What compatibility issues are you expecting? What does "run as compatible" mean? Bear in mind that as an Apple user you're in small minority and many of us won't know about any Apple peculiarities.

I'd just use the old profile and then adjust to suit.

My first recommendation in setting up a high resolution monitor is to make sure the OS's dpi setting is right. This is trivial in Linux but in Apple and Microsoft systems you have to mess about with a scaling factor, and just twiddle it blindly until you get something you like or at least can work with. This will set the overall type size in system menus.

If after doing that you still can't work with Thunderbird, I'd set up a userChrome.css file to set a global font face and size for menus and message lists.

I also set up a userContent.css file to set the message font size to something acceptable.

Here some instructions on making these files.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1198942#answer-1064705

I'm on Windows10.

Using 4k screen, you can get old programs that show up super small. Sometimes these compatibility settings which window's provides can fix it. (It's not in this case.)

Since a newly installed copy of TB doesn't have compatibility issues with 4k screen.... I don't want to try to use my old profile and make to compatible. I want to bring over a few settings & use the new profile.

So the question is how do I bring over settings from an old to new TB profile without bringing the whole profile.

_ Thanks for your reply though!

Your reply:

    " You have a new profile and it's working for you. You want your old 
     messages imported into this new profile. 
     Where do settings come into this? "

-

Yes, new profile works. I can import the messages using import/export. But how do I get the old settings. I'd - set up colors for tagging, - created filters, - set up the menu icons (but could redo that easily) - had add-ons - probably other settings too.

thanks!

Go to Advanced settings and adjust the layout.css.dpi preference to bigger value; say 1.5, 2 or 3.

TY- Thanks!

since the new one works without adjustment & old one doesn't... it seems better to move to the new one without playing with things.

Can't I move settings? Which files have the various setting?

Maybe I need to repost the question with that as the lead.

I don't see under account settings... advanced... don't see any layout option

curls said

TY- Thanks! since the new one works without adjustment & old one doesn't... it seems better to move to the new one without playing with things.

Do you think that perhaps your assumption is wrong? There is a reason you are being pushed to fix the setting rather than try and extract bits of a profile to make a new one with. Long, slow and fraught will difficulties. V's change a hidden preference and continue life as it was before.

However I am posting here to ask you to please provider some information. I do not have access to a 4k screen, so could you please use the Config Editor to look at the value in your working correctly sized new profile for layout.css.dpi just type DPI in the Config Editor search bar. It is the only thing returned. I know the default value is -1. and through researching this preference I have learned the setting it to 2 will double the size of the user interface.

My intention is to document this setting as I had never heard of it until today. It sounds like a quick solution to many of the complaints we see in this forum about the theme and font size add-on being broken, and non functional in Unix/Linux/OSX devices. But I ned more information to determine just what sorts of value do what. so the correct size value for a 4k display would be a good start.

It's -1 in both the old and new configurations. Changing it doesn't change the old profile's display size.

As I think about it - if DPI was going to work then the Windows10 provided compatibility tools would have worked.

No one was pushing me -not- to move. They didn't know the answer & were trying to be helpful with other ideas. One person thought it was a windows to mac move (then deleted that reference). Another didn't know what 4k referred to.

Your point is interesting, but my thought is based on experience. When you take old software & jimmy it... you usually wind up crying or pulling out hair. Not right away but over and over again over time. But it's a moot point, since it didn't resize.

--- NOW I'M having a BIGGER problem.

I set options to download/sync 6 months. It's downloading years worth! How do I get it not to do that?? HELP HERE??

It's also not copying the online folder structure, only a couple of minor folders. Comcast. Do I need to create all the folders 1st on my own? My online folders don't match my old pop folders.

All the better if I add add-ons by hand. But what folders hold the other stuff? I'll play with it. One folder at a time and see what works and what doesn't. Tags, filters, menu-icons moved around. I can hand copy options & account settings. I never used the calendar or the chats.

A few of the customized setting may well be part of addons anyway. So I'll see what new files appear when I add each add on. I'm thinking tag colors are addons? And filters?

Any help appreciated. A bit crazy-making at this point.

Matt said

However I am posting here to ask you to please provider some information. I do not have access to a 4k screen, so could you please use the Config Editor to look at the value in your working correctly sized new profile for layout.css.dpi just type DPI in the Config Editor search bar. It is the only thing returned. I know the default value is -1. and through researching this preference I have learned the setting it to 2 will double the size of the user interface. My intention is to document this setting as I had never heard of it until today. It sounds like a quick solution to many of the complaints we see in this forum about the theme and font size add-on being broken, and non functional in Unix/Linux/OSX devices. But I ned more information to determine just what sorts of value do what. so the correct size value for a 4k display would be a good start.

It's -1 in both the old and new configurations. Changing it doesn't change the old profile's display size. It changes the size of each mail in the reading-window. But doesn't change the list of email or folder size or any menu or bar font nor icon size.

I've since discovered the Theme Size and Font Changer Addon, when I accidentally zoomed it, made my TB tiny everywhere. I disabled it, then reenabled it, and problem was gone. (But this was probably the problem in my older profile. Update: Nope, disabling the theme size changer didn't fix my old profile.)

I'm sticking with the new, so it's cleaner & I have more sense of what I'm adding. Ver 57 has disabled a lot of the addons I was using, and changed functions, so better to step through things.

I would greatly like to be able to change the fonts/sizes in the list of mail window and on the left in the list of folders. I think this addon is what was doing that for me before.

I'll start a new question when I figure out what my questions are if there are any. So far the only one is what file are the filters in?

Hopefully to save you some time. This article is a very good reference as the what files are there and what for. I am sure there are gaps, but it should answer most of your where are stored questions.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Files_and_folders_in_the_profile_-_Thunderbird

Matt said

Hopefully to save you some time. This article is a very good reference as the what files are there and what for. I am sure there are gaps, but it should answer most of your where are stored questions. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Files_and_folders_in_the_profile_-_Thunderbird

THANKS! I hadn't seen that yet and it will definitely help!

Now to get your mail.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/

Once installed use it from the right click menu on folders. That way the destination for imports will be clear.

Only import mail to the "Local Folders" tree. Move it latter if you really feel the need. But start with local folders.

Import using the import folder and sub folders option and start with the folder "mail". While there is mail in the IMAPMail folder and it's sub folders I do not recommend importing it. A new install with imap will synchronize that mail anyway. But technically it can be imported using the import export tools as well.