How to Get Thunderbird Email Messages Into Outlook

If you use Netscape Thunderbird as your mail client, at some point you may want to export your email messages to Outlook. It's a bit tricky and time consuming to do this, since Thunderbird email and Outlook email messages don't use the same extension and Outlook doesn't support drag and drop. Use a third party tool and an intermediary mail client to get Thunderbird email messages into Outlook.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Launch Thunderbird. Delete any unwanted messages and clean out your deleted items. Right-click each folder in Thunderbird. Select "Compact This Folder." Close Thunderbird.

2. Search for your mail folders. Each mail folder will have a file with no extension and one with an ".msf" extension. There are separate folders for Inbox, Sent Mail, Deleted Mail and any personal folders you created.

3. Download and install a utility, like Mailbag Assistant, Aid4Mail or IMAPSize, to convert your Thunderbird mail to files that can be read by Outlook express. Install the utility according to the directions.

4. Open the utility software. Go to the Tools menu. Select the mbox files to convert. Choose a location to store them. Click "Convert."

5. Double-click the Outlook Express icon in Windows versions prior to Vista or Windows Mail in Vista. Create a new folder or choose an existing folder to import your Thunderbird messages to.

6. Right-click the start button. Locate the ".eml" files. Click on them with your mouse. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the ".eml" files into the Outlook Express folder.

7. Click "File" and "Export" and "Messages." Click "OK" to export the messages into Outlook. Select the Outlook profile to export to. Choose the folders to export.

Resources

• Mailbag Assistant
• Aid4Mail from Fookes software
• IMAPSize