Migrate Outlook into Thunderbird?

[Jeffrey Walton]

On Wed, Jul 12, 2023 at 8:01 AM Bo Berglund <bo.berglund at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Sun, 09 Jul 2023 18:00:01 +0200, Bo Berglund <bo.berglund at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >I want to get off of Microsoft Outlook email and use for instance Thunderbird
> >instead (should work on both Windows and Ubuntu).
> >What I am trying to find facts about is the conversion of the old email store I
> >have (massive since 1998 and migrated between Outlook versions to currently
> >Outlook 2019).
> >
> >I plan on using Thunderbird both on Windows 10 and Ubuntu desktop...
> >I have used POP3 all these years so the emails are only inside my PST files and
> >not on the server.
>
> SIGH - GIVING UP....
>
> So my plan needs some re-thinking now that I have read all responses here and
> googled for PST Export/Import.
>
> There are a lot of webpages popping up on Google but they either suggest actions
> that actually cannot be followed because the steps simply do not match what is
> available on either Outlook or Thunderbird. Or else they are outdated and not
> applicable today.
>
> Lots of suggestions to download various converter programs from obscure
> websites, which I am reluctant to do...
>
> I have no idea how to vet any of these suggested programs so I do not get hit
> with some backdoor/virus/datatheft problem.
>
> So I guess I am out of luck here and have to keep Outlook for the time being.
>
> It would have been good to find a standalone PST -> MBOX converter from a
> reliable source...

I've never had to do it, but Microsoft publishes the technical specs
on *.pst and *.ost files. It was required when Microsoft settled the
various antitrust lawsuits related to Exchange server.

I believe you can read about the spec here:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/office_file_formats/ms-pst/141923d5-15ab-4ef1-a524-6dce75aae546

And more generally:
https://www.google.com/search?q=outlook+pst+format+site:microsoft.com

Jeff