I want to change from Outlook to Thunderbird without losing data or email files - how can I do this?

Question

I bought a Dell Inspiron in February when my old computer (with XP Pro and Outlook 2007) crashed. Now I have Windows 7 with Outlook 2013, which is proving to be a disaster. A colleague recommended I go to Thunderbird and forget all about Outlook. I have quite a number of files and emails in my Outlook folders and don't want to lose them if I make the switch. How can I achieve this?
Also, my wife uses Windows 7 and Outlook 2010 on her lap top. Our email addresses are very similar: [email protected] and [email protected] , which may explain some of the problems we've been having: And we use the same password, as we have always done. If Coralie stays with Outlook and I come over to Thunderbird would there be a compatibility problem? I am not too savvy with IT stuff and my wife even less so, so your help IN SIMPLE terms would be appreciated. Thanks and regards, Sylvan Bonett

Answer 1

Your email accounts are separate and distinct so there is no issue with any apparent similarity (unless you have done something out of the ordinary such as setting one up as an alias for the other.)
Transferring messages between email programs is rarely straightforward since there are no agreed standards for interchange of email content.
However as you're both using gmail, then you may not have a problem. If the account uses IMAP, the messages and the folders they are in are actually stored on the server, so which client (Outlook, Thunderbird or something else) you use is largely irrelevant.
If you are not currently using IMAP, then you could set up the account again, using IMAP and alongside the existing account, and simply move messages from the old to the new. This will have the effect of moving them back to the server, so they will be available to you in Thunderbird or any other email client.
I'd simply set up the account in Thunderbird, using IMAP, and see what I can see. If the messages are all there, job done. If not, set up the account in Outlook but using IMAP, and move the messages.