How to Import OLM to Thunderbird? Quick Solution!

  

Published By Ashwani

Approved By Tej Pratap Shukla

Published On April 23rd, 2024

Mac Outlook stores their data like emails, tasks, contacts, notes, journals, etc. in OLM format and manages them. In many enterprises, Mac Outlook helps their users to connect with Exchange Server. Even Mac Outlook can be used as a standalone email client. But, still, there are some people who need to import OLM to Thunderbird. Because, Mozilla Thunderbird is the most popular, free and cross-platform application and the reason for such popularity is the ultra-simple user interface. Thunderbird is also an email client like Mac Outlook but it supports different platforms like Mac OS, Windows OS, and Linux etc. Let’s understand the need to convert or import OLM file emails to Thunderbird account with the help of user’s problem.

Are you familiar with this query? Have you also stuck with the same problem? Well, its solution is not so difficult. By following this article, you will surely get a satisfactory solution to import your OLM files into Thunderbird.

Table of Contents:

1. Outlook for Mac vs Mozilla Thunderbird: Short Comparison
2. Why Users Want to Convert their OLM Files into Thunderbird?
3. Import OLM to Thunderbird Account with Manual Method
4. Professional Solution to Convert OLM File to Thunderbird
5. Quick Steps of the Professional Tool
6. Notable Attributes of the Professional Solution
7. Conclusion & FAQs

Outlook for Mac vs Mozilla Thunderbird: Short Comparison

Outlook for Mac: It saves their data in OLM format. It helps Mac users to connect with the Exchange server. OLM files cannot be open in Windows Outlook or in other email clients. It is used to store email messages, contacts, journal, calendar and other user application data.

Mozilla Thunderbird: It is a very popular cross-platform email service that is available for both Windows and Mac machine. Mozilla Thunderbird uses MBOX file format for saving its mailbox items. However, it is freely available and an open source email client.

Why Users Want to Convert OLM File to Thunderbird? 

There can be several reasons or a combination of factors why a user may decide to import OLM to Thunderbird application, let us have a look at some of the notable reasons discussed in the following points. 

• Many users may be switching or might be planning to switch from Outlook to Thunderbird email client due to personal preference, better compatibility with their software or systems, cost considerations, etc. 
• One of the most prominent reasons is that Thunderbird is available on different platforms, this includes Windows, Mac, and Linux, which makes it accessible from multiple operating systems. 
• Cost considerations can also account for a major reason as Thunderbird is an open-source and free email client whereas Outlook being a part of the Microsoft Office suite requires a subscription or one-time purchase. 
• Some users prefer the interface, features, and customization options provided by Thunderbird better than Outlook for Mac because Thunderbird allows them to use a wide range of add-ons as well as extensions that enhance their functionality and productivity. 
• Thunderbird also supports file formats such as MBOX and EML which are widely compatible with other email clients and services when compared to OLM. 

Import OLM to Thunderbird Account with Manual Method 

In order to transfer OLM files to Mozilla Thunderbird, users need to first export their data in the OLM file format, then convert into MBOX format and finally import this converted file into Thunderbird application, we have explained this in the below mentioned steps. 

1. Open the Outlook application on your Mac OS and from the top menu bar, click on “File”.
2. Now, from the dropdown menu, select “Export” and then choose the items that you want to export, for example, emails, calendars, contacts, etc.
3. As the export file format, select “Outlook for Mac Data File (.olm)”, follow the prompts to complete the export process and save them to the desired location.

After this, users need to convert their convert their OLM files into MBOX file format using a professional software to safely get all their data in the resultant file format, and then follow the below steps to import this MBOX file into your Thunderbird account. 

1. Open the Thunderbird application on your computer and then set up your email account in Thunderbird if haven’t done it already. 
2. After this, go to “Tools >> Import”, then select the “Mail” option from the dropdown list and click on the “Next” button. 
3. Now, select the “Files in MBOX format” option, click on “Select File” and then go to the location where you have saved your converted MBOX file. 
4.  Select the required MBOX file, click on “Open” and then click on “OK” to start with the import process, after this all your emails, contacts, etc. will be displayed in Thunderbird application. 

But, manually it is very hard to migrate OLM data to Thunderbird account. Because it takes a long time and advanced technical skills to perform the conversion. But you don’t need to worry anymore as we also have discussed an expert-recommended solution in the next section that will allow you to import OLM to Thunderbird in an easy and secure way. 

Professional Solution to Convert OLM File to Thunderbird

Sometimes, manual methods fail to give the expected results. In this case, a third-party solution which named as Mac OLM Converter Tool is recommended. This utility helps users to batch import OLM file to Thunderbird. It saves emails with attachments from Mac Outlook OLM to Thunderbird in bulk. Moreover, this tool also maintains the folder hierarchy during the conversion. This utility has many advanced features like add files, add folders, apply date filter etc. In addition, there is no any limitation on file size while using this tool.

Quick Steps to Import OLM to Thunderbird Account 

1. First of all, Install and Run the tool on Mac OS to migrate OLM file emails to Thunderbird
   
2. Then, click on the Add Files or Add Folders option to load Mac Outlook OLM files
   
3. Next, choose the MBOX option to convert OLM file to Thunderbird MBOX format
   
4. Now, you can also apply Advanced Settings such as date filters
   
5. Further, you can also select the destination path to save the MBOX files
   
   
6. In this step, click on the Export button to convert OLM data to Thunderbird
   
7. After that, it will show a Status report after the completion of the successful export process
   
8. At last, you can see the all status report after clicking on the View Report button.
   

Notable Attributes of the Professional Solution

The above-discussed expert-recommended solution has multiple notable attributes that make it an ideal solution for users to import OLM to Thunderbird, you can have a look at them from the below-mentioned points. 

• The tool allows users to convert their Mac Outlook OLM files into 10+ file formats with all user data such as email, contact, calendar, attachments, tasks, notes, etc. 
• Users get an Add Folder option that allows them to convert their files in batch with all attributes and related attachments on both Windows and Mac OS. 
• It can also split the file into smaller parts which helps in avoiding possible corruption issues and is also capable of exporting selective data from the entire OLM file with the help of date filters. 
• The tool provides users with an option to add a naming convention and also preserves the original folder hierarchy, email header, and data integrity of all OLM files created on Mac Outlook 2019, 2016, and 2011 versions. 

Also Read: How to Import MBOX to Thunderbird?

Concluding Words

Mac Outlook exports their data in OLM format. Sometimes, it is needed to open OLM file in another email client like Thunderbird. But, it is not possible to import data items from OLM to Mozilla Thunderbird manually in an easy manner. Therefore, we have also discussed a step-by-step procedure to import OLM to Thunderbird by using the reliable commercial solution.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q.1 How can I convert OLM file to Thunderbird?

Ans. In order to convert the OLM file to MBOX format, users can import it to Thunderbird by navigating to “Tools >> Import >> Mail >> Files in MBOX format” and afterward selecting the converted MBOX file from the local storage. 

Q.2 Can I import all my data into Thunderbird, including emails, calendars, and contacts?

Ans. Yes, you can import all your data from OLM files including emails, calendars, and contacts into the Thunderbird application, but if you are doing it manually then you have to import each of them using separate methods. 

Q.3 Is there any chance of data loss or formatting issues in the conversion process?

Ans. Yes, data loss or formatting issues are possible in the manual conversion process as the OLM file consists of complex data structures, hence we recommend taking the help of the expert software discussed above in the article.