If you are having issues importing Thunderbird Maildir files in Outlook, then you are in the right place. Here, we explain the methods to export Maildir files from Thunderbird to Outlook. We also discuss the reasons for your data.

Thunderbird and Outlook are two famous email clients. Mozilla Thunderbird is a free open-source application developed by Mozilla, whereas MS Outlook is from Microsoft. Both are desktop email programs and can run on different operating systems. Thunderbird uses Windows, Mac, and Linux. Outlook, on the other hand, has separate programs for Windows and Mac OS: Outlook for Mac and Outlook for Windows. In this, we will use the Windows applications Thunderbird and Outlook.

Reasons to Import Maildir Files into Outlook

Maildir files are a format to store your emails, but why do you need to export the files in the program? There are various reasons behind this.

• The Maildir files are server files. So, to make your data available anywhere, you can use the Outlook program.
• It is difficult to access the Maildir folder directly on their own.
• Every time you need to view the Maildir files, you have to first connect to the internet. Outlook does need this.
• You cannot open Maildir files on the computer.

This way, converting Maildir to PST files makes it easier to access your data. That’s why you should use the methods given below to import the files.

Methods to Export Maildir Files from Thunderbird to Outlook

To manually export the files, the process is long, and you have to first configure your Thunderbird account with Outlook. Then you can import the files into the program. It is a free method, but to make the method easier, the professional method is a great option. Here, we use a third-party tool to convert Maildir to PST files. Therefore, there are two approaches.

• Manual approach: configure your Thunderbird account with Outlook and move the files.
• Professional approach: convert the files into PST format using the software.

Manual Way to Export Maildir Files from Thunderbird to Outlook

This method is divided into two steps: configure a Gmail account in Thunderbird, and then add the same Gmail ID in Outlook. We divided the process into steps to help you understand it better. So, let’s see the first step.

Step 1: Add Gmail Account in Thunderbird

In this, we use an IMAP-enabled Gmail account, then add this account to Thunderbird. After that, we move Maildir files into Gmail.

1. To enable IMAP in Gmail
2. Log in to your Gmail account.
3. Click the gear icon on the top-right corner and open the Settings.
4. Select forwarding and POP/IMAP.
5. Click on the Enable IMAP option, then press the Save Changes button.
6. Configure a Gmail account with Thunderbird.
7. Open Thunderbird and then Tools option.
8. Click on Account Settings, then select Account Settings. Press Add Mail account.
9. Enter the Gmail account details and hit Continue.
10. Enable the IMAP checkbox and go to the manual configuration process.
11. After that, type the information in the incoming and outgoing sections.
12. Incoming: imap.gmail.com, Port: either write 993 (SSL) or 143 (very infrequently 585 SSL).
13. Outgoing: smtp.gmail.com, Port: either 25 or 465 (SSL) (very infrequently 2525)
14. Click on the retest button to check if the information that you have typed is correct or not.
15. After this, click on Create a New Account.
16. Now, check your Gmail account by opening Thunderbird Profile.
17. Drag the Maildir files from Thunderbird to the Gmail profile that you have configured.

Step 2: Configure the Same Account in Outlook

Once you have saved your Thunderbird Mailbird files in your Gmail account, you
can now import them into Outlook by using the same Gmail account.

1. Open Outlook, then the File menu. Click on the Add Account option.
2. Select Manually configure server or additional server. hit the next.
3. Click on Internet Email and then Next.
4. Enter the name, email address, and password of the Gmail account.
5. Select the IMAP option from Account Type.
6. Type imap.gmail.com in incoming server and smtp.gmail.com in outgoing server. Click on the More Settings button.
7. In Outgoing Server, selecting Outgoing Server (SMTP) requires authentication.
8. Click on the Use the same settings as My Incoming Server option and enter a 993 or 995 post number in the Incoming Server port.
9. Selecting this server requires an encrypted connection option. For an IMAP mail account, the type of encryption is SSL.
10. In the Outgoing port, type 587/465 port number. Set the type of encryption to TLS and click OK.
11. To check the account settings, select Test Account Settings.
12. When the account setting is confirmed, all your data will be transferred to Outlook.

With these steps, you can easily export Maildir files from Thunderbird to Outlook. But as you can see, it will take time, and there can be problems while configuring the account. That’s why the next method easily converts your files.

Professional Method to Import Maildir Files into Outlook

To ease your process, we directly convert Maildir to PST format. We use the best Maildir Converter Tool designed by FreeViewer. The software easily converts your files, and you don’t have an issue losing your data either. Other than that, you can also convert subdirectories such as cur, new, and temp. Also, there are various features this tool provides.

Features of Software

• Convert Maildir files into various file formats like EML, PDF, MBOX, MSG, etc.
• You can preview your files in HEX, MIME, HTML, etc. modes.
• There are different filtering criteria, like date-based, folder-wise, and email filtering.
• It maintains message properties with attachments.
• The tool supports Thunderbird files and other programs.

Steps to Convert Maildir into PST Files

1. Download and install the software.
2. Select your Maildir files from the list of files and folders on the left side.
3. Preview the files, and then click on the Export button.
4. Click on PST format, browse the location of the files, and hit Export.

Conclusion

Importing Maildir files in Outlook is not easy, but in this article, we provide different ways to export Maildir files from Thunderbird to Outlook. The first method is manual, which is a long process, and there is no guarantee that it works or not. But the professional will work as it directly converts your data and takes less time compared to the manual one.