How do I copy my address book?

THERESA

Customer Service
I am using Thunderbird on a new computer now.

How do I copy my address book to the new computer?
 

EQ Admin

EQ Forum Admin
Staff member
Hello,

This may seem like a lot of work but it's actually an easy thing to do.

Here are the steps for copying the Thunderbird address book to a new computer:

  • Start Thunderbird on the old computer.
  • Click Address Book in the icon bar.
  • Select Export from the Tools menu.
  • Save the address book to your desktop, for example as a file named contacts.LDIF
  • Copy the file to the new computer (over the network, thumb drive, e-mail yourself, etc)
  • Start Thunderbird on the new computer.
  • Click Address Book in the icon bar.
  • Select Import from the Tools menu.
  • Follow the wizard and choose address book, then text file (LDIF), OK, and Finish when done.
Congratulations! The address book has been copied from the old to the new computer!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

trader

Valued Member
Hello,

This may seem like a lot of work but it's actually an easy thing to do.

Here are the steps for copying the Thunderbird address book to a new computer:

  • Start Thunderbird on the old computer.
  • Click Address Book in the icon bar.
  • Select Export from the Tools menu.
  • Save the address book to your desktop, for example as a file named contacts.LDIF
  • Copy the file to the new computer (over the network, thumb drive, e-mail yourself, etc)
  • Start Thunderbird on the new computer.
  • Click Address Book in the icon bar.
  • Select Import from the Tools menu.
  • Follow the wizard and choose address book, then text file (LDIF), OK, and Finish when done.
Congratualtions! The address book has been copied from the old to the new computer!


Many thanks for making this formerly impossible task so easy.

Trader
 
Last edited by a moderator:

fourjayes

New Email
I tried this but when I choose address book, text file , than next I come to screen that wants me to enter filename, not ok and finish when done. System is using Windows 8 i that would make a difference
 

larrymills

Greylisted
1.) Find on your computer (main computer in my case) the file: abook.mab, which is Thunderbird's "Personal Address book"
2.) Copy the file - abook.mab -from the pen drive onto the second computer, in my case my laptop. (In "Everything" I can copy the path and file it easily, such as L:\ThunderbirdPortable\Data\profile.)
3.) Rename the current abook.mab on the second computer - my laptop, for example - to: abookORIGINAL.mab just in case of trouble.
4.) Paste the imported updated address book (abook.mab) into that path.
In this way you now have the "Personal Address Book" of Thunderbird duplicated into the second computer- my laptop in this case.

(P.S. I leave abookORIGINAL.mab on the second computer in case I have an address that I forget to incorporate into the current abook.mab that is on my main computer.)
 
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