Best Way to Import Outlook Calendar to Thunderbird Lightning

Approved By Aswin Vijayan

Published On July 19th, 2024

Reading Time 5 Minutes Reading

In recent times, there has been a surge in the query, “how to import Outlook calendar to Thunderbird” on various online forums and communities of Windows and Mac OS. We are enlisting two generic queries below. Read carefully, maybe you can relate to one of them.

“I want to export Outlook calendar entries to Mozilla Thunderbird. After surfing through internet, I got to know that first, need to convert PST calendar file to ICS which can be further imported to Thunderbird. The main problem is I don’t how to convert calendar in ICS format. Can anybody help me out regarding this problem? Any help will be highly appreciated. Thank You!”

“I was given a Windows Outlook data file that I have to access using Mozilla Thunderbird on my Mac system. All I have now is a .pst file of Outlook account that contains some most important meetings and schedule. Now, the problem is I have no idea how to open them. Kindly provide me with any solution to import Outlook calendar to Thunderbird as they are very crucial.”

In order to help such users who are stuck in this awkward situation, we have come with this blog. This is going to help you with all the possible solutions to save Outlook calendar entries to Thunderbird. Read on to know more:

For instant solution: Free Download the PST Conversion tool and get your work done in a minute. The software will instantly convert all your Outlook calendar files to ICS which can be later imported to Thunderbird.

How to Import Outlook Calendar to Thunderbird

In this article we will use the Thunderbird Lightning add-on to import Outlook calendar data to Thunderbird. At the same time, we will teach you some additional techniques. But first, let’s learn about Lightning in brief.

What is Thunderbird Lightning?

Lightning is an add-on for Mozilla Thunderbird. This add-on is particularly designed for calendar importation to provide an extension that specifically adds .ics file format to Thunderbird. Lightning is also compatible with calendar saved in iCal format.

Read More- Export Outlook Emails to Thunderbird

How to Configure Lightning to Thunderbird

Download the add-on from https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/calendar/
Now, go to your Thunderbird and click on Tools in the Extension Manager
Select Add-ons from the drop-down menu and click on the “Install” button
Now Lightning is installed on Thunderbird

Manually Transfer Outlook Calendar to Thunderbird

Launch your Outlook profile
Go to the calendar option from the bottom left pane of Outlook
Open the calendar which you want to export to Thunderbird
Choose “File” option and select “Save As” option
A dialog box will open. Now save the file in ICS file.
Now, open Thunderbird and go to Event & Tasks
From the drop-down, click on Import
Browse to the location where you have saved Outlook ICS calendar
After importation is done, you can easily see your calendar into Thunderbird

Alternate Solution to Import Outlook Calendar to Thunderbird

Manual method can result in data loss and information mismatch. The best way to save Outlook calendar data to ICS and access in Mozilla Thunderbird is to use an automated solution like PST to Thunderbird Converter. This utility will transfer multiple PST calendar files to ICS format in no time. Also, it can convert PST to MSG, PST to Text, PST to MBOX, etc.

Steps to Save Outlook PST Calendar Entries as ICS for Windows are:

Step 1. Launch the tool and add Outlook PST file.

Step 2. Preview items stored in the PST file.

Step 3. Choose ICS form the Export options.

Step 4. Click on the Export button to save calendar as ICS.

convert pst to ics and import in thunderbird

What If You Are A Mac User?

If you are a Mac user, then transferring MS Outlook calendar data on Mac OS Thunderbird must be one hard nut to crack. As there are no manual solution to available to convert Outlook calendar to Thunderbird Mac, you can go for Mac PST Converter. This software is especially designed for Mac OS and supports multiple file conversion on the Mac devices. To use this utility, follow the below mentioned steps:

Step 1. Download the tool from the website and launch it on your system.

Step 2. Add File or Folder data as per the need.

Step 3. A new window will appear, select ICS file.

Step 4. Finally, click on the “Export” button.

import outlook calendar to thunderbird for mac

On Thunderbird, use Import option to transfer the Outlook calendar file.

Final Words

In this blog, we have discovered methods to import Outlook calendar to Thunderbird using Lightning. There are manual as well as automated techniques available to carry out this procedure. Users can go for the any of the solutions according to their choice. For Mac though, users have no other option but to use the mentioned software to move Outlook calendar to Thunderbird as the manual solution is unavailable.