How to Import PST to Thunderbird Profile? Complete Guide

  

Rollins Duke   
Published: December 18th, 2025 • 7 Min Read

Everyday Thousands of Users attempt to import PST files to Thunderbird due to changing software preferences, licensing costs, and the need to access old Outlook data. Thunderbird remains a highly popular email client because it’s free, open-source, customizable and platform-independent.

Here, BitRecover has explained the proper details to Import Outlook PST to Thunderbird using the two best solutions: Manual and Automated. However, the manual method comes with some limitations that we will discuss in an upcoming section. On the other hand, the automated tool is specially developed to resolve issues instantly.

Reasons to Import Outlook PST to Thunderbird

• Many users switch from Outlook due to complexity, subscription-cost, or company policy changes. When they switch to Thunderbird, they need to import PST files to Thunderbird to easily access their Outlook data.
• Organizations switch from Outlook to Thunderbird to save on subscription costs, and often required PST to Thunderbird Import to recover employee data in Thunderbird to maintain productivity.
• Users frequently have PST files stored from older systems, backup drives or discontinued Outlook profiles. Thunderbird becomes the preferred email client to access these archived emails.
  Forensic experts often receive PST files during legal, compliance, and audit purposes and use Thunderbird to examine email structure, metadata and timestamp.
• When a Windows system fails or Outlook becomes corrupt, PST files are often the only way to recover mailbox data. Thunderbird provides a simple, safe way to access this information across devices.

Manual Way to Open PST File in Thunderbird

1. First, open Thunderbird and click on Thunderbird Menu.
   
2. Hit on Tools and press on Import option.
3. Select Import from Outlook and press Next button.
   
4. Choose Outlook data as you want to import.
   
5. Hit on Start Import to easily transfer Outlook data in Thunderbird.

Now you will get the complete data of the PST file in Thunderbird enabling you to easily open PST in Thunderbird.

Limitations of Manual Method

• Thunderbird and Outlook are both email clients that must be installed on your machine. Follow the whole process securely.
• The manual method does not allow importing multiple PST files into Thunderbird at once. You must repeat the process for each file.
• The latest Thunderbird user receives a No Profile Found Error when trying to import Outlook PST to Thunderbird.
• Manually importing crucial PST files to Thunderbird carries a higher risk of data loss, misalignment of file structure, email formatting, and the list goes on.
• Includes numerous complicated steps to convert PST to Thunderbird, making the whole process significantly slow and complicated for multiple or large PST files and incompatible for non-technical users.

Watch this Video to Import PST into Thunderbird

How to Open PST File in Thunderbird?

1. Firstly, download the setup software and install it on your computer. Thereafter, run it properly to import the PST file in Thunderbird.
   
2. Choose single or multiple PST files/ folders from the file storage location to start the process to open the PST file in Thunderbird.
   
3. Preview the complete data from the files loaded in the software panel. Select the required PST folders before proceeding with the Next step.
   
4. Use the advanced filter options to import specific emails from PST to Thunderbird.
   
5. Thereafter, pick Thunderbird as a saving format from the list of file-saving options provided by the software.
   
6. The software automatically chooses the default destination path to save the resultant data.
   
7. After that, press on the Next tab to open PST files in Thunderbird.
   
8. Lastly, after completion, open your Thunderbird and see imported data.

Software Features and Benefits

• Open PST with Thunderbird with All Items: This software facilitates the opening of PST file in Thunderbird with all sorts of components. These items include attachments, subjects, and sender/receiver details.
• Bulk Import PST to Thunderbird: With this wizard, the user can import PST files and also import Outlook contacts to Thunderbird in batch mode. This allows our clients to save valuable time.
• No Application Installation Required: To import PST in Mozilla Thunderbird, you don’t need to install MS Outlook on your Windows machine. In other words, this is a standalone tool.
• Access Corrupted PST Files Easily: This tool permits you to repair corrupted PST data into a healthy format after which you can open PST in Thunderbird with the correct data.
• No Need to Import: The tool automatically imports Outlook PST files to Thunderbird directly. Hence, there is no need to do any import/ export process.
• Multiple Saving: This utility is also capable of converting PST to EML, EMLX, MBOX, PDF, XPS, DOC, TXT, RTF, etc.
• Advanced Filters: You can enable the required filter to import PST file in Thunderbird by date range, email address, subject, and folders.

To Conclude

In this blog, we explained the two best techniques to open PST files in Thunderbird step-by-step. Moreover, this software tool offers a demo version that users can fully utilize to evaluate the tool’s proficiency. This demo edition allows importing 25 items from each PST folder in a supportable format. Thereafter, users can activate the licensed key of this product to access PST files in Thunderbird without any restrictions.

Whether the user is an individual searching for a way to access their old emails in Thunderbird, or a large business organization importing numerous accounts, this comprehensive software utility ensures complete speed, accuracy, and accessibility. Taking advantage of the automated tool is the most efficient and practical decision a user can make.