Best Methods to Export Thunderbird Emails to Gmail Effortlessly

Why Should We Migrate Thunderbird to Gmail?

Migrating from Thunderbird to Gmail offers several advantages:

1. Gmail provides cloud-based storage, meaning your emails are stored online and accessible from any device.
2. Gmail has a very robust search feature which makes it easy for users to find particular emails.
3. With the help of Gmail, you can access your emails from any place, any device.
4. Gmail has advanced security features, like two-factor authentication, as well as spam filtering.
5. Gmail integrates automatically with other Google services, including Google Drive, Calendar, and Docs.
6. Unlike desktop clients like Thunderbird, which has to be updated manually, Gmail’s updates are automatically implemented and maintained by Google, keeping you on the most up-to-date version with its latest features.

Thunderbird to Gmail migration allows you to enjoy these features while safely organizing your emails, easily accessible across devices.

How Can You Export Thunderbird to Gmail With Ease?

This article outlines the top 4 reliable methods to import Thunderbird emails, including attachments, to a Gmail account, using both free and professional solutions. Keep reading to learn the complete steps to migrate Mozilla Thunderbird to Gmail.

#1. Via Enable IMAP in Gmail

To export Thunderbird emails into Gmail manually, you can follow these steps:

A. Enable IMAP in Gmail

1. Open Gmail in your desired web browser and log in with your credentials.
2. At the top right corner, go to Settings (gear icon) > See all settings.
3. Under the see all settings option, click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
4. Under IMAP Access, select the Enable IMAP option.
5. Click Save Changes to modify the setting.

B. Configure Gmail in Thunderbird

1. Open the Mozilla Thunderbird application and click on the Hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner,
2. Go to the New Account Option.
3. Under the New Account option click on Email.
4. A new panel comes with Set Up Your Existing Email Address.
5. Enter your name, Gmail email address, and password.
6. Select IMAP as the mail server and use the following settings:
1. Incoming server (IMAP): imap.gmail.com, Port 993, SSL
2. Outgoing server (SMTP): smtp.gmail.com, Port 465 or 587, SSL/TLS
7. Click Done to complete the setup.

C. Move Thunderbird Emails to Gmail

1. In Thunderbird, navigate to the folder where your emails are stored.
2. Choose the emails to migrate to Gmail. To do so, you can use Ctrl + A to select all emails in the folder, or you hold Ctrl and click individual emails for specific selection.
3. Right-click the selected emails and choose Copy To > Gmail.
4. You can also drag and drop the emails directly into the Gmail folder.

D. Sync Emails to Gmail

1. Once the emails are copied, Thunderbird will automatically synchronize them to your Gmail account based on IMAP.
2. Log into Gmail from your browser, and you will see all the emails that you imported from Thunderbird.

This method allows you to manually export Thunderbird emails to Gmail by setting up both accounts in Thunderbird and using IMAP to sync the data.

#2. Using the Export/Import Method

Here’s another way to manually transfer your Thunderbird emails to Gmail using the ImportExportNG Tool in Thunderbird and Gmail’s Import Mail and Contacts feature.

A. Export Thunderbird Emails to EML Files

1. Open the Mozilla Thunderbird software and select the ones you intend to export.
2. Right-click on the emails or folder chosen and select Save As > File.
3. Save the emails on your desired computer’s location as .eml files (those are standard email files that Gmail can recognize).
4. Repeat this step for any other emails or folders you wish to export.

B. Enable IMAP in Gmail

1. Open Gmail using a web browser, and log in to your account using credentials.
2. Click on the gear icon in the right top corner and select the See all settings option.
3. Select the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
4. Under IMAP Access, enable IMAP for a seamless connection.
5. Click Save Changes to save the changes.

C. Set Up Gmail in Thunderbird (if not already done)

1. If you haven’t yet, you might want to configure your Gmail account in Thunderbird. Go to Account Settings > Add Mail Account.
2. Enter your Gmail address and password, and remember to choose the IMAP option as the email type.

D. Install ImportExportNG add-ons on Mozilla Thunderbird

1. Open Mozilla Thunderbird Software, and go to the three horizontal lines.
2. Choose the add-ons and theme options.
3. Search ImportExportNG Add-ons and install it

E. Manually Import EML Files into Gmail

1. In Thunderbird, click on your Gmail account (IMAP) in the left-hand panel.
2. Create a new folder under your Gmail account to organize the imported emails.
3. Right-click on the folder and choose the ImportExportNG option > import EML Message > Individual EML Messages.
4. Choose the EML message from your local drive and save it in a specific folder.

This method allows you to export Thunderbird emails to Gmail by saving them as .eml files and then syncing them to Gmail using IMAP. This is more straightforward, especially if you have a few emails or folders to move.

#3. Using the Forward Option of Thunderbird

1. Run the Mozilla Thunderbird application on your machine.
2. In Thunderbird, navigate to the folder where the email is located.
3. Click on the email to open it. You can also select multiple emails if you wish to forward them all at once.

Note: Thunderbird usually sends one email at a time in this case.

1. Open an email to forward to your Gmail account by using the Forward option.
2. In the To field of the compose window, type your Gmail email address.
3. In the compose window, click the Send button to forward the email to your Gmail account.
4. The email will now be sent from Thunderbird to your Gmail address.

Limitations When You Export Thunderbird Emails to Gmail

• It has a file size limit when importing large files at once.
• Importing formatting of text or attached files may not go correctly.
• Metadata like read or unread status or folder structures are not copied.
• The manual method creates compatibility issues during the importation process.

Some of the disadvantages are to be kept in mind before importing the email files into Gmail.

#4 Professional Method to Export Thunderbird Emails to Gmail

The Mozilla Thunderbird Backup Tool is one of the most efficient tools for exporting Thunderbird to PST, PDF, EML, CSV, MSG, and other file formats. It also migrates Thunderbird to Gmail, Office 365, iCloud, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, IMAP, AOL, Zoho Mail, etc. This software enables the user to backup Thunderbird mailbox items, including e-mails, contacts, tasks, and calendars. Users can also store their Thunderbird emails on their computer or an external hard drive. All this is done easily without disturbing the original folder hierarchy of the software.

Steps to Export Thunderbird emails to Gmail using a tool

1. Download the Thunderbird backup tool on your system.
2. Go to the profile from which you want to import data.
3. Check the folder within Thunderbird’s folder tree structure.
4. You can take the preview from the selected data or folder.
5. Choose Gmail as a saving format.
6. Check the additional built-in feature.
7. After that, provide the destination for the output data.
8. Now, enter the credential to verify the account.
9. In the end, click on the convert button.

Conclusion

Here, we have outlined several manual and professional methods. The manual methods are very simple, but not everyone can do this easily because there are some limitations and restrictions. So, download this guided application to export Thunderbird emails to Gmail. It imports numerous emails at a moment in just a few steps.