Export Thunderbird Emails to Text for Forensic Analysis

Summary: Are you looking for a method to export Thunderbird Emails to Text format? Or want to extract all messages from Thunderbird to Text format? If yes, then read this write-up. In this article, you will learn how one can perform Thunderbird convert to plain text quickly & instantly.

So, Thunderbird is an exceptionally helpful and stunning email program to deal with the mailboxes of a client, including messages. The primary justification behind the prevalence of Mozilla Thunderbird is its boundless way to deal with arrange a large number of Webmail email services through POP3/IMAP, for example, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.

It will help the users to obtain the Thunderbird emails composed as HTML files or Rich Text File to Plain Text File formatting. As we all know that any Thunderbird email can be organized in HTML or Rich Text formatting, which may offer better options for organizations to use them for tracing data.

However, the formatted emails can only be read with supported Email clients. Which will surely not be a viable choice for forensic purposes? Hence, to deal with the issue, there is an option for the users to view & open Thunderbird emails as Plain Text files. Thunderbird Export to Text file conversion process is not as easy as it seems, hence it is needed to have a powerful professional toolkit. To know in depth, read till the conclusion.

Reasons to Export Thunderbird Emails to Text

• The most common reason for Thunderbird convert to plain text is to have a backup of Thunderbird emails in a small and less storage-consuming file size.
• Also, the output of the process to export Thunderbird emails to text allows the user to swiftly open, access, read, and omit the data accordingly.
• Plus, it saves the data for long-term future use so that the user can access it anytime from multiple compatible devices.
• Apart from this, professionals who are record-keepers, data analysts, or from any legal field also seek a solution to convert Thunderbird to text file.
• In case the user just needs the text content apart from the layout or multimedia, they can also find a way to export Thunderbird emails to text.

Manual Way for Thunderbird Convert to Plain Text

There are 3 conventional ways in which one can export Thunderbird emails to text file. Thus, to know about them in detail, read the below shared sections:

1. Export Thunderbird Emails to Text Via Save As

This method to export Thunderbird emails to TXT is applicable when the user wants to save only one email from Thunderbird to TXT file. The steps for that are as follows:

1. Start Thunderbird email client.
2. Right-click on the email that you want to convert to TXT.
3. Select the Save Selected Messages option.
4. Choose either Plain Text Format with attachments or without.
5. Select the saving path of the output.
6. Finally, tap on the Select Folder option for a successful Thunderbird convert to plain text.

2. Thunderbird Export Emails to TXT Via Add-ons

This method allows the user to convert the whole Thunderbird folder to text file without any hassle. The steps are as follows:

1. Start Thunderbird and click on the Tools option from the menu bar.
2. Select the Add-ons and Themes option from the drop-down.
3. Click on Add it to Thunderbird to install the plugin.
4. Now, right-click on the Thunderbird folder to take a backup in text format.
5. Choose ImportExportTools NG and select Export all messages in the folder.
6. Click on plain text format, either with attachments or without, accordingly.
7. Browse and pick one saving location for the output.
8. Hit the Save Folder button to export Thunderbird emails to Text.

3. Thunderbird Convert to Plain Text Via Text Editor

This is a completely indirect method to export Thunderbird emails to text. Therefore, to learn about that in detail, read the steps mentioned below:

1. Run Thunderbird on your device.
2. Open the email that you want to convert to text.
3. Now, copy the content or the email body from it.
4. Once done, paste it into any text editor such as MS Word, Notepad, etc.
5. Finally, save the file in the TXT file format to convert Thunderbird to TXT.

Alert on Conventional Methods

• They are so complex that non-tech users and beginners cannot follow them.
• These solutions consume multiple resources of the users.
• There is no data security in these ways to export Thunderbird emails to text.
• The user needs to install a third-party email client or plugin, which also puts their data sensitivity at risk.
• Manual ways do not support bulk actions, which makes it an appropriate choice for professional drills.

