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Learn How to Migrate Outlook Emails to Thunderbird Instantly

Aisha ~ Modified: November 8, 2022 ~ 5 Minutes Reading

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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 emails to Thunderbird.

If you are an Outlook user and want to know the best approach to transfer emails to Thunderbird, read this blog. By following this blog, you can get your Outlook emails migrated without any hindrances.

User Query: I have a huge amount of emails in my Outlook account that I want to move to my 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?

Let’s get started with the migration process but before that, how about learning why users want to import their data? Just like the one user above, there are many other users who want the same for different reasons. Let’s learn these reasons in the following section.

Read More: Import Outlook Calendar to Thunderbird

Top Reasons to Migrate 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.

Step-By-Step Process to Migrate Outlook Emails 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 steps. First. one has to convert emails from Outlook PST file to Thunderbird MBOX format. After that, they have to import exported MBOX file to the desired Thunderbird profile.

Step 1: Export Outlook Mailbox to Thunderbird MBOX Format

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.

Step 1. Download and launch the software on the system to migrate Outlook emails to Thunderbird application.

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Step 2. Click on the Browse button and select the Outlook file to convert.

browse pst file

Step 3. After that, click the second Browse button in which you need to provide the destination location to save the exported Outlook data.

outlook migration

Step 4. 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

Step 5. At last, hit the Export button to start the file conversion process.

transfer outlook emails to thunderbird

Step 6. Once the file is successfully converted, a prompt message will be displayed as shown in the below image.outlook emails import

Step 2: Migrate Outlook Emails to Thunderbird After Conversion Via Thunderbird Import Wizard

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

  • 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

  • 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
  • The tool also renders the functionality to move MBOX files in the preferred Thunderbird profile.

select identities

  • Finally, hit the Import button to transfer Outlook emails to Thunderbird in a trouble-free way.

Migrate Outlook Emails to Thunderbird

How to Import 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

Let’s Sum Up

Users often times becomes panic about finding the procedure to migrate Outlook emails 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.