How to Migrate Emails from Thunderbird to Office 365 in the Simplest Way

Migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365 can be challenging since both email clients use different file formats. However, with the right approaches one can simplify this process. In this article, we will discuss the best methods to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365 seamlessly. Here’s a detailed guide on how to do it.

Why Migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365?

You must be wondering why I should migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365? Well we have the answer. There are several benefits of using Outlook 365, let’s have a look:

• Worldwide Access: Office 365 is a cloud-based email client that can be accessed anytime and from anywhere. In other words, you can access your emails, calendar, contacts and other mailbox items from anywhere with just an internet connection.
• Security and Protection: With Outlook 365 you can experience better security and protection against data theft and phishing as the app has built-in security measures like multi-factor authentication, data encryption and anti-phishing protection to protect your data and that’s why you should export Thunderbird to Outlook 365.
• Integrates with Popular MS Tools: Microsoft 365 seamlessly integrates with other popular Microsoft tools like Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint which can increase productivity and gives you ease in file sharing.
• Better Storage Capacity: Office 365 offers better storage capacity unlike what Thunderbird can offer and one user can get 50 GB mailbox storage. You can also get 1 TB of free cloud storage which can be a convincing reason to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365.

These are some reasons that one can consider if looking for reasons to import Thunderbird to Outlook 365.

Understanding the Email Formats Before Migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365

Before we get into the process to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365, it becomes very important to understand the different file formats both email clients use. Let’s understand it deeply:

Thunderbird: Thunderbird uses MBOX file format to save emails in profile.
Office 365: Office 365 uses PST format and saves emails on a cloud-based server.

As you can see that both the email clients use different file formats and users can not directly connect Thunderbird to Microsoft 365 due to the difference in formats. However, you can export Thunderbird emails to a much compatible format to further migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365.

Professional Tool to Migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365

As the name suggests a professional tool is a professional method that offers great features and works without any hassle. We highly recommend the MailsWare Thunderbird Converter. as this method guarantees a complete migration of your Thunderbird emails to Office 365. Let’s see how to import Thunderbird mail into Outlook 365:

1. Download and Run the recommended software on your system and hit Next.
   
2. You can now see that the tool has already configured your Thunderbird mailboxes data or you can manually “Select files” or “Select folders”.
   
3. If you wish to choose folders manually select required folders to export Thunderbird emails to Outlook 365.
   
4. Choose Office 365 to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365 as a file saving option.
   
5. You can enable other filters as well on the page if needed and enter your Office 365 email and password to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365.
   
6. Click on Next to start your conversion process and that’s it.
   
7. You can now go to your Office 365 account and check for converted folders.
   

Benefits of Using Thunderbird to Microsoft 365 Migration Tool

When we talk about what unique this tool can offer that others don’t, there are plenty of things that we can talk about, let’s talk about some:

• Migrate complete Thunderbird profile data.
• The tool retains folder hierarchy and email components.
• Advanced features like “I am Admin”, Copy to default folder, and change language to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365.
• Import Thunderbird mail into Outlook 365 with attachments.
• Not only Office 365 users can convert Thunderbird profiles to 30+ popular formats.
• Fast and secure way to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365.

Manual Method to Export Thunderbird Emails to Outlook 365

Manual methods are considered as more time-consuming and effort taking in comparison to a professional method as it includes a lot of steps and complex tricks if a user has no technical background. However, if you wish to not use a professional method you can try considering these manual steps to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365:

Method 1: Save Thunderbird emails 

1. Create a new folder on your desktop.
2. Open and run the Thunderbird email on your system and select the emails you wish to copy to import Thunderbird to Outlook 365.
3. Select all the emails from the folder, right-click on selected emails, and choose the “Save As” option to save them on the new folder.
4. Now, Right click on Thunderbird emails and select Open with Outlook > Move to, and select the folder to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365.
5. At last, check the folder to ensure successful migration of Thunderbird emails.

Method 2: Using IMAP Configuration to Export Thunderbird to Outlook 365

Step1: Add your Office 365 Account to Thunderbird

1. Open Thunderbird on your device and click on settings on the left pane.
2. Go to Account Settings and click on Account Actions on the left bottom of the pane.
   
3. Now, click on Add Mail Account and enter your Office 365 email credentials.
   
4. Now, configure the account settings using IMAP server. (Note that POP3 server configuration settings will not work)

• Incoming server: outlook.office365.com
• Port: 993, SSL/TLS
• Outgoing server: smtp.office365.com
• Port: 587, STARTTLS
  

Step 2: Export Thunderbird emails to Outlook 365

1. Once your Office 365 account is added it will show up in the Thunderbird folder pane on the left.
2. Now, select the emails or folders you want to migrate from the Thunderbird default location and transfer them to the Local Folders. (You can also use the Thunderbird ImportExportTools NG add-on to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365).
3. At last, Drag and Drop the transferred emails from Local Folders to the corresponding folders under the Office 365 account in Thunderbird.
4. The emails will automatically sync with your Office 365 mailbox, Wait for the sync to complete and that’s it.

That’s how you can connect Thunderbird to Office 365 with these two explained manual methods. However, there are certain limitations when migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365.

Limitations of using Manual Method when Import Thunderbird to Outlook 365

• Time consuming: The manual process is time consuming and effort taking as it involves a lot of steps and you have to wait for the sync process to complete.
• Data Loss: There is a higher chance of data loss when transfer Thunderbird to Outlook 365 as both the email clients use different file formats.
• Requires Technical Expertise: If a user has no technical background or is not that tech geeky, it becomes difficult for them to work with manual steps and to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365.
• No Bulk Migration: Manual method is not made for bulk transfers and you have to individually export Thunderbird to Outlook 365.
• Prone to Errors: Manual method is prone to errors as manual method totally relies on how you are working with it and humans can make mistakes even when import emails from Thunderbird to Outlook 365.

Conclusion

In this article, we learn about how you can migrate emails from Thunderbird to Office 365 with 3 effective methods and one can easily follow the steps to migrate from Thunderbird to Outlook 365 effortlessly. We also talked about the possible consequences that come with manual methods and why we recommend using a professional tool for the job instead of manual methods.