Moving Email from One Computer to Another (Thunderbird to Outlook 2016)

Here's my issue: I need to convert my Thunderbird emails on my old desktop and then import them to my new MSI laptop using Outlook 2016. I've Googled and reviewed YouTube videos all night.....I thought I had decided on a third party software but then ran across one article that stated the they were the only software that could convert to .pst files without Outlook being installed (which would be the scenario on my old desktop, it only has Thunderbird, not Outlook).

Sooooooooo..............I thought I'd check here to see if anyone had actually done the following:

(1) Converted Thunderbird emails to pst files on one Windows 10 computer that ONLY has Thunderbird installed (2) then saved the pst files to a USB Flash drive to be imported to my new laptop that ONLY has Outlook 2016 installed.

I want to make sure I buy the correct software which is why I'm asking, hate to waste my money. One conversion software I was thinking of was STELLAR MBOX to PST Conversion. I suppose I could contact them and ask but thought someone here might know and have a faster answer than the manufacturer (or some other recommendation). [UPDATE: I called Stellar and Outlook DOES have to be installed on the same computer as the one with the Thunderbird emails...bummer]

I really don't want to install Outlook 2016 on my old machine just to convert the email files and then copy the .pst files and uninstall Outlook so I can put it on my new laptop but it's looking like perhaps I'll have to do so unless I can find a converter that works on a machine that does NOT have Outlook installed.

Thanks for any recommendations and/or suggestions.

@Phoenix, you haven't happened to do something like this have you???

 

@Maggie12 I'm sort of in the same situation as you as I'm doing some email migration for a family member and have been researching how to move email.

Have a look at MailStore home (free): Mailstore.com

I've been using this for a few months now to archive my old outlook email.
I haven't tried what you want to do, but after looking at it I think it will work.

• Install (or use portable version)
• Import all your thunderbird email. (manual configure and include folders like deleted items, drafts etc..)
• Export that entire profile to a new .PST file.
• copy .PST to flash drive and.. well you know what to do from here..

 

@Primes, thanks for the info. A few days ago I decided to just give it up and export all the Thunderbird emails as .eml and as html files. I found that I can open them and print if needed. These are personal emails, not work related and as such a bunch of them I really don't even need. But I have all of them on a 32GB external USB drive I had laying around and should I ever need to go look something up I can do so (although it will be time intensive perhaps). I may never need to look at one of them at all so I decided to stop obsessing and get on with setting up my new laptop with all my other software, etc.

When I switch over my sister's computer I'm afraid I WILL have to convert her zillion emails so perhaps I'll try out this program on her machine....or keep looking for other software that may work. This all came about when I upgraded to Windows 10 and they had that awful email program so I went with Thunderbird so I didn't have to purchase Outlook. I sure wish I would have just purchased Outlook and saved myself some grief. It's what I use at work and really like it but I cheaped out!!!! Well not this time around, I bought Office Home & Business 2016 that comes with Outlook and it is so nice to be working with it again (although it has it's quirks also).

Thanks again for the help.