Where Does Claws Mail Store Accounts and Mail?
Claws Mail keeps accounts, filters and local mail in ~/.claws-mail with mailboxes in ~/Mail. Config files and flags.
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Claws Mail keeps its world in ~/.claws-mail: clawsrc for main settings, accountrc for accounts, matcherrc for filters, folderlist.xml for hierarchy, plus address books, templates and certificates in subfolders. Local mailboxes default to ~/Mail beside it. The man page inventories every file, which is refreshingly complete.
The mailbox path is one config line, so relocating storage is trivial once you know the key exists. Passwords live in passwordstorerc or the system keyring depending on build, which is the one file to treat carefully in backups. A --config-dir flag prints or overrides the location for portable and multi-profile setups. Claws is Linux and Unix-first; back up the dotfolder plus ~/Mail together.
Where Claws Mail stores this, by platform
~/.claws-mail/clawsrc
clawsrc is the main config; accountrc holds accounts; matcherrc holds filters; folderlist.xml holds hierarchy. Local mail defaults to ~/Mail, changeable via the mailbox line. Confirm the live path with claws-mail --config-dir. Back up the dotfolder plus mail together with the client closed.
Frequently asked questions
how do i move claws mail to a new computer
Copy ~/.claws-mail plus ~/Mail to the new machine with Claws closed on both ends. accountrc carries accounts, matcherrc carries filters, clawsrc carries everything else. Passwords may need re-entering if the keyring backend differs. Keep permissions tight; accountrc can hold app passwords.
how do i change claws mail storage folder
Edit the mailbox line in ~/.claws-mail/clawsrc to your preferred path. The default ~/Mail suits hardly anyone with an existing mail layout. Move the existing Mail folder first, then point the config at it. IMAP caches in imapcache follow automatically on next sync.
how do i run two claws mail profiles
Run claws-mail --config-dir to print the live location, or --alternate-config-dir with a path for a second profile. Portable and multi-account setups use the alternate flag to keep profiles apart. The man page documents both flags alongside the full file inventory.
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