There apparently is a solution for the archived topic you mentioned. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1303929#answer-1348701

Hi:

Yes, there are multiple threads like that posting the same exact alleged solution. In each of those threads you will find the OPs' problem was never truly solved and the threads were simply archived and locked. (A dodge rather than admitting failure on a solution)???

Hopefully now after some time has passed there is a working solution. All the above linked solution you provided does is SHOW the .mbox file under the Local Folders column. It does NOT show the EMAILS in the file.

That is what I am seeking. To be able to READ the emails, not see the file containing them.

If it helps, I am attaching a screenshot of the client so you can see the posted solution does not work.

Sorry. The forum is not accepting image uploads right now. I will have to try and upload later.

Ok. Forum is now out of maintenance mode and has accepted the screen shot from the 'my reply' post.

Why are there two folders with seemingly the same name in your screenshot?

A screenshot of the Local Folders directory in Windows Explorer would probably be more useful.

Hi:

Right now I am up to 18 folders with the same name. Each time I open Thunderbird it adds a new folder. SMH.

However, I did start breaking apart the script and I believe it may be a file size problem. I am going to try a modification in the program to test the theory. My file opens right away in several other MBox readers I downloaded today. So, it is not a file corruption.

The mbox file, without the .mbox extension, must be copied into Mail/Local Folders, with TB closed. Your last picture shows it as a subfolder of Mail/Local Folders. The attached picture shows Mail/Local Folders with mbox files Drafts, Sent, Trash and Unsent Messages.

@sfhowes:

If you look carefully at my attachment, you will see that the mbox file, without the .mbox extension IS copied into the Mail.Local Folders directory. I am looking at the TREE view while you are looking at the program's view. It should have auto generated 'Drafts, Sent, Trash and Unsent Messages'. As you can see, it did not.

So, I do have it configured the way you suggest which is the way the original articles say to do it .... which does not work.

The file is working correctly in every other MBox software I have downloaded after Thunderbird. Since I can read my mail in other programs, I am considering simply removing Thunderbird from the system.

It is WIndows 11. Perhaps Thunderbird is not ready for Microsift's latest version???

If this is a new install, you won't see Drafts, Sent, Trash and Unsent Messages until you save a draft, send a message, delete a message or store a message in Outbox.

TB works fine here in W11. I just downloaded from Takeout and copied the mbox into Mail/Local Folders, removed the .mbox, restarted TB, and all messages were visible under Local Folders (see pictures).

Your picture shows 2 profile folders, so maybe TB is starting in the other profile. Any profile can be launched from Help/More Troubleshooting, about:profiles.

I have integrated the file into the directory exactly the same as you show.

Your file size is much, much smaller than mine, though. I have a 1.2 terabyte total Takeout broken down into 200gb packs and reintegrated. It's 45 years of emails from 1976 to present. Looking at your pack size, you were probably using the free Gmail services. I've had to use their paid extended storage for some time.

This was my first install of Thunderbird on this computer in over a decade. This machine was running Windows 7 at the time and is now upgraded to Windows 11. Today I have uninstalled and reinstalled Thunderbird twice with the same result. It has yet to read the file or to create the other folders in your screenshot. What it does is create a new 'All Mail Including Spam and Trash' folder on every restart. (I was up to 18 folders before my last uninstall). There is only one copy of the .Mbox file (with extension stripped away) resident in the Local Folder. The miscellaneous duplicate folders that are auto created are all empty.

Since my archived files are viewable, editable and mail-able in all the other MBox readers I have downloaded I don't think I need to waste anymore time trying to get Thunderbird to work. I did break apart the program and edited in Linux to strip away some of Thunderbirds bulky memory-eating attributes. My question: Would Mozzilla get mad if I changed aspects of the base code to accept the larger file size? Is that legal? I can see exactly what waste-of-memory task Thunderbird is doing that the other readers are not. Simple extrapolation and the program still operates. But would it be a problem to make those changes 'live' on just my Windows machine?

(And yes, I have done full virus sweeps).

Keep in mind that reinstalling the program won't affect anything in the separate, profile folder, which contains all user data. But the reason you don't see the mbox contents might be because the .msf index file hasn't completed its formation. I don't know how long it takes for a 200GB mbox, but it's not instantaneous. The progress might be shown in Tools/Activity Manager.

I don't know what you plan to change in the base code, or who would be concerned. Anything you do on your own computer should not matter if it doesn't affect anyone else.