TB is frozen and I can't close it. It says it's 'not responding'. "Thunderbird needs to do regular file maintenance to improve the performance of your mail folders. This will recover 685 MB of disk space without changing your messages." (win10)
I can't close TB. It is frozen in the midst of trying to compact files. This is the error message:
"Compact folders (Not responding) Thunderbird needs to do regular file maintenance to improve the performance of your mail folders. This will recover 685 MB of disk space without changing your messages. To let Thunderbird do this automatically in the future without asking, check the box below before choosing ‘Compact now’."
My husband and I had the same problem with our laptops not loading emails, saying it doesn't have sufficient file space. I fixed his by deleting a lot of files and then compacting the remainder. BUT - this isn't working for mine. In the process of trying to compact files, it froze and I can't figure out a way to close it and try again.
Any help appreciated! Thanks.
Modified by Wayne Mery
All Replies (10)
If using Windows: press ctrl-shift-esc > click the Processes tab on the left > R. click Thunderbird > click 'End task'.
What is your anti-virus software?
To avoid problems with anti-virus software it is recommended to create an exception in your anti-virus software for the Thunderbird profile folder, so that the anti-virus real-time scanner will not scan it. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_how-to-find-your-profile
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried the Task Manager 'End Task' and thought the problem was solved. "Thunderbird" disappeared from the Task Manager List. I then clicked on Thunderbird to open it again - and it was still there - the same page showing the 'can't compact' error window. It then says TB is "not responding" and shows the 'close the program' choice - but it doesn't really close the program. How can it be 'ended' in one place and still keep running in another?
Thanks for your suggestions. I opened the Profile Folder and found these files:
2qae3q1n.default 5/29/2020 8:54 PM File Folder 042p5wuo.default-release 5/25/2025 File Folder
Are these what you're looking for?
I know this sounds stupid - but I'm really not sure about any anti-virus software. I know I should have it - but not sure where to find it. (I don't think I have ever purchased software like this. I'm 85 - and still sharp about most computer issues - but budget issues don't allow me to buy software like this.) This is the first time that the question of anti-virus software has ever come up.
Thank you for helping. I've tried to close TB using the 'X' at the top. It turns red and then I get a solid black hourglass. After a few moments, TB says it is 'not responding' and does give me the option to close the program - BUT - even though I 'close the program', it does not really close. When I try to reopen TB again later, I get the same 'crash page' that I just tried to close. I thought the 'End Task' command in the Task Manager was going to be a miracle fix - as 'Thunderbird' on the list of running tasks did disappear....but when I went to check, and 'opened' TB, it was back to the same crash page.
At this point, rather than spending more time trying to find the cause (which may well be a bug) and solution, create a new profile (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-thunderbird-profiles). Hopefully, that will get you going again.
Ed said
At this point, rather than spending more time trying to find the cause (which may well be a bug) and solution, create a new profile (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-thunderbird-profiles). Hopefully, that will get you going again.
This is one possible approach, but I disagree with my colleague that this is a good next step at this point in your journey - it's a lot of work, and you might well still end up with the same problem soon, or on the future.
For one reason, I suspect this is related to a compact bug - the solution there is to temporarily disable automatic compact in Settings.
Secondly, if AV is related this is easily tested without the pain of a new profile by starting Windows in safe mode as follows ...
- Start Windows in safe mode with networking enabled - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode
- Still In Windows safe mode, start Thunderbird in Troubleshoot Mode - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-mode-thunderbird
Does problem change?
I tried creating a new profile - and did get a 'clean' TB mail screen. But, when I tried to download my emails, I got this message:
"Unable to write the email to the mailbox. Make sure the file system allows you write privileges, and you have enough disk space to copy the mailbox."
It did download 196 emails, but only May 5 through May 15. I did change the new profile TB to NOT automatically compact - but of course that does nothing for the 'problem' default profile.
My biggest concern is the recovery of my 'local folders' in the crashed TB default profile. There are 100s of them, and they act as my personal wikipedia and correspondence files. I suspect there is a file that holds all these, separate from the email file. CAN I COPY THE LOCAL FOLDERS FILE AND ADD IT TO A NEW PROFILE?
I'm going to try the safe mode later today, and will report on the results. Thanks again for your help. Linda
Forgot to mention: The error message: ("Unable to write the email to the mailbox. Make sure the file system allows you write privileges, and you have enough disk space to copy the mailbox.") - is the same message I got which lead me to try deleting files and COMPACT files (that lead to the crash/freeze). So, the idea that there is a bug in the 'compact' command may be correct. I'll try the safe mode later today and let you know. Thanks again. Linda
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