Shift Thunderbird to Outlook: Common Issues and Easy Fixes – 2025

If you are moving from Mozilla Thunderbird to Microsoft Outlook, you may find it daunting due to file formats and email management incompatibilities. However, you can smoothly transfer your Thunderbird data into Microsoft Outlook with the right approach. This article will provide a straightforward solution to common issues users often encounter when switching email clients.

Overview of Mozilla Thunderbird and Microsoft Outlook

Thunderbird is a free, open-source email. It supports multiple email protocols like (POP3, IMAP, and SMTP). Thunderbird uses the MBOX and EML format for email storage and is known for its flexibility and lightweight performance, making it a popular choice for personal and small business use.

Microsoft Outlook, part of the Microsoft Office suite, is a premium email client with advanced features like email organization, calendar management, and integration with Microsoft Exchange and Office 365. It uses PST/OST formats for storing emails and is widely used in corporate environments for its enterprise-level security and productivity tools.

Shifting from Thunderbird to Outlook – Common Issues

Here are a few common reasons & issues to shift from Mozilla Thunderbird to Microsoft Outlook.

• Better Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem: Outlook Office 365 and SharePoint, originally integrated with teams and ONEDRIVE, increases productivity.
• Advanced Email Management Features: Outlook concentrated inboxes and rules and improved organization with advanced filtering options.
• Better Security and Support: Outlook has advanced security facilities such as encryption and anti-fisting protection. Regular updates and dedicated Microsoft support ensure a more secure email experience.
• Better Calendar and Work Management: Outlook's integrated calendar, work, and scheduling tools overcome the capabilities of the Thunderbird.
• Cross-Platform Synchronizing: Outlook sinks email, contact, and calendar more effectively on many devices.
• Reliable Backup and Recovery Options: Outlook provides better backup and recovery options with PST files and reduces data loss risks.

Techniques to Transfer Mozilla Thunderbird to Outlook

In the above section, we take an Overview of Thunderbird and Outlook and the reasons behind switching from Thunderbird to Microsoft Outlook. Now, in this section, we learn about the strategies “How to Transfer data from Thunderbird to Outlook”.

Method 1: Free Method to Shift from Thunderbird to MS Outlook

Saving Thunderbird emails as EML files and then importing them into Outlook is a simple method of migrating from Thunderbird to Outlook. If you only need to move a small number of emails, though, this is achievable. Here's how to accomplish it:

Step 1: Save Emails to an EML file

To store EML files, open File Explorer on your computer and make a new folder.

• Launch the Mozilla Thunderbird software.
• Click on the Thunderbird emails you wish to move to Outlook while holding down the Shift key.
• After choosing emails, select Export Messages As > EML Message Format by right-clicking on them.
• Select the option for Messages (Attachments Embedded).
• Click Select Folder after selecting the newly formed folder.
• The chosen emails will be stored as EML files.

Step 2: Open Outlook and Import EML files

• To import Thunderbird emails, launch the Outlook application.
• In Outlook, make a new folder.
• Start by opening the folder containing the EML files.
• Drag and drop the EML files into the Outlook folder or newly created Outlook folder.

Method 2: Expert Way to Transfer Data from Mozilla Thunderbird to MS Outlook – 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, etc.

To complete this task safely and securely when you have a large amount of data, we can take the help of an expert program like Softaken Thunderbird to Outlook Converter Software. This professional tool smoothly shifts all the Thunderbird emails to Outlook PST without any restriction.

This user-friendly application UI is so easy to utilize that users don’t need to be tech-proficient to use this application in their operating system. This application exported all PST files smoothly and works in all versions of Microsoft Outlook without any issues.

Steps to Shift Emails from Thunderbird to PST for Outlook

1. Install and run the Thunderbird Converter Software.
2. Now, load the Thunderbird default location or add the MBOX file.
3. After that, take a complete preview of added data.
4. Choose the PST file format as a file type.
5. Select the desired location as a saving path.
6. Finally, Start the Converting Process.

Now, you can easily access your converted PST files in any edition of Microsoft Outlook.