How to Export Emails from Thunderbird to Outlook 2019?

Difference Between Thunderbird and Outlook

Reasons to Export Emails from Thunderbird to Outlook

Whenever it comes to choosing an email application for business purposes, users often prefer Microsoft Outlook. It is because of its easy accessibility, high compatibility, flexibility, and interactive user interface. Some other reasons are as follows:

• Outlook focuses more on security and is stable.
• Outlook doesn't require add-ons for configurations, unlike Thunderbird.
• Also, it offers more data management and collaboration options.

Switch from Thunderbird to Outlook

Since Outlook does not support MBOX format, you can neither open an MBOX file in Outlook nor can you import/export an MBOX file directly to Outlook. So if you want to migrate your old emails from Thunderbird to Outlook, you must convert MBOX to PST format. There are two ways to do that: either you can export your email messages from Thunderbird to Outlook manually or you can use an automated solution to convert MBOX to PST format.

Export Emails from Thunderbird to Outlook Manually

If you are looking for a free but effective solution, there are two manual methods discussed below.

1: Drag and Drop Emails

First, you need to save the Mozilla Thunderbird emails as EML files. And then you can import those EML files to Microsoft Outlook. Follow the steps given below:

1. Open Mozilla Thunderbird on your system and select the email messages that you want to save as EML files.
2. Now, to save them as EML files, opt for any of the given ways:
   • Right-click the selected email messages and then click Save As to save them at any desired location.
   • Or you can drag and drop the selected email messages at any desired location.
     
   • Open Outlook on your system and close Thunderbird.
   • Right-click on your email and select the Create New Folder option. Enter the name of the folder and click OK.
   • Further, drag and drop the earlier saved EML files to the new folder in Outlook.

2: Use Gmail IMAP Feature

This method involves syncing the Thunderbird and Outlook accounts with the help of Gmail. Follow the steps below to export emails from Thunderbird to Outlook:

1. First, log in to your Gmail account and click the Settings icon.
2. Next, click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab. Give IMAP access by clicking the Enable IMAP option.
   
3. Now, open Mozilla Thunderbird and click Email under the New Account option.
   
4. The Account Setup window opens. Enter your Name, Outlook email ID, and Password. Click Continue.
   
5. Then, select IMAP configuration and click Done.
   
6. Now, open your Outlook account and click the Settings icon.
7. Select Add Account and enter your Thunderbird email credentials. Authenticate with browser configuration.
8. Further, click the File tab, and select Open & Export. Then, choose Import/Export.
9. After that, select Export to a file option and click Next.
   
10. Select the (.pst) file option and click Next.
    
11. Additionally, choose the folder where your Thunderbird emails are saved.
12. At last, specify the path for your resultant file and hit the Finish button.

Drawbacks of Manual Methods

Although the above manual methods are effective, they have a few common drawbacks:

• Generally, manual methods are not considered safe. That is why it is recommended to take a backup of the MBOX files before using any manual method.
• As you can see, both manual methods are pretty lengthy, complex, and time-consuming.
• It is not easy for non-technical users to use manual methods accurately.
• If some technical issues occur, the manual methods do not work or they may fail. You may also face data loss in such a situation.

So if you are looking for an efficient solution with no drawbacks, you should consider using an automated tool. You can convert MBOX to PST file format without requiring much time and any prior technical knowledge.

Use a Professional Tool to Export Thunderbird Emails to Outlook

The SysInfo MBOX to PST Converter Tool is one of the most recommended solutions to export emails from Thunderbird to Outlook 2019. This software supports MBOX files created by various email applications, such as Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Netscape, Spicebird, SeaMonkey, etc. Below are the key features of this MBOX Converter tool:

• It allows you to select multiple MBOX files at a time to perform batch conversion.
• During MBOX to PST conversion, it maintains the original folder hierarchy and saves the emails in the PST file in the same way.
• It provides multiple file formats into which you can export MBOX files’ emails: PST, EML, MSG, RTF, and HTML.
• You can check the preview of your email messages before saving them in a PST file.
• The software is highly compatible with all Windows-based operating systems.

How to Use the MBOX Converter Tool?

Download the MBOX Converter and install it on your computer. Then double-click the software icon and follow the steps shown below:

1. Click the Open icon and add the MBOX file(s) that you want to convert to PST format.
2. Within a few seconds, the selected MBOX file(s) will be scanned. Click OK.
   
3. Preview email messages stored in the MBOX file(s). Now, select individual messages or the complete MBOX file, and click Save on the taskbar.
   
4. On the Save output popup window, select Save as PST as you want to convert MBOX to PST format. There are two options:
   • You can either create separate PST files for each MBOX file
   • Or you can create a single PST file for the selected MBOX files

   Note: You can also attach the output PST file(s) directly to your Outlook profile.

   The other saving file formats include EML, MSG, RTF, and HTML. You can keep the original folder hierarchy by checking the option “Save in folder hierarchy”. Click OK to start the MBOX to PST conversion.
   

5. Subsequently, specify the path to save your files and click the OK button. You can now check the newly created PST files containing your old email messages from Mozilla Thunderbird.

Conclusion

We have explained the difference between Thunderbird and Outlook, and how to export emails from Thunderbird to Outlook 2019 or other versions. Also, we have discussed multiple solutions (both manual and professional) to convert MBOX to PST format. Now it is up to you which solution you would like to choose.