Installation Overview
Existing Settings are Copied, Not Modified
When Postbox 7 is run, it will copy settings and files from your previous Postbox 5 or earlier install into the new Postbox 7 data directories, leaving your previous data directories unmodified. This preserves full backward compatibility with your previous version of Postbox.
Concurrent Operation
Separate data directories mean running Postbox 7 concurrently with older versions of Postbox is possible. If you wish to run concurrently, there are a few extra steps to follow:
On macOS, copy the Postbox.app file to the Desktop, rename it "Postbox 7," then copy it to your Applications folder.
On Windows, specify a different installation directory for Postbox 7.
Disk Space
Since Postbox will be copying data from one install to the next, you may wish to free up some disk space from your previous version of Postbox before installing Postbox 7. An easy way to do that is to delete your ImapMail cache.
Start Postbox 5 (or earlier), then go to the "Help" menu and select "Trouble Shooting..." and then select the following:
_X_ Reset IMAP mail databases and Search Indexes
Then restart Postbox 5, then Quit Postbox 5.
Installation Options
Postbox may present you with migration options during your installation.
Migrate from Postbox 3, 4, or 5 Option
If you have used version 3, 4, or 5 (within the last six months), Postbox will offer to migrate some (but not all) settings and data from your previous install to version 6.
During migration, Postbox 7 will:
- migrate your account settings and passwords
- migrate your POP and local mail
- migrate Filters, Signatures, Responses, Quick Posts, and Address Book data
- migrate some (but not all) user preferences
Postbox 7 will not migrate:
- IMAP mail, as this will be downloaded from the server
- many hidden preferences set using the Config Editor
- indexing data (a re-index will be required)
- UI customizations such as Account Groups or Toolbar settings
Clean Install Option
If you select "Clean Install," nothing will copy over from a previous Postbox install! You will be starting from scratch.
If you select Clean Install by mistake and now see none of your data when you start Postbox 7, don't worry! All of your data from your previous version is still intact! You simply need to restart the migration process:
- In Postbox 7, go to Preferences (macOS) or Options (Windows) > General, and select the checkbox for Show Profile Manager at startup.
- Restart Postbox, and it will enter into the Profile Manager. Create a new profile, give it a name, then start Postbox with that profile.
- When you reach the Migration Assistant, select the option to Migrate from Postbox 3, 4, or 5.
Installing Additional Profiles
The Postbox 7 migrator only imports one profile at a time, so if you would like to import additional profiles, here's what to do:
1) In the running profile, go to Preferences (macOS) or Options (Windows) > General and select the checkbox for Show Profile Manager on startup.
2) Restart Postbox, and it will enter into the Profile Manager. Create a new profile, give it a name, then start Postbox with that profile.
3) The Migration Assistant will reappear, allowing you to select a second Postbox 3, 4, or 5 profile.
Repeat these steps for each profile you wish to import.
Is it safe to remove the older Postbox directory after installing Postbox 7?
We do not recommend removing anything from your hard drive unless necessary. But if you need to remove the older Postbox folders, you can find them here:
macOS:
~ [your home directory] / Library/ Caches / Postbox
~ [your home directory] / Library / Application Support / Postbox
Windows:
Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Postbox
Users\username\AppData\Local\Postbox
Reference – Installation Directories
Postbox 5 and below will install into the following data directories:
macOS
~ [your home directory] / Library/ Caches / Postbox
~ [your home directory] / Library / Application Support / Postbox
Windows
Users\username\AppData\Local\Postbox
Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Postbox
Postbox 7 will install into the following new data directories:
macOS
~ [your home directory] / Library/ Caches / PostboxApp
~ [your home directory] / Library / Application Support /PostboxApp
Windows
Users\username\AppData\Local\PostboxApp
Users\username\AppData\Roaming\PostboxApp