How to Import EML to Thunderbird - A Complete Guide

Mozilla Thunderbird is an open-source desktop-based email client. Many organizations and individual users use Thunderbird to send/receive emails. Thunderbird is known for its advanced features such as junk filtering, message management, add-ons, and themes. To use its features, many users migrate to Thunderbird from other email clients. To migrate data to Thunderbird, users export their data to EML files so that they can import EML files to Thunderbird quickly.

In this post, we will discuss how to import EML to Thunderbird manually. If you are looking for a simple way to import EML files to Thunderbird, then this post will be helpful for you. But before we discuss the manual methods, let us discuss the EML file.

What is the EML file?

EML is a popular file format developed by Microsoft. This file saves a single message with the subject, sender, recipient, date, and multiple attachments. Major email clients like Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, Thunderbird support this file format. Many users use this file for data sharing, backup, and migration purposes.

How to import EML to Thunderbird?

To import EML files to Thunderbird, you can try manual methods. There are various methods available that quickly perform this conversion. Here, we will discuss the best way to import EML to Thunderbird free.

Method 1: Import EML files to Thunderbird using Drag and Drop

In this method, we have to drag and drop the EML files into the Thunderbird folder. Using this method, you can import multiple files at once. To perform this method, follow the steps given below.

1. Launch Mozilla Thunderbird.
2. Select Local folders.
3. Right-click on the Local folders and select the New folder option.
4. Give the folder a name and click on OK.
5. Click on the newly created folder.
6. Select EML files that you want to import.
7. Start dragging selected EML files and drop them to the newly created folder.

Method 2: Import EML to Thunderbird using the Import Messages option

In this method, we will be using the ImportExportTools add-on. It is a free add-on. You have to install it in Thunderbird. To execute this method, follow the steps given below.

1. Open Thunderbird.
2. Go to the Tools and select Add-ons.
3. Search ImportExportTools NG and click on the Add to Thunderbird button.
4. Restart Thunderbird and select the Local folders.
5. Right-click on the Local folders and select the New folder option.
6. Give the folder a name and hit the Enter key.
7. Right-click on the newly created folder and select ImportExportTools NG.
8. Choose the Import Message option, choose the EML files you want to import.
9. Click on the Open button to start the import process.

Method 3: Import EML to Thunderbird using the Import all messages from a directory option

Here, we are going to use ImportExportTool NG. If you don't have this add-on, install it in Thunderbird. After installing the ImportExportTool add-on, follow the steps below.

1. Open Thunderbird and select the Local folders.
2. Right-click on the Local folders and select the New folder option.
3. Give the folder a name, and press Enter.
4. Right-click on the newly created folder and select ImportExportTools NG.
5. Select Import all messages from a directory and choose just from the directory option.
6. Select the folder where you saved EML files.
7. Click on the Select Folder button to start the import process.

Frequently Asked Questions

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