Exporting folders (under Inbox) with emails

[Jose_Mariano]

Hi,

I want to export all my emails from Thunderbird to Gmail. I know there Gmail Loader, but GL is only for one file: "Inbox", if I would have all my emails under Inbox. And I don't have.

In Thunderbird, under Inbox, I have about 30 folders (each for a customer, friend, newsletter, etc.) with emails and subfolders.

How to export all this folders and emails to Gmail?

Thanxs in advance.

[DanRaisch]

Dou you have that Gmail account set up in Thunderbird already?
If so, how is the account set up, as POP or IMAP?

[Jose_Mariano]

1) Yes. I have it for years.

2) POP. I know that I have to setup as IMAP, but my problem are the folders. I have already read the instructions from Gmail Loader, but it's only for one file: "Inbox"

[tanstaafl]

Try the Gmail webmail filer at http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/E ... bird.shtml (instead of the gmail loader).

Or create the Gmail IMAP account and just move the folders to the desired destination in the IMAP account. The main limitation is the undocumented bandwidth limitation, so its safer to move each folder separately. IMAP accounts let you copy/move folders/messages to/from them as if they were local folders, unlike POP accounts.

[Jose_Mariano]

Hi Tanstaafl,

Thank you! I think this is the solution. I will try it. I don't want to quit Thunderbird, I just want to have a backup of all my emails.

[Jose_Mariano]

Hi again Tanstaafl,

I want to COPY all my Thunderbird folders/emails do Gmail, not delete them in TB. If I change my Gmail to IMAP, and because my Gmail is empty, can I loose all my emails in TB?

[DanRaisch]

Don't change the existing account, add an additional account with that Gmail address but set up as IMAP. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_Gmail_w ... illa_Suite

[Jose_Mariano]

You mean, I will have (in TB) two accounts with the same address, but one is IMAP and the other is POP.
Than I have to change the settings in Gmail from POP to IMAP.

WILL I NOT LOOSE ALL MY EMAILS IN TB because Gmail (webmail) is empty? Or can I just copy all folders (or the inbox from TB with all folders) from TB to Gmail? How to copy? Just copy and paste?

[DanRaisch]

Than I have to change the settings in Gmail from POP to IMAP.

No, you'll change no settings. Just create that Gmail account in Thunderbird as an IMAP account.

WILL I NOT LOOSE ALL MY EMAILS IN TB because Gmail (webmail) is empty?

No you will not. With a POP account, the messages are downloaded by Thunderbird from the server inbox to the local computer. After that download, nothing you do on the Gmail web pages can change what you have in Thunderbird.

Once you have the IMAP account set up in Thunderbird for that Gmail address, you can copy messages from the POP folders to the folder in the IMAP account in Thunderbird. That will result in the messages being stored back on the Gmail server. You can not copy and paste, but you can use drag and drop or you can select messages in the POP account folders and use the menu path Message->Move to->and select the folder of the IMAP account.

If you currently have user created folders in the POP account you would have to manually recreate "folders" with the same names in the IMAP account before being able to copy the messages from the POP folder to the IMAP folder.

[Jose_Mariano]

Thank you DanRaisch for all the information! I will try it.

[Jose_Mariano]

Can I make it simpler with Import/Export Tools for TB?

It should help me with exporting, and then importing, all folders with emails, but I don't know how to import with folders. There is no information about it.

I have about 30 main folders with subfolders.

Thank you

[DanRaisch]

No, it would not. You can not use the ImportExportTools extension to import data into an IMAP folder. The easier way is to create the IMAP account, create in that IMAP account any folders that exist in the POP account but are not in the IMAP account by default (that is, user created folders) and then copy the message data (in Thunderbird) from the POP folders to the IMAP folders.

[Jose_Mariano]

Than you again, DanRaisch.

[DanRaisch]

You're welcome.