In this article, we will discuss efficient ways to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Microsoft Outlook. We will first prepare the Thunderbird message for the process and then convert Thunderbird to Outlook.
Understanding Email Format Mismatch
Regardless of what email client you use, all messages will look the same to each. However, on the back end, the file format in which these emails are stored may vary greatly. Thunderbird saves its data in MBOX format, which is not possible with Outlook. In fact, Thunderbird utilizes the SBD folder for hierarchical file management. And it’s also not compatible with the Outlook PST format. In addition, none of these e-mail applications have integrated options for converting in their respective mailbox formats.
Whenever an email conversion scenario is questioned, the task is not to find the best method, but to choose the method that is most appropriate for your case.
Step 1: Find / Extract MBOX files from Thunderbird
In the Thunderbird migration scenario to Outlook, the first and foremost thing to do is understand where your email is stored. In the case of Thunderbird, you can do the following to find all the data files:
- Run Mozilla Thunderbird
- Click Tools on the menu bar.
- Click Account Settings and select the Server Settings tab
- Scroll down and find the path required in the Local Directory section
Whatever account data you need, you will get it in the particular email account’s Server Settings. Here, you will find the required MBOX files (files without extensions) and the SBD folder which contains more MBOX files. Keep this path in mind for now.
Step 2: Migrate Thunderbird to Outlook with Professional Tools
The ImportExport tools feature from Mozilla Thunderbird does not have the option to migrate emails in Outlook PST format. Likewise, Outlook does not provide options for importing Thunderbird files. When compared with other mediocre solutions, it is concluded that the Thunderbird to Outlook converter software is the most reliable and efficient method for migrating emails from Thunderbird to Microsoft Outlook.
One such solution is MBOX to PST converter. This is a sophisticated Thunderbird to Outlook converter with incredible conversion speed and a variety of features. It can adapt to your needs by providing two scanning options:
- The ability to drag and drop the MBOX files into the software interface.
- Plus, if you need to add multiple MBOX files, you can do that too, thanks to the tool’s flexible import mechanism.
In addition, this tool allows batch and selective conversion. It produces PST in Unicode type, allowing you to import it in all versions of Outlook (both 32-bit and 64-bit). This is a balanced and affordable tool that keeps email integrity intact while maintaining the Thunderbird folder structure.
Steps to Migrate Thunderbird Email to Outlook
- Run Thunderbird to Outlook converter on your Windows PC.
- Drag & Drop or Import the MBOX files.
- Click “Convert” and Browse location to save Outlook files.
- Choose split PST option & click “Ok” to start migrating Thunderbird to PST.
Conclusion
Thunderbird MBOX & Outlook PST incompatibility can cause a long, tedious, and risky process. Therefore, it is important to choose a Thunderbird to Outlook conversion software that is reliable and comes from trusted sources. DataHelp MBOX to PST converter is a fast and efficient tool that maintains all email attributes and migrates Thunderbird to Outlook without losing data.