Import settings and data into Thunderbird for Android

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This feature is still being developed as part of Thunderbird for Android and Thunderbird for Desktop. Upgrade to the latest version of Thunderbird for Android beta for the latest version on Android.

How To Import from Thunderbird Desktop

Export for Mobile is available starting with Thunderbird Desktop 128.4.0 or Thunderbird beta 132 or newer. It is not available in older versions of Thunderbird.

Export Thunderbird Desktop settings

  1. Open Thunderbird Desktop and click ≡ > Tools > Export for Mobile.
  2. Tick the Email accounts you wish to export to Thunderbird for Android.
    Thunderbird 128 Export accounts to Thunderbird Mobile
  3. If you have accounts that are not using OAuth and you wish to export your passwords, you will see a Security section. Tick Include all accounts passwords under Security to export your passwords in the QR code.
  4. Click Export. A QR code will be displayed. Follow the steps below on your Android phone or tablet to scan the Thunderbird Desktop settings QR code. If you have many email accounts, multiple QR codes will be displayed when you scan from your Android device in the next step.
    tb-128-qr-code

Import the Desktop settings into Thunderbird for Android

Open Thunderbird for Android on your phone or tablet and follow the steps below.

First run

After you install Thunderbird for Android and run it for the first time, here's how to import settings from Desktop:

  1. Tap Get started on the initial screen.
  2. Tap Import settings. Thunderbird for Android will start the camera and display Align the QR code provided from Thunderbird Desktop. Scan the QR code from Thunderbird Desktop.
    • If you have many email accounts, you will scan multiple QR codes but only one QR code is displayed at a time by Thunderbird Desktop . After scanning the first QR code, Thunderbird for Android will display a confirmation of the form: Scanned X of Y where X is the count of QR codes you have scanned so far out of a total of Y QR codes (e.g. Scanned 1 of 2). In Thunderbird Desktop, click Next to manually advance to the next QR code to be scanned. Repeat until all QR codes have been scanned.
  3. Ensure the email accounts you want to import are all ticked. Tap Import.
  4. If your account uses OAuth instead of password authentication or you have chosen not to import your passwords, you will be prompted for your passwords. Follow the prompts to complete your import.

Subsequent runs

Once you have set up an email account, the next time you import email settings, the process will be slightly different:

  1. Tap ≡ at the top left > tap the gear icon:gear icon at the bottom left.
  2. Tap Import settings > Scan QR code. Scan the QR code from Thunderbird Desktop. If you have many email accounts, after scanning the first QR code, another code will be displayed and scanned until all account settings have been setup.
  3. Ensure the email accounts you want to import are all ticked. Tap Import.
  4. If your account uses OAuth instead of password authentication or you have chosen not to import your passwords, you will be prompted for your passwords. Follow the prompts to complete your import.

How To Import from K-9 or other Thunderbird for Android apps

Importing from K-9 Mail requires K-9 Mail 8.0 or later.

Open Thunderbird for Android on your phone or tablet and follow the steps below.

First run

After you install Thunderbird for Android and run it for the first time, here's how to import settings from K-9 or Thunderbird from Android:

  1. Tap Get started on the initial screen.
  2. Tap Import your account settings now > tap Import from app.
  3. Tap the email app you wish to import your email account settings from (either K-9 Mail or another release of Thunderbird for Android e.g. Beta).
  4. Ensure the email accounts you want to import are all ticked. Tap Import.
  5. If your account uses OAuth instead of password authentication or you have chosen not to import your passwords, you will be prompted for your passwords. Follow the prompts to complete your import.

Subsequent runs

Once you have set up an email account, the next time you import email settings, the process will be slightly different:

  1. Tap ≡ at the top left > tap the gear icon:gear icon at the bottom left.
  2. Tap Import settings > tap Import from app.
  3. Tap the email app you wish to import your email account settings from (either K-9 Mail or another release of Thunderbird for Android e.g. Beta).
  4. Ensure the email accounts you want to import are all ticked. Tap Import.
  5. If your account uses OAuth instead of password authentication or you have chosen not to import your passwords, you will be prompted for your passwords. Follow the prompts to complete your import.

How To Import email account settings using a settings file from Thunderbird or K-9

It is not possible to import a settings file from apps other than Thunderbird for Android or K-9.

1. Export Thunderbird or K-9 settings to a file

Open the app, K-9 or Thunderbird for Android, whose settings you wish to export.

  1. Tap ≡ at the top left > tap the gear icon:gear icon at the bottom left.
  2. Tap Export settings.
  3. Tick the Email accounts you wish to export to Thunderbird for Android.
  4. Tap Export.
  5. Change the directory and the filename as you see fit and tap Save. Take note of the filename and directory e.g. a directory in Google drive, the Downloads directory, etc. You will need the filename and directory in order to import the settings in Step 2.

2. Import the exported settings file into Thunderbird for Android

Open Thunderbird for Android on your phone or tablet and follow the steps below.

First run

Here's how to import settings from the file you created in Step 1:

  1. Tap Get started on the initial screen.
  2. Tap Import your account settings now > Select file. Select the file you saved from Step 1.
  3. Ensure the email accounts you want to import are all ticked. Tap Import.
  4. You will be prompted for your passwords. Follow the prompts to complete your import.

Subsequent runs

Once you have set up an email account, the next time you import email settings, the process will be slightly different:

  1. Tap ≡ at the top left > tap the gear icon:gear icon at the bottom left.
  2. Tap Import settings > tap Select file. Select the file you saved from the Step 1.
  3. Ensure the email accounts you want to import are all ticked. Tap Import.
  4. You will be prompted for your passwords. Follow the prompts to complete your import.

Not seeing all your email accounts?

You will not be able to import some email accounts because they are configured in a way that is not supported by Thunderbird for Android.

Not supported

Email accounts with the following configurations are NOT supported (See Bug 1919786 for full details):

  • GSSAPI
  • NTLM
  • TlsCertificate
  • TryStartTls. See Bug 1868517
  • Non-ASCII email addresses are not supported.
  • Non SMTP outgoing servers are not supported.

Multiple outgoing servers are not exported

  • Only the SMTP server for the default identity is exported for those email accounts with multiple outgoing servers.

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These fine people helped write this article:

Roland Tanglao, kewisch
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