Live Chat
Home » Blog » MS Outlook » Learn How to Migrate Outlook to Thunderbird Instantly
MS Outlook

Learn How to Migrate Outlook to Thunderbird Instantly

  author
Published By Mohit Jha
Tej Pratap Shukla
Approved By Tej Pratap Shukla
Published On March 6th, 2024
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

User Query: I have a huge amount of emails in my Outlook account that I want to migrate Outlook to Thunderbird account. I have changed my organization and that is why I need to perform this migration procedure. I looked for a lot of solutions to transfer Outlook emails to Thunderbird and tried many of them but none of these have proven to be successful. But I need to move my data safely as it is pretty important and contains sensitive information. Is there any solution that can help me do the same without losing any data?

Undoubtedly, MS Outlook is one of the most frequently used email clients preferred by both small and large-scale businesses across the world. Sometimes, user requirements and preferences change and people want to migrate from one email client to another. Nowadays, many users prefer using the freeware application Thunderbird over Outlook. However, the sad part is that users are not aware of the procedure to migrate Outlook to Thunderbird.

Therefore, in this article, we will discuss the complete process to migrate your Outlook emails into Thunderbird application with step by step method.

Table of Contents:

  1. Top Reasons to Transfer Outlook Emails to Thunderbird
  2. Expert Solution to Migrate Outlook to Thunderbird
  3. Quick Steps to Transfer Outlook Mailbox to Thunderbird Account
  4. Import Outlook Mailbox to Thunderbird After Conversion Via Thunderbird Import Wizard
  5. How to Add Outlook Emails to Thunderbird Manually?
  6. Conclusion

Top Reasons to Transfer Outlook Emails to Thunderbird

  • Thunderbird is a free-of-cost and open-source application, which is one of the most common reasons to switch from Outlook.
  • It is compatible with multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, Unix, and Mac OS. On the other hand, Outlook is only compatible with Windows and Mac OS.
  • Sometimes, organizations switch their email clients and it becomes a necessity for the employees to transfer emails to Thunderbird.

Read More: Import Outlook Calendar to Thunderbird

Expert Solution to Migrate Outlook to Thunderbird

It is pretty difficult for users to find a simple and trustworthy solution to perform this migration. Therefore, in the below section, we are going to introduce an accurate technique for them. The following approach is divided into 2 sections, first one is to convert emails from Outlook PST file to Thunderbird MBOX format. After that, you have to import exported MBOX file to the desired Thunderbird profile. Let us understand this in detail with step by step method in the below sections.

To flawlessly transfer emails from Outlook, it is recommended to use PST to MBOX Converter software. So, let’s understand the working of the tool in detail.

Download Now Purchase Now

Quick Steps to Transfer Outlook Emails to Thunderbird Format

  1. Launch the software on the system and click on the Browse button and select the Outlook file to convert.browse pst file
  2. After that, click the second Browse button in which you need to provide the destination location to save the exported Outlook data.outlook migration
  3. In order to maintain the folder hierarchy, users can avail of this feature by selecting the Yes or No button as per their requirement.email migration
  4. At last, hit the Export button to start the file conversion process.transfer outlook emails to thunderbird
  5. Once the file is successfully converted, a prompt message will be displayed as shown in the below image.outlook emails import

Import Outlook Mailbox to Thunderbird After Conversion with Professional Software

With the help of software to import MBOX to Thunderbird, users can smartly import all the exported emails to Thunderbird without facing any data loss issues. Moreover, users can bulk import the MBOX files in which the emails and their respective attachments are successfully transferred to the Thunderbird application.

Download Now Purchase Now

Here comes the step-by-step guide to import Outlook emails.

  1. Launch the software and click the Add File(s) or Add Folder button to upload the resultant file on the software interface.add mbox file
  2. Once the MBOX file is uploaded, it displays all the messages on tool interface. Users can also apply the filters to export the emails within the specified date range.
    date filter
  3. The tool also renders the functionality to move MBOX files in the preferred Thunderbird profile.
    select identities
  4. Finally, hit the Import button to migrate Outlook to Thunderbird in a trouble-free way.Migrate Outlook Emails to Thunderbird

How to Add Outlook Emails to Thunderbird Manually?

The following approach can be followed if both MS Outlook and Thunderbird applications are installed on the same system. Follow the below-mentioned steps to perform this task:

  • Go to the Start button of the Windows OS and navigate to Default Programs and choose the Set your default program option
  • In the next window, select MS Outlook from the given list and set this program as the default one
  • After that, open Thunderbird on the system and go to Tools>> Import>> select the Mail option>> click Next
  • In case you want to export other properties from MS Outlook, then repeat the same procedure and select Address Book or other options in place of Mail and proceed further
  • Now, go back to the Default Programs window and choose Thunderbird as your default email program

This manual method to migrate Outlook to Thunderbird has a very high risk of data loss because of the differences in the properties of the data file. Users might experience problems such as complex folder structure, handling of related attachments, etc. which can lead to corruption of the data files.

Also, the manual settings and configurations required to transfer Outlook emails to Thunderbird needs good technical expertise at the individual level to handle any issues during the transfer process. Hence, it is best to opt for the expert recommended software discussed above in the article to safely migrate their Outlook emails into Thunderbird account.

Conclusion

Users often times becomes panic about finding the procedure to migrate Outlook to Thunderbird. Therefore, in this post, we have described the sure-shot solution which can be utilized for both small-size and large-size organizations. One can follow the manual workaround, provided both Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird email programs are installed on the same machine. If not, then simply switch to the most trusted applications mentioned above.

  author

By Mohit Jha

Mohit is a Microsoft-certified expert who has assisted thousands of clients with Outlook & Microsoft Office 365 issues. He enjoys writing on email clients as well as data migration. He is always excited about giving troubled readers the most up-to-date knowledge, explanation, and refinements.