Learn How to Migrate Thunderbird to Apple Mail – 7 Quick Steps

A business has shifted from the Windows platform to macOS and advises its employees to use native applications. An employee previously using Thunderbird now requires a solution to fit into the macOS ecosystem. Therefore, to enhance efficiency and boost productivity, the employee decided to migrate Thunderbird to Apple Mail. But, what are the ways by which he can achieve this migration efficiently? Well, there are two ways to do it: one is a manual approach and the other is by using a dedicated Thunderbird Backup Tool. Continue reading this blog to explore more about this topic and solutions to overcome this problem. But before going any further, understand what Thunderbird and Apple Mail are.

Thunderbird is a cross-platform email program that supports multiple accounts, POP and IMAP, range of extensions to enhance functionality. Apple Mail is an email client developed by Apple that manages email communication on macOS and iOS. When users switch to macOS, they choose to use Apple Mail rather than Thunderbird. 

Need to Migrate Emails from Thunderbird to Mac Mail 

Moving to Apple Mail reduces the maintenance and simplifies email management. Furthermore, it provides long-term support, security, and functionality. Look at some of the benefits of this migration:

• Apple Mail is pre-installed on Mac, meaning that it is available for immediate use. There’s no need to install any additional software.
• Apple Mail provides a sleek, intuitive design and an elegant interface. It is particularly suitable for users who already work within the macOS environment.
• Apple Mail integrates with macOS security features, offering advanced encryption, stronger privacy features, making it valuable for regulated industries.
• Apple Mail is updated with system updates, meaning it updates with the new features automatically.
• On macOS, Apple Mail runs more efficiently, offering faster performance and efficiency compared to Thunderbird. 

Now that you have understood the benefits of migrating Thunderbird to Apple Mail, move ahead to finally execute the solutions.

How Do I Migrate Thunderbird to Apple Mail?

It is an efficient and direct approach, by exporting emails to MBOX and then importing them to Apple Mail. This method is useful for those who want to migrate specific folders without any IMAP synchronization.

Import Thunderbird Mail to Mac Mail Using MBOX Export/Import Method

This method is reliable when the user is handling only a few number of emails to migrate. 

Use the step-by-step approach to move Thunderbird to Apple Mail:

Step 1: Export Thunderbird to MBOX Files

1. Open the Thunderbird application.
2. Go to Tools > Add-ons and Themes > Search ImportExportTools NG and install it.
3. Now, go to File > ImportExportTools > Export Folder.
4. Select the folder that you want to export. Choose a destination location to save your file.
5. Click Yes to confirm.

Step 2: Transfer Thunderbird emails to Mac Mail

1. Open Apple Mail on your system.
2. Navigate to File > Import Mailboxes > Files in MBOX Format.
3. After that, browse your exported .mbox file, select it, and tap Continue.

Limitations: The subfolders might not get transferred properly. The labels and tags will not get transferred. This method only moves the existing emails and folders and does not support real-time synchronization.

Dedicated Tool to Migrate Thunderbird to Apple Mail

The Thunderbird Backup Tool is especially designed to simplify email migration and archiving. It supports more than 12+ formats, such as PST, MBOX, PDF, etc. This tool allows users to export folders and attachments filtered by date. Moreover, it includes functionalities like converting attachments into PDF, splitting large PST files, and directly migrating emails to clients. This powerful tool is used by professionals and IT teams to ease their email management experience.

The following are the steps to migrate emails from Thunderbird to Mac Mail:

1. Download and launch the tool.
2. Choose the Thunderbird account profile.
3. Select the mailbox from the mail list and tap Next to continue.
4. In the Saves/Backup/Migrate As section, choose iCloud as the saving format. 
5. Authenticate with iCloud account login credentials.
6. Apply the additional features if required.
7. At last, click on the Convert button.

Conclusion

To conclude, migrating Thunderbird to Apple Mail ensures strong privacy measures and better performance. Throughout this blog, we’ve discussed a manual method using the MBOX Export/Import feature to migrate Thunderbird to Apple Mail. But for those seeking faster, more precise, and error-free results, we recommend using the Thunderbird Backup Tool. This dedicated tool is trusted by professionals and is suitable for both individuals and businesses. 

Related Post : Convert Thunderbird Email to PDF Format & Export Thunderbird Emails to Gmail

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q- How to migrate Thunderbird to Apple Mail?

Ans- First, we have to install ImportExportTools NG in Thunderbird and then export the data to MBOX files. After that, we will simply import the MBOX Files into Apple Mail. 

Q- Can we transfer the Thunderbird data into PST using Thunderbird Backup Tool?Ans- Yes, you can transfer Thunderbird to PST and also to 12+ file formats. This software also allows users to directly migrate to email clients.