Thunderbird is an open-source email client, and it was launched in 2003 by the Mozilla Foundation. It is especially known for its robust email management and can configure multiple email accounts on a single platform. It by default contains its data in MBOX format.
EML stands for electronic mail and is used to store individual email messages. It is compatible with various desktop email clients such as Windows Live Mail, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Microsoft Outlook. An EML file contains the complete email data, including the header, body, attachments, and metadata, making it an ideal choice to easily share any individual message to colleagues, clients or any other users.
Rationale to Export Mozilla Thunderbird Emails to EML
- EML files can be easily shared or transferred and recipients can easily access it through various email clients such as Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, Windows Mail.
- Storing emails in individual email files allows users to backup crucial email in a simple and organized manner. To easily access it in the future without depending on Thunderbird.
- It’s useful for archiving purposes for long term storage and it’s a crucial task commonly found in corporate environments.
- When the Thunderbird profile gets corrupted, the EML file acts as a standalone solution for restoring and recovering emails.
- Sharing specific emails is much easier with an EML file than sending the whole mailbox.
How to Migrate Emails from Thunderbird to EML Manually?
Exporting emails from Thunderbird to EML can be done in several ways. Now, opt for the solution as we have mentioned below:
Suggestion: In case you plan to convert Thunderbird to EML with the manual approach, it is best suggested to do so in batches as native ways struggle to handle bulk data.
Method 1. Convert Thunderbird to EML Using Save As Method
Suitable Scenario to Use This Approach: Personal backup usage with limited emails (100-500MB), when search and folder hierarchy are irrelevant.
- First, open “Thunderbird” and select the mailbox folder.
- Now, press “CTRL+A” and right-click on it.
- Choose the “Save As” option, then browse the destination.
- Enter folder name as “EML folder” and click on Save button to successfully “export Thunderbird to EML format”.
Method 2. Export Thunderbird to EML Using Import/Export NG Tools Add-ons
Suitable Scenario to Use This Approach: Add-On alternative to export Thunderbird email to EML selectively with embedded attachments, with proper index and hierarchy.
- Firstly, Launch “Mozilla Thunderbird” and click on the Thunderbird menu.
- Click on “Add-ons and Themes” and Type “Import/Export NG Tools” to find more add-ons.
- Tap on “Add to Thunderbird” and pop appears press Add button.
- POP shows “Import/Export NG Tools” were added press Ok button.
- Select the mailbox folder and press “CTRL+A” and right-click on it.
- Now choose “Export Messages As” and select “EML Message” Format.
- Browse “location” and press on the “Select folder” option.
Method 3. Export Emails from Thunderbird to EML Using Export Messages in Folder
Suitable Scenario to Use This Approach: To migrate Thunderbird folders to EML-based email clients like MS Outlook, eM Client, one-by-one or for backup needs.
- Open “Thunderbird” and click on the “Mailbox folder”.
- Right-click on the “selected mailbox folder” and choose “Import/Export NG Tools”.
- Here, choose “Export Messages in Folder” and browse EML Message Format.
- After selecting the “Destination,” press the Select folder.
Method 4. Export Thunderbird Email to EML Using Drag and Drop Method
Suitable Scenario to Use This Approach: Easy, quick, and non-technical approach for limited emails.
- Run “Mozilla Thunderbird” and select the desired mailbox folder.
- Press “CTRL+A” or select the individual emails you want to export.
- Click and hold the chosen emails, then “Drag them to the desired location”.
What to Do if Manual Thunderbird to EML Conversion Fails?
Although a free manual approach is suitable in certain scenarios. It is not a foolproof solution. Users face many issues, such as:
- No way to export all Thunderbird emails to the EML field at once.
- Bulk conversion with ImportExportTools NG fails due to incompatibility with certain Thunderbird versions.
- There is no set limit, but with a large Thunderbird profile over 10GB these method fails.
In crux, most of the manual methods are inconsistent, and there is no assurance about the preservation of Thunderbird folder structure, attachments, and MIME structure.
Method 5. Convert Thunderbird Emails to EML Using Thunderbird to EML Conversion?
If you want to export a large number of emails from Thunderbird or have multiple Thunderbird profiles to EML at once in a quick, easy, and secure way. So, we recommend that you opt for Thunderbird Converter as it is capable of converting an unlimited number of Thunderbird profiles at one time. This software has been completely tried and tested by experts so you have no worries about data loss with this application.
- Firstly, Download and run “Thunderbird to EML Converter” on your pc.
- After that, Click on select “Configured Thunderbird mailbox folder” or select files or folders as needed.
- Now, choose “Thunderbird mailbox folders” as you want to export.
- Thereafter, Browse saving options as “EML” as appear in the list.
- Here, Browse file naming options to manage the resultant data in a specific order.
- Finally, Provide Destination and click on Next button to begin the “Thunderbird to EML Conversion”.
Why Thunderbird to EML Converter is a Better Way to Export?
- No restriction on Thunderbird mailbox size or number of emails to be converted to EML format.
- Export Thunderbird to EML in an organized & searchable way with 10+ file naming options & folder-subfolder structure retention.
- Secure and offline way to convert Thunderbird inbox, sent, and other custom folders to EML format with HIPAA, CAPA & GDPR compliance.
- The Thunderbird to EML converter directly & automatically fetches data from the local Thunderbird profile folder, thus can extract Thunderbird to EML without installation or even in the case of a crash.
- Easy-to-use interface for non-technical users and smoother workflow.
- Filter option to selectively convert Thunderbird to EML based on date range, sender & receiver details, and subject keyword.
Advanced user-centric features like wide compatibility, log & error depot generation, and preview Thunderbird email folder structure option make it a suitable choice for the IT admins, home users, and the business world wide.
Need help? Get in touch with our support team, available 24/7, to convert Thunderbird to EML in bulk without data loss. The tool is fully customizable and lets you add more features based on your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Convert Thunderbird to EML
Does Thunderbird support EML?
Yes, Thunderbird supports EML format. EML files can be created by Thunderbird when emails are saved individually. This format contains all the email content such as the sender, recipients, body, attachments making it compatible with all EML supported email clients.
How can I export a Thunderbird file to PST format?
Thunderbird doesn’t offer any direct solution to configuration. So, you need Gmail or any IMAP email account as an intermediate connection. You can configure your Gmail account with Thunderbird and move the Thunderbird mailbox folder to Gmail account. Now configure the same email account with Outlook then you can use the Import/Export feature to easily export in PST format.
What email format does Thunderbird use?
Thunderbird primarily uses MBOX format to store emails, where all emails are contained in a single MBOX file. MBOX files contain the email content, body, attachments. Thunderbird supports opening and managing MBOX files which is default storage format.
Overall Reflection
In this guide, we have stated the 5 best tried-and-tested approaches to convert Thunderbird to EML. After trying all the given approaches, we found that Thunderbird to EML Converter is one of the best options, as it offers direct conversion and is also a perfect application to migrate any size or number of Thunderbird email accounts without facing any restrictions.