Thunderbird email to Outlook – Manually transfer emails to PST

Have you decided to use Microsoft Outlook instead of Thunderbird? You need a conversion method or tool to migrate emails to Outlook. PST is a native file format for organizing Outlook items such as emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, etc. This need comes first when users want to use a more advanced and reliable tool like Outlook.

This post includes a manual way to transfer emails from Thunderbird to PST format. You need to back up Thunderbird before executing the manual conversion.

Difference between Thunderbird and Outlook

Mozilla Thunderbird is an open-source, free email client that stores mailbox data in MBOX or Maildir format. These formats primarily store email messages and their attachments. In MBOX, each email begins with the "From" keyword.

Microsoft Outlook, on the other hand, stores all mailbox items (emails, calendars, contacts, etc.) in a PST file. Outlook is known for its advanced features, better integration with Microsoft Exchange and Office 365, and strong security options. For this reason, most organizations prefer using Outlook for professional communication.

How to transfer Thunderbird to Outlook PST?

Managing Thunderbird emails to Outlook requires a proper conversion method. The step-by-step process of converting mailboxes is described in various posts. But most of the organizations dont depend on the user manual and want to use third-party apps for quick results. As we know that without exporting Thunderbird emails to PST, the user cannot open the data in Outlook.

Manual steps to open emails in Outlook

(a) Prepare Gmail Account

1. Open Gmail account. If you dont have then create one.

2. Go to Gear icon > Click on See All Settings.

3. Click on forwarding POP and IMAP tab.

4. Enable IMAP protocol, scroll down and save it.

(b) Setup Thunderbird to Gmail

1. Open Mozilla Thunderbird.

2. Add an Account

3. Type Gmail email id and app password

4. Connect with Gmail.

(c) Drag and drop email to Gmail

1. Create a new folder in Thunderbird under new account

2. Now drag all Thunderbird emails in it.

3. Wait to automatically sync data to Gmail account.

Configure Gmail to Outlook

1. Open Outlook

2. File tab > Account

3. Setup an account

4. Type Gmail account address

5. More setting: Choose IMAP or POP

6. Type Gmail app password then Next

Wait for the setup to finish. If any error occurred, change the port address of IMAP/POP and SMTP and SSL/TLS encryption.

The above 4 parts help every level user to migrate Thunderbird emails to Outlook. We know that it requires a lot of technical skills and time for the user to transfer data. So, organizations save time by using third-party tools like MailsDaddy Thunderbird to Outlook Converter tool. This single GUI application converts emails from Thunderbird to PST, EML, MSG, HTML, MHTML and RTF file formats easily. The application runs on all Windows OS and exports data from Thunderbird to PST format in one go.

Final Thoughts

While a manual conversion is possible, it's not always the most efficient or risk-free methodespecially for large mailboxes. If you're looking for a secure, quick, and reliable Thunderbird to Outlook migration, using a professional tool is highly recommended. It ensures data integrity, maintains formatting, and saves valuable time.