Exporting Username and Passwords from Thunderbird (Again)
Greetings, and thanks, again, for all the nifty Mozilla stuff we've been using since the last century (and donating). Once upon a time, there was an add-on that allowed Thunderbird users to export a simple list containing account info including login names and passwords. I think it quit working around version 57 of TB. Since then, it would appear that several users have inquired about how to do that export, and the general answers are either "use the import/export function" or "you can't do that anymore, 'cause we don't want you to," or something equally off putting. As many users note, the Import/Export function is a shotgun approach, and doesn't really address the matter of getting username and password - let alone a simple list thereof. And it's not recommended for profiles over 2GB, which could be the majority of users, these days. And so, on to the questions: Is there now, in 2024, or will there be, a feature or add-on of Mozilla's Thunderbird that will allow a user to export a simple list of usernames and passwords to a readable file, like CSV or TXT or XLSX or ODT? If so, when? If not, why not? Thanks, again (again).
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There is a free Windows utility for this at https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/web_browser_password.html Your antivirus may not like it, so you may have to set an exception for it to run, but I've used it for years. The program can do Firefox passwords and also Thunderbird users and passwords. This is a personal reference and not an official Mozilla recommendation.
David, Thanks for the info. I downloaded it and tried it - it did pick up all of my installed browsers' info, but not Thunderbird. Is there a magic step to getting it to scan the TB profile folder?
I think one of the issues here is that the profile import export does not transfer passwords anyway.
I still hold out hope for the (Firefox like) sync option, but each year it is slipping from the yearly release for one reason or another, but I think it is finally getting close. https://blog.thunderbird.net/2024/02/thunderbird-monthly-development-digest-february-2024/ Perhaps this year.
I'll keep my fingers crossed, but in the meantime, I'll continue to use my crude, stone-age method of opening the view of passwords, doing a screen capture (and unfortunately, I have too many), pasting together a PDF, and doing a sloppy, rudimentary OCR. It ain't purty, but eventually I get a useable list.
To check thunderbird passwords with the utility I provided link to, click File>Select Folders and select your thunderbird profile folder. I'm sorta' lazy, so I made two copies of the program, naming one for firefoxpasswords and the other for thunderbirdpasswords. Works beautifully and I've used for years.