How to Bulk Export Emails from Outlook to Thunderbird?

Ritu Roy | Email Backup Email Conversion email migration How to's Outlook Software Technology | 5 minutes read | Modified on: 20-02-2023
pst to thunderbird cubexsoft

As is well known, Microsoft Outlook is probably the most functional and frequently used email software worldwide. To manage emails, calendars, meetings, and events, many small and big business companies use Outlook in combination with Microsoft Exchange Server and Office 365. Although it has many features and functionalities, Outlook has a cost. This may be one of the main factors pushing users away from Outlook and towards trustworthy, affordable software. Thus, Thunderbird, an open-source and cost-free email client application, is essential for attracting users’ attention.

Thunderbird is an open-source desktop email client that can be used with various operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Ubuntu. Users can manage emails, news feeds (RSS), newsgroups, and other mailbox functions with Thunderbird, which was created and developed by the Mozilla Foundation. Many email client applications, including Apple Mail, The Bat!, etc., support “.mbox” as the default file format for data storage.

Reasons for Moving Outlook Emails in Mozilla Thunderbird

As we’ve already covered, Thunderbird is an open-source email client that can be installed on a variety of devices. Thunderbird is a trustworthy and useful tool for users to migrate to due to a number of additional advanced functions and features.

  • Thunderbird works with almost every operating system, including Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, Linux, and Ubuntu. It is the most widely used email client among Linux and UNIX users.
  • The best security features are offered by Thunderbird.
  • You can use thunderbird to immediately upload the huge files to pCloud.
  • A single-click archive option allows you to store the chosen emails in an archive file.
  • Compared to Outlook and other email client applications, spam filtering is much better.
  • Users of Thunderbird have the option to add several useful plugins for varied uses.

How to Import Outlook Emails to Mozilla Thunderbird?

It’s not as simple as it seems to migrate Outlook emails to the Thunderbird client. There is no direct import option for Outlook PST files in Thunderbird. So, the only way to migrate from Outlook mailbox to Thunderbird is to convert PST files to MBOX files.

PST to MBOX conversion can be done manually or automatically using a variety of methods. Below, we’ve included a list of some well-liked manual methods for transferring Outlook emails to Thunderbird.

Method 1. Import PST to Thunderbird Manually

You can quickly import Outlook emails to Thunderbird if you have both applications installed on the same computer. Simply follow to the steps below:

  1. Set Outlook as your default email client to send and receive messages. Go to the Start menu and select Default Applications. Configure your default software.
  2. Under the Programs tab, choose Outlook, then click Set this program as default. Then, click OK to save the changes.
  3. Launch Thunderbird now, then select Display the Thunderbird Menu from the menu.
  4. Choose Import under Tools.
  5. You can either choose Mail or the Import Everything option, then click Next.
  6. Click Next after selecting Outlook as the file type.
  7. To finish the import procedure, select Complete in the last window.

All emails from the Outlook email client will be imported into the Thunderbird interface.

Method 2. Convert Outlook Emails to Thunderbird Using Google Takeout

The procedure explained in the following section is much simpler than the one above. You must set up your Gmail account in Outlook for this. To move Outlook emails to Thunderbird, follow the steps below.

  1. Open your Outlook profile, then select “File” in the navigation panel.
  2. After selecting “Add account,” a new window will open.
  3. Complete all fields, including Username, Email Address, and Password, to provide the user credentials.
  4. Go to your Gmail account now and select “Settings.”
  5. Activate IMAP by selecting Forwarding and POP/IMAP, then click Save Changes.
  6. All of your Gmail has been configured to Outlook. Once more, go to your Microsoft Outlook account and click “File.” All of your Outlook Mail emails are now visible on your Gmail account.
  7. Go to the Google Takeout.
  8. Choose the folders you want to archive, such as those for tasks, calendars, and messages.
  9. A copy of the emails will be sent to your Gmail account. Open the zip folder that was downloaded from Gmail at this point.

Drawbacks/Disadvantages of Manual Techniques

You are aware of how time-consuming and difficult the manual solution may be. Also unreliable and dangerous are manual methods of transferring emails from Outlook to Thunderbird. Your valuable data must be permanently gone due to your one error. So don’t worry; the next section has still another fantastic answer.

Moreover, there are numerous variations of Microsoft Outlook, including Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, etc. Thus, the email import procedure may vary. Simply use the approach listed below to shift your emails from Outlook account profile to Thunderbird to get out of such problems.

Method 3. Bulk Export Emails from Outlook to Thundered – Automated Method

As mentioned in the section above, there are two manual techniques, however they are not very reliable. Transferring emails from Outlook PST to Thunderbird may be challenging for users. To move Outlook data file to Thunderbird without any hassle, it is preferable to use an automated solution like CubexSoft Outlook Converter.

Follow the steps below to migrate PST file to Thunderbird using CubexSoft PST to Thunderbird Tool:

Step 1. Download and open the software on your Windows PC.

Step 2. Click on Add Files button to upload Outlook PST files/folders for the conversion process.

Step 3. Get a preview feature to view uploaded data items to check the files after loading the PST files.

Step 4. Then select the Thunderbird saving option by clicking the Export button. Browse the desired path to save the output files.

Step 5. Lastly, click the Convert button to start the converting process. The software displays the message “Conversion Completed Successfully” when the procedure is finished. Now, hit on OK to finish the process.

Beneficial Features of the Software

  • A graphical user interface is made to provide the user with a comprehensive experience.
  • There are no restrictions on the quantity or size of PST files that can be exported.
  • Bulk email migration from Outlook account to Thunderbird
  • Compatible with all MS Outlook versions
  • Accessible on both the Windows and Mac platforms
  • Possibility of reading PST files in ANSI and UNICODE

Author Suggestion

We covered a number of ways to bulk export Outlook emails to Thunderbird in the blog post above. Depending on their needs, users can choose any of the solutions. But utilising technique 3 is strongly advised. Because moving emails from Outlook profile to Thunderbird is more reliable. Please get in touch with me if you run into any problems while importing Outlook mail to Thunderbird.