We're calling on all EU-based Mozillians with iOS or iPadOS devices to help us monitor Apple’s new browser choice screens. Join the effort to hold Big Tech to account!

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Migration Data Lost

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 8 views
  • Last reply by Skyking69

more options

When the latest Thunderbird installed last week it lost every email and contact in my address book. I installed a new profile and downloaded >40,000 messages from my host server but my address book contents are still missing. Mozilla really should not do "updates" that give people such a massive headache. Even the simplest things were changed, like clicking once on the preview window marks a message as read when I don't want it to do that. Anyway, now to my questions: 1) How can I at least restore my contacts? I have tried using the import feature and it does not see my former profile. 2) I would really like to blow away all the unread email in the new profile and get my other profile mail imported so I can see what has been read and what has not. Much thanks for advice. - Phillip

When the latest Thunderbird installed last week it lost every email and contact in my address book. I installed a new profile and downloaded >40,000 messages from my host server but my address book contents are still missing. Mozilla really should not do "updates" that give people such a massive headache. Even the simplest things were changed, like clicking once on the preview window marks a message as read when I don't want it to do that. Anyway, now to my questions: 1) How can I at least restore my contacts? I have tried using the import feature and it does not see my former profile. 2) I would really like to blow away all the unread email in the new profile and get my other profile mail imported so I can see what has been read and what has not. Much thanks for advice. - Phillip

All Replies (2)

more options

Check your old profile folder for abook files. One of them should be abook.sqlite. Copy it to the new profile folder and restart Thunderbird.

more options

Stans, you are THE man. My sincere thanks, my 1600+ contacts are restored. In follow up, my groups were not restored. Any suggestion for how to restore them? Thank you again. - Phillip