Thunderbird has been in the limelight for quite some time now and has been providing users with its free services for a long time. And now, users want to extract all attachments from Thunderbird. Well, we all are aware that MBOX is the default file format of Thunderbird.
This file format stores email messages along with attachments within the file. Now, with time as more and more emails are stored in the file, the size of the MBOX file becomes quite large.
Accessing such large files also becomes difficult and can lead to corruption. Moreover, the attachments in the emails can also be of large sizes taking up even more space.
So, it is better to save all attachments from Thunderbird as users are looking for. How? We have a few solutions for that.
We know that Thunderbird is an open-source email client that allows users to communicate offline and avoid any maintenance charges. Along with that, it also offers a ton of extensions that are free of cost and help users in various situations.
In this article, we are going to understand the simple ways to take out all the attachments. But before that, we will go through some cases and reasons.
Key Takeaways
- Thunderbird uses MBOX files to store emails and the associated attachments in it.
- As the size of the MBOX file increases, it might affect Thunderbird’s performance and also increase the chances of file corruption.
- You can extract attachments from Thunderbird in multiple ways – a free manual procedure, an add-on for Thunderbird, and trusted software that automates the process.
- The first manual procedure can be opted for if you want to save attachments one by one through selected emails.
- The second process includes an add-on installation within Thunderbird. This method can help extract Thunderbird attachments in bulk. However, if you organized your emails in separate folders, then you need to save attachments through each folder.
- The best and quickest way to extract attachments from Thunderbird is by using the automated tool. Besides saving Thunderbird attachments in bulk, this tool eliminates the shortcomings of the above procedures and also ensures 100% data integrity.
- If you go with the first and second procedures to download attachments from Thunderbird, then you need to have Thunderbird installed and configured in your system. However, using the automated tool eliminates this requirement and allows you to get the job done without Thunderbird installation.
Scenarios Causing Users to Extract All Attachments from Thunderbird
Case 1 – I have been using Thunderbird for a very long time now so I have a lot of data stored in my MBOX file. The size is so big that I am very scared of opening it up in case it gets corrupted. And I need to take out the attachments as they are of a large size and I need them for a project. Tell me how can I save all attachments from Thunderbird from such a large file?
Case 2 – For a project, I need to save some attachments from my emails. All these files are stored in the Thunderbird application as it is my default mail program. If there is any way to download just the emails, I would really appreciate your help!
Now, let’s take a look at the reasons!
What Can be the Reasons for A User to Extract Only the Attachments?
- Accessing attachments offline becomes easier. If you want to access your attachments locally, you can extract all attachments from Thunderbird and use them.
- Downloading your attachments also works as a backup. You can create a backup of all these files and all the personal data stored in your email client. This is to avoid any unexpected events.
- With keeping your attachments on the local device, you also save the storage space. Thunderbird keeps a copy of all the data in the system’s hard drive. After you save the attachments, you can delete this data and save the space.
- You can access your attachments and share them easily with others over email, airdrop, etc.
Learning About the Solutions to Save All Attachments from Thunderbird
There are three solutions for users to apply. All of these solutions are easy and explained here in detail. Two of these methods are manual techniques which users can apply on Thunderbird itself. The third technique is the Email Attachment Extractor which is a tool built for extracting attachments in bulk.
We will go through the entire procedure of the software in the latter part. First, let’s understand the working of the manual methods and check out if there are any limitations to them.
Manual Steps to Extract All Attachments from Thunderbird for One Email
Here, we are going to use the easiest method that users can apply for downloading a single or a few attachments from one email. Here is how it works:
- Launch Thunderbird on your computer.
- Double-click on the email that contains the attachment.
- Navigate to the attachment that you want to save.
- Hit the Save button at the bottom and browse for the destination path.
- Click on Save again to complete the process.
This is the process to save one attachment from one email. If you want to save all attachments from Thunderbird and not just a few, you can use the second manual method.
Taking Out Attachments Using the Extraction Extension in Thunderbird
To apply this method, you first have to install the Attachment Extraction Add-on in Thunderbird. To do that, follow these steps:
- In Thunderbird, click on the Menu option and choose Add-ons option.
- Now, click on the Settings Gear and select the Install Add-Ons option.
- After that, navigate the downloaded file and click on the Open button.
- When the file opens, click on the Install Now button.
- To extract all attachments from Thunderbird, you first have to relaunch Thunderbird.
- Once that is done, go to the folder that you need to extract your attachments from.
- Then, right-click on the folder and choose Extract All Attachments to option.
- Here, you need to set the destination path for your resultant files.
- Click on the Save button after setting the location.
Following these steps will download your data as per your requirement. However, there are a few demerits of using both the manual methods. Find below these disadvantages.
Demerits of Using Manual Methods to Save All the Attachments
Following are the points to be noted:
- The manual methods do not ensure data safety and saving multiple files in a single go is difficult.
- Large sized files are not supported while extraction.
- To download the attachments from multiple emails in different folders, you will have to repeat the procedure.
- These methods do not allow you to extract all the attachments in bulk.
For a simple procedure to extract your attachments, you cannot rely on these methods. Jump to the next section to learn about the tool.
Powerful Solution to Extract All Attachments from Thunderbird
The software to extract attachments from MBOX files is easy to learn and has a very user-friendly interface. If you are looking for a smooth procedure to transfer the data, this solution is the best for you.
Let’s take a look at the steps of the software and then we will jump onto the benefits of using this tool:
- Launch the software on your computer and click on the Open menu to choose the Desktop Email Clients option.
- From there, move to the Thunderbird Accounts option and click on the Choose Files option to save all attachments from Thunderbird.
- Then, you will be able to take a preview of all the data from your mailbox.
- Now, go to the top bar and choose the Extract option to open the menu.
- Click on the Attachments button and browse for the location.
- Tap Save to complete the process.
The procedure to save your attachments as per your requirement will start.
Advantages of Using the Software to Save All Your Data
The benefits of the tool are as follows:
- Allows users to extract all attachments from Thunderbird & other email platforms
- Users can export attachments from various file formats like MSG, EML, PST, etc.
- Can keep the folder structure and the formatting the same during the process
- You have the option to extricate selective files by apply different filters on them
- Make sure the data you are extracting is right by taking a preview of the files
- If you do not have Thunderbird, you can extract attachments from MBOX files directly
- There are no limitations on the size of the files that you can add in the software
Wrapping it Up
The process to extract all attachments from Thunderbird should not be hard as it is your personal data that you want. Of course Thunderbird allows you to do that but not in bulk. If you use the Extraction Add-on, it will allow you to extract your attachments from a folder, but it only allows that.
To export the data from bulk files, you can use the software. The easy and quick methods are explained to the users. Make sure you go through the entire procedure and all the methods to choose the best sutied one.