Desktop Linux Help – How to Import Outlook Mails from Windows to Thunderbird in Linux?

We have almost migrated from Windows Platform to Linux. PCLinuxOS is sitting on 40 out of 44 Desktops in our Search Engine Optimization Company in India. What about the rest 4?

Well, he had to pause installing those rest four. Because those machines where use by our customer care people and almost 4 Gbs of Outlook mail files are there. We could not think of moving till we get those imported into Thunderbird in Linux.

We searched a lot of Linux Forums on how to import Outlook mails in Windows to Thunderbird in Linux. Most of the solutions offered in the forum was to install an extension pst-import-plugin, which did not work at all.

Next our System Administrator, T. N. Pandeya, resorted to a desi-formula that worked well. Let's see what he did.

1. He first installed Thunderbird on those Windows machines having Gbs of outlook mails. Dont make Thunderbird the default mail client.
2. While configuring Thunderbird on those Windows machines, he imported outlook mails through import wizard of thunderbird. Please make sure while importing mails outlook must be your default mail client.
3. After that Thunderbird automatically imported all the Outlook mails to its mail folders. (example, browse this folder - "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator.AGONSIS\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\fjhawubs.default\Mail\Local Folders" and copy everything related to outlook such as - outlook mail.sbd (folder), trash.sbd, outlook mail.msf, outlook mail, etc.)
4. Then he copied Thunderbird mail folders of all windows machines to our linux server (you can also copy them to any media), renamed them as per their respective users.
5. Next, he installed PCLinuxOS 2009 on all those windows machines.
6. Then, he configured Thunderbird on those machines.
7. Finally, he copied the thunderbird mail folders from the linux server to the mail folder of the thunderbird mail folder (example browse /home/user/.thunderbird/4pth.default/Mail/Local Folders/) in the newly installed PCLinuxOS 2009.1.

Thats it!