A Professional Way – Thunderbird to TXT Converter

The ideal way to export Thunderbird emails to Text file is by using a professional-approved tool such as RecoveryTools Thunderbird File Migrator. This solution will create a separate Plain Text file for each Thunderbird email. The Thunderbird email client supports both plain text & HTML emails. However, the default settings hold the user’s preferences for each email account in the mail client. Hence, it will only affect all emails & messages that are created in Mozilla Thunderbird, even when messages are not obtained.

Download the Solution:

Note: The trial version of Thunderbird File Converter software will enable the users to export only the first 25 Thunderbird emails to plain text files.

Step-by-Step Guide to Convert Thunderbird Emails to Text Format

The overall working of the software to export Thunderbird emails to Text file is explained in the above video tutorial. The working screenshots of the tool are listed in the software panel. To do conversion, it is necessary for the users to first export Thunderbird emails to Text files by following these simple steps:

1. Install & Run Thunderbird to Text Converter software & load Thunderbird mailboxes from the configured Profile location automatically or manually by choosing the Select Files or Select Folders option from the options displayed.
   
2. It will list all the selected Thunderbird mailbox items in the software panel, from where users can choose all required Thunderbird emails listed here.
   
3. Now choose the TXT option from the list of Saving options displayed in its panel.
   
4. Set up Thunderbird to Plain Text File conversion naming options according to your requirements.
   
5. One can also change the destination location from the default Desktop by clicking on the Folder Icon.
   
6. Once you have completed all setup options for conversion, click on the Next button to initialize the whole conversion process.
   
7. Once the conversion process is finished successfully, click on the OK button to confirm & Exit from here.
   

As from above, we can easily conclude that it is one of the easiest solutions available at present to perform Thunderbird to Text file conversion. You do not need to be a fan of Thunderbird emails as Rich Text HTML files as composed in Mozilla Thunderbird. It is a wise choice for the users to have plain text emails & messages.

Some Features of Pro Tool

Thunderbird to Text File converter software enables users to export Thunderbird mailboxes to TXT files. It provides users with a direct option to create Text files from the Thunderbird email client. Thunderbird will wrap plain-text mailboxes in flowed formatting. It is the best toolkit available at present to export Thunderbird emails in Text file format. There are a large number of advantages that come with this state-of-the-art software, as some of them are listed below:

• The whole interface of Thunderbird to Text File Converter software is very easy & simplified so that any non-technical user can better understand its overall working.
• It is not mandatory to have a Thunderbird email client installed on your PC to accomplish the migration. However, if you have a Thunderbird email client installed successfully on your PC, then the software will automatically detect mailboxes from the configured Thunderbird Profile location.
• This tool has 30+ saving options which allow the user to convert Thunderbird to PST, PDF, MBOX, MSG, DOC, etc, or even migrate Thunderbird to Gmail, Office 365, Yahoo, Zimbra, etc.
• The utility will remove all internal system folder hierarchy of mailboxes while exporting them as Text files. It will help the users to access all emails as Text files listed in a single folder.
• The software will remove all rich text formatting of Thunderbird mailboxes while converting them to Plain Text files.
• This application is capable to convert single or multiple Thunderbird emails to Text files concurrently in batch mode.
• It is a safe & secure application for Thunderbird export emails to Plain Text files.
• This application can be run on all latest versions of Microsoft Windows, i.e., Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, etc, for both 32-bit & 64-bit OS editions.
• The software does not come up without any file size limitation, & hence one can convert unlimited Thunderbird emails to Text files.

The Verge

In this article, we get to know about the solution to one of the major queries, that is, how to export Thunderbird emails to Text file. A large number of users face issues while converting Thunderbird mailboxes to Text files. During its trial version, one can export only the first 25 emails from each folder to a Text file. The GUI-based utility can easily export selected files or folders from Thunderbird emails to Text file format. For more information, you can contact the technical support team.