How to Migrate Office 365 to Thunderbird Profile?

  

Rollins Duke   
Published: August 5th, 2025 • 7 Min Read

Recently I created a new Thunderbird account for my personal use. I mostly work from home, so I need to connect my Office 365 account to Thunderbird. However, I don’t know much about cloud based programs. So, I have trouble syncing my account. Can you help me in connecting my account, it would be very helpful!

There are several users who wants to integrate their Outlook 365 with the Thunderbird. Microsoft 365 is a productive suite which provides you advanced features to help you in your businesses. It is a cloud-based suite which you can access from any devices. Thunderbird on the other hand is a desktop email client which allow you to manage your emails, contacts and calendars. Both the programs are different from each other. But, because of the personal reasons some of you want to move their Microsoft 365. And we are here to help you.

Read Also: Expert Guide to Import Outlook Mail to Thunderbird

Reasons to Migrate Office 365 to Thunderbird

Before the process, let’s see the scenarios where users need to add Microsoft 365 to their Thunderbird account.

• Thunderbird is a free open-source email client, So, creating an account and using them is very easy.
• By connecting your account with Mozilla Thunderbird, you can make your Office 365 data offline available.
• This email client is available in Windows, Mac and Linux OS. Which makes it easier for users to work with them.
• If you want to reduce the reliance on Microsoft service then the Thunderbird is a perfect option.

So, these are some of the common causes of migrating your data. Now, the question is how you can connect Outlook 365 to Thunderbird. Discussing with the expert, we have found methods that you can easily use. Below, we provide them in detail.

How to Export Microsoft 365 Emails to Thunderbird?

To connect Office 365 to Thunderbird, you need IMAP server and OAuth2 authentication. With the help of this modern authentication, you can securely add your account and move the data. But, for that you must have the latest Thunderbird program and enable OAuth2 and IMAP server in your Office 365 account. You can download or update your Thunderbird. But, if you don’t know how to enable IMAP and authentication in your Outlook 365. Follow the work-step below.

Enable IMAP and OAuth2 in Office 365

To enable IMAP

1. Sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. Click on the mailboxes option and select your mailbox that you want to enable the IMAP.
3. Press the Manage email apps settings option and enable the IMAP.
4. Lastly, save the changes.

To enable OAuth2 if you are an Office 365 admin.

1. Log in to the Office 365 admin center and go to the Settings option.
2. Click on the Org Settings. Select the Modern authentication.
3. Now, enable modern authentication and then save the changes.

Although IMAP and OAuth2 are by default enabled in all Office 365. If by chance it is not, you can follow the above steps. Now, we are ready to add Microsoft 365 to Thunderbird.

Migrate Office 365 to Thunderbird Manually

1. Run the Thunderbird on your device. Go to the three bars at the top-right corner.
2. Click on the Account Settings >> Account Actions and Add a Mail Account.
3. Enter your Office 365 username, email address and password.
4. Click on the Continue button. Choose the IMAP option and the program automatically syncs your account.
5. When configuring an account, you will see a Microsoft login window. Type the Microsoft 365 email ID. Hit the Next button.
6. Provide the password or you can use MFA if enabled.
7. Grant the permission to access your mailbox.

Once you complete OAuth2 authentication, Thunderbird will complete the setup process. All your emails will be in your Thunderbird account and you will be able to access them. If the authentication and IMAP does not properly configure or if there are MFA conflicts. You are unable to connect your account. Instead of using this method you can use the automated tool that can directly transfer your data.

Instructions to Migrate Office 365 to Thunderbird

1. Run the Tool, enter your O365 email address, press I am Admin button and Login.
   
2. Enter the M365 password and press Sign In.
   
3. Now, the software is uploading Office 365 folders in GUI.
   
4. Thereafter, select the required Office 365 folders using the front checkboxes.
   
5. After that, choose Thunderbird as a saving option.
   
6. You can change your destination path by clicking on the Change button.
   
7. Thereafter, press the Backup button to migrate Office 365 to Thunderbird and wait.
   

After migrating the software, go to the Thunderbird and check if all the Office 365 emails are present or not. By comparing this method with manual one, you will get multiple features to help you in your work.

Conclusion

In this blog, we explained how to migrate Office 365 to Thunderbird with all email attachments. Here, we explained to you the manual option with modern authentication to securely connect your account. Along with this, we also provide you with the automated tool to directly transfer your data. Both methods are easy, but you may have problems with the manual method. However, there is less issue in using the automated method. So, try it for free and see how it works.