Import Contacts from Thunderbird to Outlook

MS Outlook, one of the most prominent email client applications, is gaining more and more users every day because of its rich interface, user-friendliness, and better security features. Though Microsoft charges for Outlook, it has become the most used platform for email communication. Often Outlook is used in combination with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server to manage emails, contacts, calendar items, and other mailbox data.

However, if we talk about email clients like Thunderbird, it is still used by many professionals and home users for mailing. Thunderbird is an open-source free to download email client application, which makes it more popular among the corporates and business users; Outlook, on the other hand, comes with a certain price to pay.

For those who are making a shift from Thunderbird to Outlook, you must know how to transfer mailbox items so that you could use your valuable data in the new environment. Suppose you want the Address Book content of your Thunderbird client to be transferred to your new working environment, i.e., Outlook, then, you must know how to export the Address Book from Thunderbird client to Outlook.

The method to Import Thunderbird address book to Outlook Contacts is quite easy because Thunderbird facilitates exporting Address Book to a CSV file format, which is already supported by MS Outlook. The process to import contacts from Thunderbird to Outlook is completed in two phases:

1. Export Address Book from Thunderbird to a CSV File
2. Import the CSV File into Outlook

Export Address Book from Thunderbird to a CSV File

First, of all, Thunderbird Address Book is exported to a single CSV File, which fortunately is supported by Outlook and various other email clients.

Note: A comma-separated values file commonly abbreviated a CSV File is a spreadsheet file saved with a- .CSV extension. A CSV file can be accessed by spreadsheet programs such as Excel or Google spreadsheets.

Follow the steps given below to export Thunderbird Address Book to a CSV file.

1. Launch Mozilla Thunderbird and click the Address Book icon from the Menu Bar options.
   
2. Choose the required Address Book and go to Tools >> Export.
3. Provide a destination path along with a file name to save the spreadsheet file. Also, choose “Comma Separated (* .csv)” as the output type and click on the Save button.
   
   Your- .CSV file gets saved at the specified location.

Import the CSV File in MS Outlook

Now, we will import the downloaded .csv file via MS Outlook; this will transfer the Address Book contents of the CSV file to Outlook Contacts. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Launch MS Outlook and go to File >> Open & Export >> Import/Export.
2. Choose Import from another program or file; click the Next button.
3. Select Comma Separated Values (Windows) and click Next.
4. Browse to locate the CSV file, select the file and click OK.
5. Choose one of the options for managing duplicate items andNext.
   
6. Select a destination directory or Contacts folder within the Outlook program to import the Thunderbird contacts and click on the Next button.
   
7. If required, you can choose to map the custom fields or change the destination; click Finish anyways.

Wait until the transfer process gets completed. Your Thunderbird Address Book gets successfully imported to your Outlook Contacts.

Apart from native manual methods, you can also opt to for third-party software to Import Contacts and other mailbox folders together from Thunderbird to Outlook for quick and easy transport of Thunderbird Address Book Contacts to Outlook PST Contacts folder directly without even the need of the MBOX email client.

MBOX to PST tool is a reliable converter to convert Thunderbird file to Outlook PST format. It allows conversion of multiple MBOX files to PST file format and more file formats exporting every mailbox item while showing a preview of the selected content before migration. With support to about 20 MBOX email clients and smart integrated filter options, it allows direct migration of MBOX content to Office 365, Gmail, and more other email servers.

Here is How the MBOX to PST Converter Tool Works

1. Launch MBOX to PST Converter and Browse to locate the directory containing Thunderbird’s MBOX files.

   

   

2. Select the MBOX folder and click OK to add the required files.
3. Click Finish.
   
4. Once added, you can view each mailbox item from the left-hand side pane. Click Save.
   
5. Select the PST file (MS Outlook) as the output type and click Next.
6. Select the desired filters to save specific data from your converted file. It must be noted that this window is optional; if you do not require to filter, click Next.
7. The next window allows you to split the converted file into two distinct proportions. Choose the option to split your converted file. However, if you require to make any changes, click Next.
8. Click Browse, select the path and click OK. Then, click Next to move further in the conversion process.
9. Wait until the tool completes the saving process.
   
10. The converted file gets saved to the specified location. Click OK to finish the process.

Wrapping Up

The manual method discussed here is quite lengthy, and implementation requires the use of both Thunderbird and Outlook clients. If you try a reliable tool to convert your files, it will save your time and efforts, and you no longer need to be dependent on email clients for conversion or transfer of data. The use of MBOX to PST Converter tool is perhaps the most recommended method to transfer Thunderbird address book to Outlook Contacts.