How to Export Thunderbird Emails to Claws Mail?

Thunderbird is an open-source desktop email client, and it allows you to configure email using a POP, IMAP, or SMTP server. However, as it is officially discontinued by Mozilla and also faces issues with sending and receiving emails, most users are looking for alternatives such as Claws Mail.

On the other hand, Claws Mail is a lightweight, fast, and highly customizable email client preferred by users who need efficiency with simplicity. Claws Mail is a GTK+-based email app and an updated version of Sylpheed. It shares Sylpheed’s functionality along with the MH mailbox and stores its mailbox data in an MBOX file by default.

Necessity to Migrate Thunderbird to Claws Mail

• Claws Mail offers a lightweight interface and fast performance making it a reliable voice for those requiring a simple email client. Unlime Thunderbird, which needed heavy resources, including add-ons which make it highly effective on email client performance.
• While Thunderbird offers extensive features, some users prefer Claws Mail’s simple interface as it mainly focuses on usability. It offers a highly customizable environment, allowing users to better experience without facing any complications.
• Claws Mail uses fewer system resources as compared to Thunderbird. It’s beneficial for those who have old hardware or don’t want any effect with their system performance.
• Some users find Claws Mail more capable to handle large size mailbox data, offering faster access to their mailbox and superior organization features.

How to Export Thunderbird Emails to Claws Mail Manually?

Here, we are going to explain two manual approaches to migrate Thunderbird to Claws Mail. But as it’s free, it definitely has some limitations. Due to its drawbacks, we don’t recommend it. However, if you are satisfied with its drawbacks, you can follow the approach explained below:

Method 1. How to Import Thunderbird Emails to Claws Mail?

1. First, open “Thunderbird” and select the emails as you want to transfer.
2. Right-click on selected emails and press on “Save As”.
3. Now, choose the file type as EML file and “browse the folder”.
4. Press Save to export Thunderbird emails in the “EML file”.
5. Open “Claws Mail” and create a new folder where you want to import emails.
6. Open the folder and click on the select file then press “Import Messages”.
7. Navigate to the “EML file” as you have exported.
8. Select “All EML files” and press Open to import them.

Drawbacks of Manual Method

• If you have a large number of emails, exporting and importing emails can be tedious.
• Thunderbird folder hierarchy not transferred automatically requiring manual reorganization.
• In some cases, email attachments may not import correctly in Claws Mail.
• Selecting batch emails and transferring them into Claws Mail increases the risk of missing some emails.

Method 2. How to Transfer Thunderbird Emails to Claws Mail Using Import/Export NG Tool?

1. First, open “Mozilla Thunderbird” and click on Tools.
2. Now, press on “Add-ons and Themes” and search for Import/Export NG Tools.
3. Click on “Add to Thunderbird” and press on POP up click on Add button.
4. Now, Right click on the mailbox folder and choose “Import/Export NG Tools”
5. Select “folder export(MBOX)” and choose as MBOX file
6. Choose the destination directly and click on the “Select folder”.
7. Open “Claws Mail” and go to the file option.
8. Select “Import MBOX file” and choose MBOX file as you have exported from Thunderbird.
9. Select the file and click on open to import it into “Claws Mail”.
10. Wait for the import process to complete, then verify that all emails appear correctly.

Issues with Import/Export NG Tools

• Users must install and configure the add-on before exporting emails, which may not be ideal for technical users.
• Some versions of Claws Mail may not fully support Thunderbird MBOX files, leading to import errors.
• It doesn’t retain the original Thunderbird folder hierarchy, requiring manual organization in Claws Mail.
• In some cases attachments do not transfer correctly or are not accessible after import.

Procedure to Export Thunderbird Emails to Claws Mail

1. Download and install “Thunderbird to Claws Mail Migration Tool” on your system.
2. Select “Convert configured Thunderbird profile” and check on multiple profiles if required.
3. Software loaded “Thunderbird mailbox folder” now select as you want to migrate.
4. Choose the “IMAP option” in the available list of saving options and check on advanced mode.
5. Enter “Claws Mail login credentials” and choose preferred language.
6. Select “Advanced filters” as needed and check on copy to default folders
7. Finally, press on Next button to start “Export Thunderbird emails to Claws Mail”.

Remarkable Qualities of Thunderbird to Claws Mail Migration Tool

• It offers users to migrate Thunderbird emails to Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, Zimbra, Apple Mail and all IMAP Supported email platforms.
• With this wizard, you can also use advanced filters such as date range, subject, sender, recipients, sender blank address, receiver blank address and many more.
• You can also extract attachments, extract phone numbers, extract email addresses from Thunderbird.
• It can auto-detect Thunderbird profile and also offers to select a custom Thunderbird folder as you need to migrate.
• This tool can also convert Thunderbird emails to PDF, MBOX, EML, TXT, HTML and 28+ available saving options.

Time to Wrap Up

In this tutorial, we have discussed the solution to export Thunderbird emails to Claws Mail with complete data. Here, we have shared both manual and Thunderbird to Claws Mail Migration Tool with proper steps to perform this export process. However, the manual approach comes with many drawbacks, and the main limitation is the lack of certainty regarding your mailbox data. So, we recommend you opt for the Thunderbird to Claws Migration Software, as it genuinely offers fully valuable output results without losing any information.

General Questions about Export Thunderbird Emails to Claws Mail

How do I Stop emails from going to junk mail in Thunderbird?

To stop emails from going to Junk Mail in Thunderbird, mark them as not Junk In the Junk folder. Add trusted senders to your Address book and disable Thunderbird Junk filters via Tools then Account Settings then click on Junk Settings. Also verify your email provider spam filter configuration.

What are the Disadvantages of Thunderbird email?

Thunderbird lacks built-in cloud storage and real-time collaboration. Its development cycle is too slow, limited customer support, and offers fewer modern features. Additionally, it requires manual add-ons for some features and can experience performance issues with large size mailboxes.

How do I Redirect emails in Thunderbird?

To redirect emails in Thunderbird, install Mail Redirect add-on. Then, select an email and click Message then select Redirect. Enter the email address where you want to redirect and press send. This approach preserves the original sender details, making it different from forwarding. Some mail servers may block redirection.