How to Export Gmail to Thunderbird Quickly? 100% Secure Transfer
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Mozilla Thunderbird is an open-source desktop email client that allows users to access all their emails, calendars, and contacts in one app.
What does it mean to export Gmail to Thunderbird?
The scope of Gmail to Thunderbird primarily involves 2 key points:
- Receive and reply to new Gmail messages via Thunderbird instead of Gmail’s webmail interface.
- Sync all older Gmail data messages, contacts & calendar in Thunderbird.
Why Backup Gmail to Thunderbird?
Real-world use cases when this expert guide is helpful for users to export Gmail to Thunderbird:
- Switching to Thunderbird (Desktop) from Gmail’s webmail interface.
- Offline access to Gmail emails with Thunderbird.
- Long-term local archival of Gmail data, including emails, attachments, contacts & calendars.
- Save old Gmail emails from multiple accounts in one place.
- Thunderbird has Add-Ons to better manage Gmail data.
How to Export Gmail to Thunderbird Account?
It’s important to get everything set up perfectly so you can access Gmail with Thunderbird glitch-free at all times.
In this guide, based on the latest versions, we explain the steps to use Thunderbird to access a Gmail account, including:
- How to Set Up Gmail in Thunderbird to access new emails.
- 2 tried & tested methods by our experts to import Gmail emails to Thunderbird
How to Configure Gmail in Thunderbird? Step by Step
Quick steps to link Gmail to Thunderbird as per the latest updates of Gmail & Thunderbird:
- After downloading Thunderbird, click on the Menu button.
- Choose the Account Settings option from the pop-up menu.
- Click on the New Account option on the top left.
- Select Mail Account to.
- Give a name and enter your Gmail address. Then press Continue.
- You will land on Sign-In-With-Google’s page.
- Enter your Gmail ID and press Next.
- Enter your password. You may need to enter an additional code if you have 2FA enabled.
- Select IMAP and press continue.
- Fetch all and hit the Allow button.
- Press Finish to successfully connect Gmail to Thunderbird.
Export Gmail to Thunderbird: Top 2 Methods
There are 2 ways to backup Gmail Data to Thunderbird:
- Use Google Takeout to add Gmail messages to Thunderbird – Manual Way
- Use our professional tool to export Gmail folders to Thunderbird – Advanced Way
Manually Backup Gmail to Thunderbird Using Google Takeout
Pre-Requisite: Install the ImportExportToolsNG in Thunderbird.
Note: You no longer need to enable IMAP in Gmail. After the complete shift to OAuth in 2025, IMAP is permanently enabled in Gmail.
After downloading Thunderbird & suggest Add-on, follow the exact steps to export Gmail to Thunderbird:
- Go to Google Takeout (https://takeout.google.com/) and log in with your Gmail Account.
- Select the Gmail data to include in the export to Thunderbird.
- Deselect All and only choose Contacts, Calendar, and Gmail.
- From Google Takeout, choose file type, frequency & destination.
- Destination: Send Download Link Via Email
- Frequency: Export Once (1 Export)
- File type: .ZIP
- File Size: If you have larger data export, max to 4 GB.
- Click on Create Export so that you can further transfer Gmail to Thunderbird.
- Download the export to your desktop through the link sent to your Gmail.
- Extract the .zip file.
- Launch the Thunderbird App.
- Right-click on the local folder and choose New Folder to create a New Folder.
- Name the new folder and press Create Folder.
- Right-click on the folder and choose Import Export NG.
- Choose Import MBOX and Individual MBOX Files (with SBD structure).
- Choose the extracted files from Google Takeout.
- You have imported all your Gmail contacts and calendar into Thunderbird completely.
Note: You may have to repeat the process multiple times if you have Gmail data larger than 4GB.
