How to Specify a Storage Location for Mail Files

By default, your mail is stored in your profile folder. If you want to move your mail (but not the entire contents of the profile folder) to a different location, follow the steps below.

(Please note that Postbox only warrants and supports the default directories for mail.)

1. Set Postbox to use offline mode by selecting File menu -> Offline -> Work Offline. It only takes a minute to change the local directory but working offline eliminates any chance of downloading a new message while you are doing that.
2. Exit Postbox. Create a directory in the new location where you would like to store your mail. If you are changing the storage location for more than one account, create a separate directory for each account.
3. Go to your existing profile folder and COPY (do not MOVE) your mail files over to the new location. For each account, you'll want to move that account's folder in the "Mail" folder (POP3 accounts) or the "ImapMail" folder (IMAP accounts) and copy its entire contents, including all of its subfolders, over to the new location. If you're not sure where an account stores its folders look in Preferences or Options -> Account Settings -> [account name] -> Server Settings -> Local directory.
4. Start Postbox and go to Preferences or Options -> Account Settings -> [account name] -> Local Storage. Where it says "Local directory", click on the "Browse..." button to select the folder you created in step 2. Click the "OK" button and verify that the "Local directory" field shows the correct path to the new storage location of your mail.
5. If you have more than one mail account, repeat step 4 for each account whose mail you moved in steps 2-3.
6. Set Postbox to use online mode again by selecting File -> Offline -> Work Online. Once you're certain that Postbox recognizes the new location of your mail, you can go back and delete the old mail files from your profile folder.

This article includes content contributed by the MozillaZine Knowledge Base. Thank you to all of the contributors who created this content and for MozillaZine for sharing this information.