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How to Export Outlook Mailbox to Thunderbird Profile?

export outlook email to thunderbird

Nilesh Kumar | Modified: July 26, 2022 | Outlook Tips | 5 Minutes Reading

However, Microsoft Outlook and Thunderbird both are the most popular desktop-based email clients. But sometimes users want to export Outlook mailbox to Thunderbird to fulfill personal and business email requirements. In most cases, organizations want to transfer Outlook data to Thunderbird to overcome some problems.

If you are also one of them who want to transfer data from Outlook to Thunderbird. Then you can continue read this blog post and get dual techniques for resolving your problem. The process to export Outlook mailbox to Thunderbird is quite difficult because both email clients support different file extensions to store profile data.

Possible Reasons to Transfer Data from Outlook to Thunderbird

Financial Issues: After Covid 19 Pandemic some organizations are facing financial issues. Therefore, companies are preferring to reduce operation costs. We all know that Outlook is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite program which is a paid application. While Thunderbird is an open-source email client which is available 100% free of cost.

Synchronizing Facility: Mozilla Thunderbird users can easily synchronize it with several email programs. Therefore, users can easily import crucial data from multiple email applications i.e., Becky! Internet Mail, Outlook, and SeaMonkey.

Easy to Use: There is no doubt Microsoft Outlook offers some extraordinary features to the users compared to Thunderbird. But most users never use, or less use these features. While Mozilla Thunderbird provides a clean interface with crucial features and this is an easy-to-use email client.

Best for Small Businesses: However, Mozilla Thunderbird doesn’t offer server benefits to store data. But still, this is the first choice for small-sized businesses because it is available free of cost. Even it has all useful features to manage Emails, Address Book, Calendars, etc.

#1 Freeware Method to Export Outlook Email to Thunderbird

  1. First of all, you need to set Outlook as default email program for sending and receiving emails. Go to Control Panel >> Programs >> Default Programs >> Set Your Default Program.
    set outlook as default email program
  2. Launch the Thunderbird email client on your computer. Click on display the Thunderbird menu option.
    display the thunderbird menu
  3. After that, choose the Tools option
    tools option
  4. Click on Import option to continue.
    choose import
  5. Select one option from Mail, or Import Everything option and press Next.
    select mail
  6. Thereafter, choose Outlook from the available applications and click on Next.
    export outlook mailbox to thunderbird
  7. At last, hit on the Finish button to start the process to export Outlook mailbox to Thunderbird.

Limitations:

  • Microsoft Outlook and Thunderbird both desktop based-email clients should be installed on the same computer.
  • This technique allows to export Outlook profiles to Thunderbird one by one.
  • Sometimes it affects the visibility of some email components, even there is no guarantee.
  • This is a time-consuming and lengthy process to transfer Outlook mail to Thunderbird.

#2 Professional Method to Transfer Data from Outlook to Thunderbird

Download PST Converter Software for Windows and Mac computers separately. This application has a separate option to export Outlook mailbox to Thunderbird profile. The tool maintains all email items and attributes while completing the task. You can download this software free of cost which permits you to move a few emails from each Outlook folder to Thunderbird. Therefore, the freeware edition is helpful for software evaluation before upgrading to the license version. Let’s know how it works.

How to Move Emails from Outlook to Thunderbird – Steps

  1. Run the software on your Windows and Mac Machine and choose Add File option.
    add file
  2. Now you can preview complete information of Outlook data (emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, journals) in the software panel using multiple modes.
    preview complete information
  3. After that, press Export button and choose MBOX as the saving option.
    saving option
  4. Use advanced settings according to your need and choice.
    advanced settings
  5. Browse the destination path to store resultant data and click on Export.
  6. Lastly, hit on the Save to start the conversion process.
    move emails from outlook to thunderbird

Note That: After completing the conversion process. Users will get Outlook emails into the MBOX mailbox. That is compatible with all Thunderbird editions. There, now you need to import MBOX to Thunderbird using the free default option. Let’s know how to import the resultant file.

Run Thunderbird email client and add ImportExportToolsNG Add-on in your Thunderbird. After that, right-click on your profile and choose ImportExportToolsNG >> Import MBOX File option. Thereafter, browse the resultant MBOX file and complete the process.

add ImportExportToolsNG

Benefits of Software

  • The tool is capable to transfer Outlook data to Thunderbird together with emails, contacts, calendars, etc.
  • This application also permits to export Outlook emails to PDF, MBOX, MSG, EML, HTML, MHT, ICS, vCard, etc.
  • Users can check or uncheck desired emails and folders from software UI during exporting Outlook mailbox to Thunderbird.
  • It is well suitable software to move emails from Outlook to Thunderbird including complete mailbox items.
  • Users can preview and analyze Outlook profile data using different modes before starting the export process.
  • This is a standalone software that works without Outlook and Thunderbird configuration. It requires only Outlook profile data.

Author Recommendation

In this blog post, we have discussed dual methods to export Outlook mailbox to Thunderbird. If your Outlook and Thunderbird email clients are in working condition on the same computer. Then you can go with the manual method. However, my choice is above mentioned professional solution to transfer Outlook data to Thunderbird.