Google Takeout for Gmail to Thunderbird: Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Free of Cost | Error-prone process |
| Exports Gmail emails along with Contacts and Calendar | Takes hours or even days to export and import Gmail data into Thunderbird |
| Gmail’s native method | Folder structure is not preserved |
| Secure Method | Repetitive if your data size exceeds 4 GB |
| Works without configuring | No Direct Gmail to Thunderbird Transfer |
Google Takeout is an Efficient Tool to Export Gmail to Thunderbird in Case
- You have a smaller mailbox.
- You just need to transfer your personal Gmail data to Thunderbird.
- You have ample time and good technical knowledge.
Export Gmail to Thunderbird: Automatic & Direct Method
Email Backup Wizard is the professional solution to migrate/ backup Gmail to Thunderbird directly.
Chosen by thousands of working individuals and businesses to add Gmail to the Thunderbird email client software with complete integrity.
Designed and recommended by IT experts to help users move their Gmail to Thunderbird automatically without any downtime.
Free Trial also available to transfer 25 Gmail emails per folder to Thunderbird, cost-free.
Download the tool today! Available for installation on both & Windows devices.
Steps to Connect Gmail to Thunderbird Using Expert Tool
- After installing, open the tool on your computer.
- Choose Gmail from the email source panel on the left.
- Sign in to the Gmail to Thunderbird Export tool.
- Select the Gmail folder you want to migrate to Thunderbird.
- From the Saving Option, choose MBOX.
- In the destination path, choose the profile path of Thunderbird.
- Use Advanced Filters to selectively add Gmail data to Thunderbird based on Date, sender/ receiver, subject, and search terms.
- Press Backup.
- Relaunch Thunderbird to access Gmail.
Note: Your profile path in Thunderbird is
C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\
What is the Best Way to Export Gmail to Thunderbird? Comparison Table
| Feature | IMAP Connection | Google Takeout | Our Tool |
| Permanent Export | No | Yes | Yes |
| Supports Large Mailboxes | No | Limited | Yes |
| Folder Structure | Yes | Often Broken | Preserved |
| Time Required | Fast | Hours / Days | Fast |
| Bulk Accounts | No | No | Yes |
| Errors | Sync & Authentication | Export Failures & | None |
| Admin Friendly | No | No | Yes |
| Selective Export | No | No | Based on Date, Subject, To & From |
Our Gmail to Thunderbird Export tool is the best Choice:
- For a complete Gmail data backup to Thunderbird.
- When bulk exporting Gmail accounts to Thunderbird. Top choice of business or enterprise.
- To migrate Gmail to Thunderbird with zero downtime.
- When dealing with large mailboxes. Our expert tool can backup unlimited data from multiple accounts at once.
- Avoid authentication, sync, or export failures.
Our Expert Suggestion to Backup Gmail to Thunderbird
In a nutshell export Gmail to Thunderbird is fairly simple. You just need to choose the right way based on your needs.
If you only want temporary access to Gmail inside Thunderbird, adding the account via IMAP is enough.
You can also use Google Takeout for a better sync of Gmail to Thunderbird.
However, after testing, we discovered the best way is to use our expert tool, as it helps you avoid common configuration or sync errors and seamlessly connect Gmail to Thunderbird. Moreover, it helps maintain complete Gmail Integrity even in Thunderbird.
FAQs: Export Gmail to Thunderbird
Q1: What are the IMAP settings for Gmail to Configure in Thunderbird?
- Username: Your Gmail ID
- Authentication: OAuth 2.0 & Password
- Incoming Mail Server (IMAP): imap.gmail.com
- Port: 993 (SSL)
- Security Type: SSL/TLS
Q2: Can Thunderbird connect to Gmail?
Yes, you can use IMAP sync, Google Takeout +ImportExportToolsNG, or a reliable external tool like ours to import Gmail to Thunderbird.
Q3: Can I export Gmail attachments to Thunderbird?
Yes, you can permanently export Gmail attachments to Thunderbird either by using our expert tool or Google Takeout.
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