Migrating from Apple Mail to Thunderbird 60.3.1
Maybe 10 years ago I used Thunderbird on my iMac. - I use Thunderbird at work and decided I miss some of the more advanced features that are not in Apple Mail on my iMac at home. - Especially after reading that Thunderbird could now share both iCloud's Apple Calendar and Contacts. - I am currently using Mac OS 10.11.6. A little behind the times, but I have been using apps that wouldn't run on the newer Mac OS. - Before installing the new version, I opened the old version of Thunderbird, went to the Tools/Account Settomgs and found the directory in the Mac OS library that needed deleted. and deleted it. I did this because most of my logins and settings have changed a lot and I want to import the current local folders and settings from the current version of Apple Mail. I use my email local folders extensively as a type of database to keep a history of purchases and other important information in the local folders. - I then used App Cleaner to delete the ten year old version of Thunderbird and the support files that were not part of the library folder, such as the actual application, Thunderbird. - I then downloaded and installed Thunderbird 60.31.1. Launched it. Chose not to make it my default because I want to make sure it works first. then went to tools/import and noticed I didn't have the the option to Import Everything. See Jpg. attached. - Then decided to try to import just the Mail. Chose Apple Mail. then Next. Got the No Mailboxes were found in the import message. Again, see the jpg. I did the same for the settings and got the "No Application or file to import data from was found" error message. See yet another jpg. I clicked Finish and went to the forums to search for a solution, but found nothing. So here I am. -what did I miss in this setup, migration from Apple Mail and Integration with contacts and Calendar (iCloud based)? Thank you for your assistance.
I couldn't get any of my screen shots to upload. Sorry.
Valitud lahendus
I also received the "no mailboxes were found" message from Tbird when trying to import from Apple Mail. I tried the weird kid's software and it worked!! It's frustrating that Tbird doesn't work to do this when it purports to after hours of trying various possible solutions. But so glad to have found this other option - well worth the 30$ for me. It didn't seem to import but then when I opened Thunderbird later, the folder was there with all the messages. Looks like this program can change one format to another - so Apple Mail to Thunderbird, or Apple .mbox folder to regular .mbox file, etc.
Loe vastust kontekstis 👍 1All Replies (6)
The trick is to export the mail from Mail app and find the mbox files that can be imported to TB:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=688166#c23
See also https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1204361
Thank you. I have reviewed the links and the links in the links. I will do a few test export and imports. Will this also export/import the graphic and files attached? I seem to remember having to buy a conversion utility when helping a friend with a similar migration, mainly because of loosing attachments and imbedded files. Seems the attachments and imbedded files are parsed to another folder by Apple Mail.
I can't confirm if the attachments and embedded images are included, but it should be easy to test this. I know that some apps like Eudora used to keep things separate, but TB, for example, keeps the entire message in its mbox files or in saved eml files.
I remember that about Eudora. Thank you for your help. It will be a few days before I have the time to do the work. But now I have a outline of how to do it.
I appreciate the solution suggested. But had a hard time getting Apple Mail to export properly. Turned out my Mail system was corrupted a bit, especially in some of the buried folder I used to archive receipts and such.
So discovered a utility by Weird Kid software called Emailchemy. After pointing it at the correct folder, it found all the mail, even the banged up ones, and exported them into native Thunderbird format. Then all I had to do was copy the export into the correct folder, open Thunderbird and do a bit of organizing. The banged up software and sub folders came across repaired and as accessible as the day I received them.
https://weirdkid.com/emailchemy/
Again, thanks for the help. Bob
Valitud lahendus
I also received the "no mailboxes were found" message from Tbird when trying to import from Apple Mail. I tried the weird kid's software and it worked!! It's frustrating that Tbird doesn't work to do this when it purports to after hours of trying various possible solutions. But so glad to have found this other option - well worth the 30$ for me. It didn't seem to import but then when I opened Thunderbird later, the folder was there with all the messages. Looks like this program can change one format to another - so Apple Mail to Thunderbird, or Apple .mbox folder to regular .mbox file, etc.