For the csv, I suggest this: - highlight and delete all content on the addressbook - place one valid email address in thunderbird addressbook - export the csv and upload to a spreadsheet - compare the csv from thunderbird to that from Outlook and adjust the outlook csv to mirror the thunderbird csv, including first row - save as csv and it should import properly.

- I suggest removing the gmail account and start over - close and then restart thunderbird - in addressbook pane, select the 'new addressbook' icon - then, select the carddav option and insert your gmail address and complete the installation

I am leaving Outlook after 3 decades because I needed expert help everytime I bought a new computer. I am disapponinted, inspite of the Thunderbird's excelent reputation, that the address book import from Outlook dosen't quite work but requires me to didle the csv file to get it into the right shape for import to Thunderbird. This is the type of misbehavior that has made me leave Outlook.

I uderstand that the exported csv file from Outlook may require didling to match the required csv for importing to Thunderbird, and I would do it per your instructions. But, where your instructions direct me to export a Thunderbird address book with a single clean contact, I can't find the Thunderbird address book export function. Guess I need more help.

Thank you,

One of the common frustrations in learning Thunderbird is in finding the menus. If you go to the addressbook pane, highlight the 'personal addressbook' there are three dots just to the right. click that to download a csv file. Importing is done from the tools>import>import from a file menu from main screen. I agree that the csv process is cumbersome. I always recommend downloading a template, as it proves more useful to users than manually adjusting each csv entry during the import. Welcome to Thunderbird.

Thank you David. Thanks to your help, I managed to export a clean Thunderbird address book and massaged my Outlook exported .csv file to match. After that the import worked and I can use the resulting address book in Thunderbird. So, problem solved. But I now have a new address book problem. None of the group addresses from Outlook were preserved; however I recreated them in Thunderbird using Thunderbird's tools. My problem is I don't know how to copy (export/import) them to my second computer. All of my addresses are in the Thunderbird personal address book and I made group addresses in the personal address book. These groups are now listed with an indent under the personal address book. When I select (click on) a group I see the members of the group. When I click on the personal address book I see the group names mingled (alphabetically) with the individuals in the address book. The group names include a symbol indicating multiple people (2 people). I have tested this personal address book and found that sending email to the group addresses works. The problem is trying to replicate this personal address book on my second computer. None of the group names or subdirectories show up when I export the functioning personal address book from the first computer and import it to the second computer. When I export the subdirectories (groups) and import them to the personal address book of the second computer they don't show up as subdirectories or group names in the second computer. What does happen is every name in every group shows up multiple times in the second computer's personal address book and none of the group names show up (either as entries in the personal address book or as subdirectories under personal address book). I am a newbie and still need help. Thanks.

Try this, - exit thunderbird on both computers - copy all instances of 'abook' to new pc. (e.g., abook.sqlite and all variances. - restart thunderbird and let me know if that worked. To get to profile in first computer, do this: - click help>troubleshootinginformation - scroll down to 'profile folder' and click 'open folder' - exit thunderbird - now, you're in windows file explorer and all of the abook entries are there. copy them and paste into the profile on second computer, again, when thunderbird is not running. let me know status

Thank you again David. I have failed to follow your instructions for 2 reasons. 1) after opening the folder I fail to see how to exit Thunderbird. The page that is open is my windows explorer. I copied the 6 abook files from the functioning computer to a thumb drive. 2) I could not see the path to the files on the second computer (C\:Users\sthom/AppData\Roaming\thunderbird\Profiles\nb08qn4j.default-release). But I did notice that the functioning computer had second 2 copies of 3 abook files (abook.sqlite and abook-1.sqlite; abook.sqlite-shm and abook-1.sqlite-shm; abook.sqlite-wal and abook-1.sqlite-wal). The non-functioning computer had 3 copies of these 3 files with a "-2" in place of the "-1" for the third copies. I am positive that this is far too detailed for a user's repair. I wonder if I should just uninstall Thunderbird and start over or abandon Thunderbird.

Thank you again.

Well, the process does work, and I regret you encountered difficulties. If the second computer is to mirror the first, a simpler approach would be to copy the entire profile from one to the other, Assuming both computers are using the same release of thunderbird, these steps should work:

Here is the link for moving a profile in Windows when installed in default location:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/moving-thunderbird-data-to-a-new-computer

here is the info in brief steps:

1. ensure thunderbird is NOT running on old machine
2. enter %appdata% in search window on task bar and press Enter key
3. this should open windows file explorer in Appdata\roaming folder
4. highlight the Thunderbird folder and copy to external media
5. ensure thunderbird is installed on second computer and NOT running
6. enter %appdata% in search window on task bar and press Enter key
7. you should be in Appdata\roaming folder , copy&paste the exported Thunderbird folder there. This may prompt to overwrite an existing folder of same name. allow it
8. start thunderbird and all should be there

Or, you could keep address book in sync on the two computers using https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/addressbooks-synchronizer/?src=ss

Dear David and Mary,

Thank you for your solutions. I'm stil not happy with what is happening in my personal address book. I did not follow David's adivce to replace the second computer's Thunderbird appdata using a copy from the first computer. Instead I uninstalled Thunderbird from the second computer and re-installed it using the installer downloaded from Mozzilla's website - just to make sure I had the right stuff. I had to enter all three email accounts to start using it. Then I exported the personal address book from the first computer into an ldif file and using a thumbdrive imported the personal addresses to the second computer. Everthing seemed good including a handfull of group address lists. Then I tried to correct (edit) a person's bad email address. After opening the contact for editing I noticed that the person's first name was improperly a plumbing company - also a contact. I had seen a disconnect before and tried to export this messed-up address book to a csv file to investigate using Excel. I wanted these Thunderbird files to be in a folder on my thumbdrive. When I selected the folder it got erased - along with all other files in the folder. I eventually exported the csv file and discovered the first names were correct for about 20 lines then there was a disconnect where the first names were offset one line above the last names. I must have overlooked an issue with the origonal outlook address book when it was massaged into a Thunderbird shape. These improper first names do not appear to affect email - I don't think they are used. Both computers had the offset first names. It seems as if the ldif file export /import includes the group lists where the csv file only includes individuals. Should I use the ldif export/import to keep both computers address books synchronized?

Thanks, Steve

the best way for your situation would be to use tools>import>import from a file and then follow the menu choices to 'sqlite' and import the addressbook from the other computer. That guarantees 100% compatibility. exporting to other formats always introduces the possibility of errors. Do that for the abook.sqlite and the history.sqlite. Moving addressbooks is really a simple matter and only gets complex when exporting. My original suggestion of copying is what I do, as that uses windows file explorer and I know I'll get a perfect copy. For future reference, reinstalling thunderbird never makes issues simpler. Copying the profile would have had all the accounts ready for you.

To share what I do: as a volunteer here, I run four copies of thunderbird. when I update one, I go to profile, copy the abook.sqlite and then paste it into the profiles of the other three. Works great.