installing thunderbird to read old outlook express emails

There may be more than one way to accomplish this. Different versions of Outlook Express might be different - I tested with OE6. My method was:

- Create one or more folders to receive the emails exported from Outlook Express. I put my folders on the desktop for convenience.

- Open Outlook Express and open a folder to display the emails. Select all the emails in that folder and drag-and-drop them into one of the folders you created above. This will export the messages to individual .EML files. Repeat the process for all folders.

- Install Thunderbird but decline to set up email accounts during setup. You will be using Local Folders only.

- In the Local Folders section of the Accounts pane create a folder structure to your liking.

- Drag-and-drop the exported EML files onto the Thunderbird folders you created.

There is a Thunderbird add-on called "ImportExportTools NG" that can simplify the import process somewhat.

If you no longer have a working copy of OE, there are a few 3rd-party programs that claim to be able to convert OE DBX folder files to EML format. I can't vouch for any of them.

Thank you for your response. The problem is that I no longer have Outlook Express. I have old OE folders, not the OE program, on my computer (inbox.dbx and sent items.dbx) that I need to read. When I open Thunderbird it only allows me to transfer my existing email programs across (MS Outlook and Gmail). Is there a way I can read the OE folders?

Thank you.

Martin

Thunderbird cannot directly read or import Outlook Express DBX files. There are a number of programs that claim to be able to convert DBX to MBOX or EML files, which Thunderbird should be able to import. Google "convert outlook express dbx to mbox" or "convert outlook express dbx to eml" and you'll find a bunch of commercial and a few free converters. I can't vouch for any of them.

Maybe you can find someone who still has a Windows XP system, or whatever was the last Windows version that came with OE?

See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1272429#answer-1264975

See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1272429#answer-1264975

Well well well... the above conversation reveals that Thunderbird ver. 52.x *CAN* import Outlook Express DBX files! I just tried it, and it does work! They will now be MBOX files that can be can be imported into a Local Folder. I used the ImportExportTools NG add-on for that. I'm not sure how to do it without the add-on - some of the old Thunderbird import options are no longer available in the current interface, not just OE import, but 'import messages from file', too,

And here's a portable version of TBird 52 that can be installed temporarily for the conversion without disturbing the current installation:

https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/thunderbird-portable-legacy-52