Fix Mozilla Thunderbird Not Starting
Mozilla Thunderbird is a complete, secure and reliable email client. However, users notice a problem where Thunderbird seems to freeze and does not start even though it appears to be running. Thunderbird generally displays the error message: "Thunderbird is already running, but is not responding. To open a new window, you must either close the current Thunderbird process or reboot the system." Closing Thunderbird often returns this additional error: "Your Thunderbird profile could not be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible."
If you are having
, here is what could happen and what you can do to fix it and get Thunderbird working again.
Why of Thunderbird Not StartingIf Thunderbird refuses to start and returns an
error about the current Thunderbird process
, it is because Thunderbird believes your profile is in use. The cause may be an old profile crash that remained after the Thunderbird crash. This means that Thunderbird did not shut down properly or clean temporary files properly. Additional background processes are running and Thunderbird is confused, freezed and could not be opened.
Another reason may be running Thunderbird on another computer. Thunderbird cannot be run on more than one computer at the same time with the same profile.
There are some
simple troubleshooting procedures
you can take to fix this issue.
How to Make Thunderbird Start Again :-
If Thunderbird is running, but not responding, or says that your profile is in use, here are the steps you should try.
Close and reopen Thunderbird:-
It is always useful to try to close the application and then reopen it. Select Thunderbird> Quit Thunderbird from the list, then reopen the app to see if this resolves the issue.
Close Thunderbird on another computer:-
If Thunderbird is running using your profile on another computer, turn off Thunderbird on this device by selecting Thunderbird> Quit Thunderbird from the list. Then log in again on the computer you are using.
Background Operations Thunderbird killed:-
Even if you shut down Thunderbird, the app might even be running in the background. Terminating background Thunderbird operations might fix the problem. On Windows, do this from Task Manager.
Restart the computer:-
Rebooting is an easy solution that often solves many technical problems.
Start Thunderbird in safe mode:-
This causes the app to run without certain extensions or add-ons causing the error message. Open in safe mode and see if this solves the problem.
Delete locklock file:-
The locklock file is created every time Thunderbird starts and needs to be erased automatically after Thunderbird is closed. If Thunderbird fails to complete the closing process correctly, this file will not be deleted. Manually delete the file to see if this resolves the issue.
Use the Open File LockHunter tool:-
Use LockHunter to find out what prevents Thunderbird from opening, then close any comments about the program so you can use it normally.
Thunderbird folder repair:-
The folder may be corrupt. Fix Thunderbird folders to see if this fixes the problem.
Create a new Thunderbird profile:-
There may be an error with your
. Profiles in Thunderbird and Firefox store information about settings, email, accounts and any installed extensions. If something goes wrong, back up your profile and then create a new one.
Re-install Thunderbird :-
If none of the troubleshooting steps resolve this issue, move your profile folder to a different location for backup. Then reinstall Thunderbird without a profile. Everything should start again.
