Ideal Ways to Export Mozilla Thunderbird Address Book to PST and CSV Format
With a number of email clients available in the market, people often face issues during data migration from one client to another. The reasons behind these issues are mainly related to file format compatibility. Take Mozilla Thunderbird for example. Thunderbird saves all its contacts in MAB file format, which is supported by Thunderbird only. If the user wants to export Thunderbird address book, they have to convert it into PST or CSV format, depending on the email client. This post will tell you how to export Mozilla Thunderbird address book to PST and CSV format. Before that, have a look at a related user query:
“My brother recently started to use Outlook and he wants me to share my Thunderbird contacts with him. Thunderbird saves the contacts in MAB file but Outlook does not support MAB. I have to transfer the MAB contacts into PST format. But the thing is I do not have Outlook on my system. Tell me how can I migrate Thunderbird contacts into PST format without Outlook?”
Techniques to Convert MAB Files into PST and CSV Formats
There are various methods to export MAB contacts. We will discuss both manual and alternative method to Thunderbird Contacts in PST and CSV Format in the following section.
- Manual Technique to Export Mozilla Thunderbird Address Book
Users can take the aid of Thunderbird email application to manually export Thunderbird contacts in CSV and PST format. Here are the steps of manual method:
- Launch Mozilla Thunderbird email application on your system.
- Click on Address Book option from the Menu.
- Address Book window will appear. Click on Tools>> Export from that window.
- Export Wizard will pop up on the screen. Select the storage folder of the resultant file and enter a file name for the CSV file. Remember to select Comma Separated (*.csv) option as “Save as type” on the same wizard.
You have successfully exported Thunderbird contacts in CSV format. If you want to import this file in PST format then continue the process by implementing following steps.
- Open Outlook email with credentials of your desired profile.
- Click on File and then click on Open & Export>> Import/Export.
- Import and Export Wizard will open. Select Import from another program or file>> Next.
- Then choose Comma Separated Values and click on Next
- Click on Browse button to select the CSV file and click on Next.
- At this stage, you have to choose the folder where the CSV file contacts will be saved. After selecting, click Next.
- Click on Finish Your CSV file has been imported into Outlook and thus migrated into PST format.
Limitations of Manual Method
As you can see, the manual process to export Mozilla Thunderbird address book to PST and CSV format is quite lengthy and complex. Users have to spend considerable amount of time to perform this technique. In order to convert MAB files into PST format, users have to import the CSV file in Outlook. Without Outlook installation, you will not be able to export MAB file into PST manually. To skip these issues, users may choose to use the alternate method 6.
- Automated Method to Export MAB Contacts to CSV and PST File
These limitations can be easily avoided by using the alternate method, i.e., using MAB Converter. This utility can be used to export Thunderbird contacts to CSV, PST, VCF/ vCard, and LDIF format. So, no matter which client you wish to migrate to, this application has the solution. It also supports exporting multiple MAB files in a batch. With the ability to process MAB file of any size, this application is surely an ideal choice for the users who want to move Thunderbird contacts into PST, CSV and VCF formats.
Demo and Full Version
There are two versions of this software available in the market. Now, users can test the utility of the tool by downloading the demo version from the official website for free. Only if they are happy with the results, they may proceed to buy the full version. The full version will cost you only $49.
Conclusion
To transfer Thunderbird contacts to any other email, we have to convert MAB files into a suitable format. It is obvious from the discussion that if you use the manual method, you have to face a lot of problems. That is why it is better to export Mozilla Thunderbird address book to PST and CSV format using the tool. The application can seamlessly saves MAB files into PST and CSV format.
