Best Methods to Convert MSF to PST

Read time: 7 minutes

Thunderbird and Microsoft Outlook are both popular email clients. Despite being a great platform, users still face issues with Mozilla Thunderbird. And for that reason, they want to convert MSF to PST.

MSF or Mail Summary Files is Thunderbird’s index file. It contains headers and summary of email message stored in MBOX file. These files are a quick way to search for an email among thousands of messages.

Whereas PST or Personal Storage File belongs to Microsoft Outlook. PST stores the entire mailbox data of Outlook such as contacts, calendars, etc.

Without a reliable solution conversion of MSF file to PST can’t be performed easily. Read this guide and find the best method to convert MSF to PST.

Why do users look to convert MSF to PST?

Users convert MSF to PST to access their files in Microsoft Outlook. There are many other common reasons to move from Thunderbird to Outlook. Some of them are listed below:

Switching platform: When users switch from Thunderbird to Outlook, then they need to convert their MSF files to PST format.
Data management: Outlook provides advanced features for data management which encourages users to convert MSF to PST.
User-friendly interface: Outlook has an easy interface, easily understandable by non-technical users as well.
Improved security: When talking about security, Outlook stands as the best platform to store data.

Manual methods to convert MSF file to PST

There are a few manual methods to convert MSF to PST format. These methods are as follows:

Method 1. With Thunderbird Save As option

Thunderbird provides an option to save its emails in multiple formats including EML, MBOX, HTML, etc. You can use the Save As option to convert required MSF emails to PST format. Follow the below mentioned procedure to do so:

Part A. Save Thunderbird emails in EML

Save desired Thunderbird emails in EML format using Save As option. Here are the steps for it:

Step 1. Launch Thunderbird on your system.

Step 2. Select the desired emails and right click on it, then select Save As option. Launch Thunderbird and right click on them

Step 3. Provide the saving location and click on Select Folder.

In this way your Thunderbird emails are saved in EML files at your desired location.

Part B. Drag and Drop emails in Outlook

Drag and drop emails saved in EML format to Outlook email client. Follow these steps to do so:

Step 1. Launch Outlook on your system.

Step 2. Select the desired folder, then drag and drop the EML files into it. now drag and drop in outlook

Part C. Use Outlook Import/Export feature

Export emails from Outlook in PST file format using Import/Export wizard. Here are the steps for using Import/Export features of Outlook:

Step 1. In Outlook, go to the File tab.

Step 2. Now click on Open & Export >Import/Export option. click on Import and Export in Outlook

Step 3. Select Export to a file option, then click Next.

Step 4. Select Outlook Data File(.pst), click Next.

Step 5. Select the folder containing Thunderbird files and click Next.

Step 6. Provide desired location by clicking on Browse button, then click Finish. finish the process

All your emails will get saved in PST format at your provided location.

Method 2. Using multiple email clients

Another method to transfer MSF file to PST includes using multiple email clients. Here is the detailed step-by-step procedure to export MSF files to PST using Gmail account:

Note: You need correct credentials of your Gmail account. Additionally, Thunderbird and Outlook need to be installed on your system.

Part A. Configure Gmail account in Thunderbird

In the first part, you need to configure Gmail in Thunderbird email client. The process is simple if you have the correct server address and port number. Here are the server settings details:

Incoming server host and port number (IMAP-993 and POP3-995).
Outgoing server host and its port number (SMTP-465).
Username and password of the Gmail account.

After configuration is done, create a new folder in newly configured Gmail account and move required MSF emails in it.

Part B. Configure Gmail account in Outlook

Once you configured Gmail in Thunderbird, now you need to configure the same Gmail account in Outlook. The process to configure Gmail in Microsoft Outlook can be completed in a few easy steps. After successfully adding the Gmail account, access Thunderbird emails in Outlook. Now, you are ready to export the emails in PST format.

Part C. Export emails to PST using Import/Export option

After all the configuration part is done, now you can extract Thunderbird emails in PST. This can be done using the inbuilt Import/Export features of Outlook. This is a helpful feature provided by Outlook to make the importing and exporting of data easy.

Convert MSF files using MBOX to PST converter tool

The manual procedure is lengthy, so to avoid unnecessary risks use an MSF to PST converter. Kernel for MBOX to PST tool can easily convert MSF file to PST. With this software, you can convert MBOX to PST and other formats (MSG, HTML, PDF, etc.) with complete security.

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The software is compatible with all the major MBOX email clients and supports the whole MBOX family including MBS, MBX, MSF. During the conversion process, the tool also lets you preview the emails in their original structure.

Conclusion

Converting MSF file to PST can be performed either by using Thunderbird’s save as option or by using multiple email clients. However, manual methods don’t guarantee complete data transfer. In this situation only reliable software can help you. We have discussed Kernel for MBOX to PST, which provides instant results with minimal effort. With this software you can convert MBOX to EML, PDF, MSG, and other formats with complete accuracy.