Complete Guide to Import Emails from Thunderbird to Gmail Account

Sahil Verma

Updated On - October 17, 2022

If you are looking for the process to import MBOX into Gmail, then I hope you’ll find this article helpful. Whenever we migrate between mail systems, we face one or another problem. Gmail is perhaps the most popular email client; but if your data is stored as MBOX, Gmail will not allow you to import it directly. And the process requires an intermediate email client or third-party software. There are about a dozen email clients that use the MBOX format. For example, Mozilla Thunderbird, Mac/Apple Mail, Opera Mail, Spicebird, Entourage, Eudora, and more.

Today, in this article, Mozilla Thunderbird is used to import MBOX to Gmail.

What is MBOX File?

MBOX files are a database of emails. MBOX files are a family of related formats designed to store and share emails. The four variations of the basic MBOX file – MBOXO, MBOXRD, MBOXCL, and MBOXCL2 – are all built on the same core structure but are formatted differently. Moreover, MBOX files are quite compatible and you can even convert MBOX to Office 365, PST & more. But the basic MBOX files aren’t always compatible with each other but are still perfect for storing emails and their attachments.

What is Gmail?

Gmail is a free webmail service provided by Google. It has impressive features like desktop voice notification, user-friendly interface, compatibility with iOS and Android, and many more. We all know that Gmail has the most active users around the globe. And it makes it so easy to download your mailbox. Just go to Google Takeout, click on the Gmail app from the list displayed, and use the ‘export’ feature.

What is Thunderbird?

Thunderbird is an open-source desktop email client that has some powerful features for email productivity. Mozilla Thunderbird uses the default MBOX file format to store email messages. There are many email clients apart from Thunderbird that uses the MBOX file format.

How To Import an MBOX File into Gmail Using Thunderbird?

You need to configure the Gmail account into Thunderbird after enabling IMAP access for your Gmail account. We need to perform the following steps before we can import MBOX files into Gmail.

• Enable IMAP access for your Gmail Account.
• Configure the Gmail account in Thunderbird.
• Import the MBOX file into Gmail

Enable IMAP Access for Gmail Account

To enable IMAP access for a Gmail account, one needs to sign in to their Gmail account and execute the following steps.

1. Click on the Settings Gear icon on the top right corner. And select the See all settings option.
   
2. Click on the Forwarding and POP/IMAP option.
3. Navigate to IMAP access and check the Enable IMAP option. And click on the Save Changes option.
   
   

Configure Gmail in Thunderbird

To add and configure your Gmail account in Thunderbird you need to download and install Mozilla Thunderbird. After the installation, perform the following steps.

1. Navigate to the Home panel and select the Email option. Now, enter the login credentials of your Gmail Account and click the Continue button.
2. select IMAP and click on the Done option.

You have successfully configured your Gmail account with Thunderbird.


3. Download ImportExportTools in Thunderbird

Without installing this Add-on in Thunderbird, you can’t import the MBOX files in it. You need to perform the following steps after installing this Add-on.

Import an MBOX file into Gmail

1. After installing the ImportExportTools Add-on, navigate to the left side and select the Local Folders option.
2. Now, right-click on it. Select ImportExportTools NG and click on the Import MBOX File option.
   
   
3. Choose Import directly one or more MBOX file options and click OK.
4. Select the MBOX file that you want to import; then, click on the Open button.
5. Now the MBOX files will load on the Local Folders with the same label. Now drag the imported MBOX data into the label area under your Gmail Account.

Professional Software to Import an MBOX File into Gmail

We understand the method is quite complicated and one always needs to be careful while doing this. On the other hand, there is another way to transfer MBOX files into Gmail – by using professional software Recoveryfix for MBOX to PST which very smoothly imports MBOX files of any email client to Gmail or G Suite user mailboxes. Also, it migrates data from Thunderbird/Apple Mail/Eudora to Gmail. It provides many features like filtering MBOX data, importing selectively to any target, and restoring Google Takeout backup files to Gmail/G Suite. It Supports Eudora, SeaMonkey, Opera, GNU, The Bat!, etc. It also provides a Free Demo Version to analyze its performance.

The MBOX import tool helps you to convert MBOX to PST & import MBOX/MBX/MBS/MSF files to Gmail with ease. You can select and add MBOX files of various email clients one after the other, preview their data, and save them to Gmail. With the Live Preview feature of the tool, you can be sure of the integrity and completeness of MBOX data before migrating to Gmail. You can verify the email content, its metadata, and other properties. The preview of data helps you plan for a selective migration too.

Summing Up

In this article, we get to know how to import an MBOX file into Gmail using Thunderbird which is a lengthy and confusing process. You can also use an automated tool, Recoveryfix for MBOX to PST which can help you to import an MBOX file into a Gmail account. One easily is able to use this tool without any technical knowledge.