Ubuntu – Thunderbird not saving passwords on Ubuntu 18.04

Scouring the internet for answers didn't help. I had the idea to purge-remove my thunderbird installation but I feared losing at least parts of my email archives in the process.

Luckily, I found a solution that went almost hassle-free:

• open Thunderbird
• go to Edit -> Preferences
• open tab Security -> Passwords
• open Saved Passwords
• WARNING: The next step will erase all your passwords from Thunderbird Password Manager, so be sure to have all of your email passwords written down somewhere or saved by another password safe like KeePass!
• click on delete all
• close the window
• in the main window, click retrieve all
• when asked for your password, enter it and tick Use Password Manager to save password
• send yourself an email from every one of your accounts and repeat the previous steps when prompted for passwords

That's it, your passwords should be all set again. Reboot (or logoff-logon) to test if they really stick.

Alternative issue is when transferring a profile from one machine to another, especially Windows to Linux, where some of the settings are 'hidden'. The error/dialog message simple asks for the password, and says nothing about failure to connect, if that's of note.

In particular the pkcs11.txt file contains a file path that needs converting to the linux absolute file path. Given that it's a convenience file, it's easier to delete/rename the file and let it be recreated at next start up.

It may also have line ending or special character issues if you try editing it.