Summary: Mozilla Thunderbird is a well-known email client where accidental deletion of emails is one common problem. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to retrieve deleted emails in Thunderbird, whether they are recently deleted or permanently removed. In this article, we will explain the reasons behind this email loss and what are the recovery methods which can be used to recover those important messages manually.
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Reasons For Deleted Emails in Thunderbird
Before you start the process of recovering lost emails, it is essential to know the causes for their deletion.
- Users may unknowingly delete emails while clearing their inboxes.
- Some Thunderbird settings automatically delete emails after a certain period.
- Corruption of the MBOX file can lead to the disappearance of emails.
- While compacting Thunderbird, if this process is interrupted in between, then one can lose emails.
- Simultaneously deleting emails from the online server and local client can cause an issue if Thunderbird is configured to sync.
Manual Methods to Retrieve Deleted Emails in Thunderbird
In this particular section, we are going to discuss five different manual ways to recover those deleted emails. The steps are given below:
1. Recover from the Trash
- If you deleted the email recently, it could be in the Trash section.
- To do this, open Thunderbird and select Trash.
- Then, locate the email that you deleted previously.
- Now, right-click on it and select Move to > Inbox or any other desired folder.
2. Check Deleted or Junk Folders
- It is possible that some email accounts set up a special Deleted or Junk folder for saving deleted emails temporarily.
- Always check if those missing emails are recoverable from these folders or not.
3. Recover Emails from MBOX Files
Thunderbird keeps emails in MBOX files. Once email disappears, you could manually restore email by:
1. Open Thunderbird’s Profile Folder
- Firstly, press Windows + R,
- Next, type this path %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles, and hit Enter.
- Now, open the default profile folder (e.g., xyz.default).
2. Locate the MBOX File
- View to Mail or ImapMail folder and search for your email account folder.
- Then, look for a file with no extension (e.g., Inbox, Sent).
3. Open the MBOX File in a Text Editor
- Use Notepad++ or a similar editor to search for missing emails.
- If you find them, try importing the MBOX file back into Thunderbird using a tool.
4. Apply Thunderbird’s Repair Folder Feature
If emails are missing due to corruption, repairing the folder will help:
- Right-click the email folder with the lost emails.
- Select Properties and then Repair Folder.
- Now, click OK button and restart Thunderbird
- At last, just check if the emails have returned or not.
5. Recover from Backup
If you backed up your Thunderbird profile earlier, then you can follow this process steps:
- At first find the backup folder and copy profile information from it.
- Then, paste those files into the existing Thunderbird profile directory (%APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles).
- Now, you need to restart Thunderbird and check if your messages are restored or not.
Retrieve Deleted Emails in Thunderbird Using Automated Way
If you have accidentally deleted emails in Thunderbird and want to recover them. Then, the best tool to use is SysTools Free MBOX Converter Tool. With the help of this, you can restore your deleted emails from the MBOX files in Thunderbird. It scans the stored MBOX file for recoverable emails and saves them in different formats. It is unlike any other manual recovery method, which mostly faces some loss of data, as it does the entire recovery process of emails.
Ending Note
We have provided you different ways of recovering deleted emails in Thunderbird including checking the deleted items folder, restoring MBOX files, and backups. When emails are deleted permanently, using a professional tool is often the best choice. Doing regular backup of emails and maintaining email management can help prevent data loss in your future work.
Also, when you want to change the MBOX files to a more accessible format, then you can try our SysTools Best MBOX to PDF Converter that will let you save your messages as pdfs with great accuracy.