Where Does Betterbird Store Profiles?
Betterbird shares Thunderbird's profile folder by design. The per OS roots plus portable mode.
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Betterbird runs on Thunderbird profiles directly, which is the project's headline trick: install both side by side and try it with zero migration. On Windows that means %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles, on macOS ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles, on Linux ~/.thunderbird, each with profiles.ini one level up.
The portable Windows build keeps its own data beside the exe instead. Back up the profile folder plus profiles.ini with both apps closed; mail, accounts, and add-ons travel together. Because they share, a corrupt profile breaks both apps identically.
Where Betterbird stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles
Shared Thunderbird profile root by design. profiles.ini one level up maps names. Portable builds use their own folder beside the exe instead.
~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles
Same shared layout in the Thunderbird folder, not a Betterbird one. Finder hides ~/Library, so use Go to Folder.
~/.thunderbird
Profiles plus profiles.ini at this root. Flatpak remaps under ~/.var. Close both mail apps before copying.
Frequently asked questions
can betterbird and thunderbird share a profile
Yes, that is the official pitch. Point both at the same Thunderbird profile and switch freely. Keep backups; a bad add-on in one affects the shared data both read.
how do i move betterbird to a new pc
Copy the Thunderbird profile folder plus profiles.ini to the identical path on the new machine. Re enter master and account passwords after launch.
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