How to Import Thunderbird Contacts to Outlook on Mac and Win

Why Export Contacts From Thunderbird to Outlook?

Generally, users move contacts from Thunderbird to Outlook to use Microsoft services. Apart from that, the reasons are as follows:

• If you are a business or organization user, Outlook is a more compatible email client for you.
• Outlook has incredible features and high security for data to avoid any losses.
• Users can connect many email accounts through Outlook, unlike Thunderbird.
• Thunderbird is flexible and scalable but not as much as the MS Outlook application.
• Mozilla Thunderbird allows IMAP connection. But MS Outlook connects with both POP/IMAP and Exchange Server.

How to Import Thunderbird Contacts to Outlook Win/Mac?

Thunderbird saves contacts and address books with .mab extensions. Whereas Outlook has PST files. Thus, the conversion process requires extreme attention. Here, learn a manual method and a professional tool for importing Thunderbird contacts.

How to Export Thunderbird Contacts to Outlook Free?

The manual procedure for this is into two sections for concise understanding. Follow these steps:

Part 1: Save Mozilla Thunderbird Contacts to CSV

1. Open Thunderbird and go to the Contacts section from the leftmost bar.
2. Then, select the Address Book containing all your contacts to export.
3. Afterward, right-click and choose the option Export. A dialog opens.
4. Here, enter the filename and location to save. Choose the Save type as CSV.
5. In the end, click Save to store the Thunderbird contacts in a CSV file.

Part 2: Import Thunderbird Contacts to Outlook

1. First, start Outlook on your Windows or Mac OS as needed.
2. Move to File and then to Open & Export to start the Import/Export wizard.
3. Further, opt for the Import from another program or file and tap on Next.
4. Now, select the CSV (Comma Separated Value) format and click Next.
5. Provide the CSV folder path from where to import contacts.
6. After that, click Map Custom Fields to connect the contact fields for both clients.
7. At last, press Finish to transfer contacts from Thunderbird to Outlook.

Shortcomings of the Manual Method

• No guarantee that you will achieve the desired outcome.
• Chances of data corruption, misplaced contacts, or even loss.
• The method is cumbersome for bulk contacts export and may take time.
• Possibility of compatibility or connectivity issues between Outlook and Thunderbird.

Thus, experts recommend using a professional tool to avoid the hassle.

Import Thunderbird Contacts to Outlook Using Automated Tool

For the instant export of contacts, users prefer the SysInfo Thunderbird Backup Tool. It offers intricate features and export contacts from Thunderbird to Outlook in bulk. Along with that, its easy-to-use interface makes the conversion smooth for users. Moreover, it allows to convert contacts in CSV as well as PDF, PST, GIF, DOC, and other file formats. Besides that, import Thunderbird contacts to Gmail, Office 365, Yahoo, iCloud, etc.

Additionally, this versatile tool offers features that make it reliable as:

• Removes duplicate contacts and the option to exclude big attachments.
• Allows to select specific folders from Thunderbird file after the preview.
• Backup Thunderbird emails to hard drive on Mac and Windows OS.
• Maintains folder hierarchy and data integrity of Thunderbird contacts.
• The demo version allows the export of 50 contacts for free per folder.
• It also allows to solve Thunderbird Not Downloading New Messages issue.

Steps to Export Thunderbird Contacts to Outlook

1. Run the Thunderbird Backup Tool and choose your account profile. Tap Next.
   
2. Preview and select the contacts folder from the Preview Panel. Click Next.
   
3. Further, from the Save As drop-down menu, choose the PST format for Outlook.
   
4. Afterward, select the other filters as needed to apply to the output PST file.
   
5. Specify the Path to Save and at last, click Convert to complete the transfer.
   

Conclusion

The above blog gives major reasons to import Thunderbird contacts to Outlook on Mac and Win. You can choose to opt for the manual process or use a professional tool. But the manual method has some cons and doesn’t provide satisfactory output. So, using the expert tool for conversion is a beneficial option.

Frequently Asked Questions

About The Author:

Lovely Baghel

Lovely specializes in technical writing for SysInfoTools Software and has over 2 year of experience writing blogs, and articles about databases & backup, email recovery, email migration & management solutions. Her passion is researching and developing content that helps Office users, professionals, administrators, enterprises, and novices solve multiple problems.