How to Export Thunderbird Emails to CSV Format

Export Thunderbird emails to CSV format with easy steps. Learn how to export emails from Thunderbird to CSV without data loss.

“Amanda asks, I handle my emails with Mozilla Thunderbird. I want to see my emails now before forwarding them to my colleagues. For their analysis, I thus wish to convert them into a spreadsheet format. Is it possible to export my emails into CSV format securely without losing any crucial information?

For both people and professionals that use Thunderbird for email communication, this is a typical scenario. There is no direct option in Thunderbird to export user info to CSV. As a result, users look for ways to export Thunderbird emails to CSV. In the end, customers have the option of manually exporting their emails or using a customized MailConverterTools Thunderbird Backup Tool. Any spreadsheet program may readily open CSV files after they have been transformed. Therefore, this article will let users carry out these techniques with ease.

Reason to Export Emails from Thunderbird to CSV

Thunderbird:

• An email client for managing, sending, and receiving emails.
• Email data is stored in MBOX files by this well-known and free email client.
• Although MBOX files are not device-portable, they function nicely in Thunderbird.
• includes emails with metadata, headers, attachments, and layout.
• Enable full-featured email management and reading.

CSV: 

• Tabular data (rows and columns) is stored in a text-based file format.
• Numerous database and spreadsheet applications can use this format.
• includes only textual information, including Date, Sender, Receiver, and Subject.
• utilizing a basic spreadsheet to store or analyze basic email metadata.

Export Thunderbird to CSV Benefits

• Opening your data in LibreOffice, Google Sheets, or Excel is simple.
• Sorting and filtering email data, including the sender, recipient, and subject line, is simple.
• Distribute a tiny file of chosen email records to colleagues.
• Without using Thunderbird, save email metadata in a manner that is simple to access.

Difficulties to Convert Thunderbird Files to CSV

How to Export Thunderbird to CSV Using Manual Method?

Here, we’ll go over the manual way to export Thunderbird’s email data to a CSV file. An add-on that exports user emails from Thunderbird to CSV format will be used in this manner.

The detailed steps are given below:

1. First, launch Thunderbird on your computer.
2. Next, select ImportExportTools NG from the Menu >> Add-ons and Themes >> search, click Add to Thunderbird, and then click Install.
3. Additionally, right-click on the email folder you wish to export in Thunderbird after selecting it.
4. Select ImportExportTools NG >> Export folder >> As CSV file next.
5. Lastly, click Save after selecting the save place from the window.

This approach is effective, however it can only export a single folder at a time. Consequently, managing big mailboxes takes a lot of time.

Constraints of the Manual Methods

• Require technical understanding of formatting and add-ons.
• Processing large mails takes too long.
• During export, some emails or fields can be omitted or duplicated.
• danger of crucial fields being overlooked during conversion.
• In the CSV, special characters or non-English text could show up as jumbled symbols.

How to Export Thunderbird Emails to CSV Like a Pro?

The simplest method is to utilize a professional Thunderbird Backup Tool for accurate and seamless results. Users can export many Thunderbird mailboxes into CSV at once with this program. Additionally, the program maintains email information such as the sender, subject, date, and attachment. Additionally, the tool offers the option to export certain data by applying filters. Even non-technical individuals can use this program because of its user-friendly UI. Users can also export their data to various email programs and formats with this service. The backup utility can move data of any size because it has no file size restrictions.

Easy Steps to Export Thunderbird to CSV

1. Installing and starting the backup tool on your computer is the first step.
2. Click Next after choosing your Thunderbird profile.
3. Next, preview and click Next after choosing your emails or folder from the tree hierarchy.
4. Select CSV as the output file format now, and make sure the necessary filter settings are selected.
5. Lastly, click Convert after selecting the save place.

Explore More: Convert Thunderbird Email to PDF

Conclusion

As previously said, there are two ways to export Thunderbird emails to CSV format: the professional method and the manual method. Every technique works well and can download Thunderbird data to CSV files. Unfortunately, the manual way can take too much time and effort if you have a lot of items to save from Thunderbird to CSV, and it cannot save multiple folders at once. Apart from that, the professional approach is the most effective and fastest way to export large amounts of data at once. You can now choose the approach that works best for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why would I need to export Thunderbird emails to CSV?

Ans1. Exporting Thunderbird emails to CSV helps when you want to open your mailbox data in spreadsheet applications like Excel or Google Sheets. It makes sorting, filtering, and organizing email records much easier for reporting or documentation purposes.

Q2. Is there any built-in option in Thunderbird to export emails directly to CSV?

Ans2. No, Thunderbird doesn’t offer a direct Export to CSV feature. You need to either manually save the messages in an EML format and later convert them to CSV or use an addon or a professional converter tool to simplify the process.