.
4. After finding the tool, click on the Add to Thunderbird button.
5. In the Add ImportExportTools NG? Tab. Click on the Add.
6. You will find in the Extension option that the tool added to the Thunderbird.
7. Now select the folder and right-click on them to backup on the external hard drive.
8. Then click on this ImportExportTools NG > Export all messages in the folder > EML file format.
9. After that, enter the folder name to backup Thunderbird emails and click on the Select Folder.
10. Finally, your selected thunderbird emails folder is saved to the destination location.

4: Save Thunderbird Profile

Using this method, you can backup Thunderbird emails to an external hard drive as your profile stores all information associated with your account, such as emails, contacts, calendars, etc. When you back up the Thunderbird account, you can copy and paste them to the desired location. Follow the below steps carefully for saving the Thunderbird profile data.

1. Launch the Mozilla Thunderbird on the pc and click on the menu option.
2. Now, from the drop-down list of Menu, select the Help option.
3. In the Help tab, click on the Troubleshooting Information.
4. Then in the Troubleshooting Information wizard, click on the Open Folder button.
   
5. It will switch you to the location where your Thunderbird profile data folder is present.
6. At last, copy and save them at your desired location. Then cut and paste on your external hard drive.
   

Also Read- Recover Deleted Emails from Thunderbird

Conclusion

As we learned, Thunderbird is a leading open-source web-based email/calendaring client which is free for business and personal use. Then, look at the different reasons to backup Thunderbird emails to an External hard drive. So to avoid these factors understand the techniques to download Thunderbird emails to the hard drive.

About The Author:

Simran Bhatia

Simran Bhatia is a technical content writer engaged in writing clear, concise, and SEO-optimized content. With a background in computer science and a passion for writing, I thrive to deliver complex technical content in simple layman terms.