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How to change the data/storage directory

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Dasha Zolotko
  • December 13, 2024 14:23
  • Updated

Changing the data directory is currently not supported from within Mailbird, and we cannot offer technical support for this.

However, there is a relatively easy way to accomplish the same thing if you don't mind working with Windows a little bit, but please keep in mind that we cannot take responsibility if anything breaks as part of this process - it should serve simply as a suggestion, since every device is configured differently, and following this process may not always work for everyone.

We will explain how you can try moving the data directory to where you want it, and then create a hard symbolic link from the original location to the new location. In the eyes of Mailbird, nothing has changed, but in reality your data directory has moved. We have included a link to a guide which you can refer to in order to create symbolic links in Windows:

  • http://www.howtogeek.com/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

Note that Mailbird has a separate data directory for each Windows user on your system, so if you are using Mailbird on multiple user accounts, you will need to do this for each user individually (and use different locations each time).

  • First, make sure that you have set Mailbird to not run on startup, and then restart your PC.
  • To find your data directory, open Mailbird and hold down CTRL and SHIFT while clicking on the main menu icon in the top left-hand corner of the app.
    • This will enable a hidden item called Open Data Directory - click it, and Windows will display a folder, which is your data directory.
  • Now, shut down Mailbird and move the entire folder somewhere else and create the hard symbolic link (as shown previously here).
    • For example, if my Windows user name is: John Doe, and I moved the data directory to C:\MailbirdData, I would set up the symbolic link by typing in the following command line: mklink /d "C:\Users\John Doe\AppData\Local\Mailbird" "C:\MailbirdData"
      • Please note the quotes around the paths to the folders, as there are spaces in them
    • If you're experiencing issues running mklink, try the junction program from Microsoft to create a junction link instead - it should effectively accomplish the same thing as far as Mailbird is concerned.
    • If you're still experiencing issues, then you may wish to try using this Windows Explorer extension instead: https://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html
  • Now, if you try to go to the old data location you will actually end up in the new location instead.

That's it! You have should have been able to relocate your data directory.

Hopefully you have found this article useful, but if you still require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Happiness Team by clicking here.

 

 

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