Export Thunderbird Emails to Text (TXT) with Attachments

Plain text is the most compact and universal format for email archiving. Every operating system can open TXT files without extra software. Total Thunderbird Converter Pro makes it easy to export Thunderbird emails to TXT while processing attachments automatically.

Quick answer: To export Thunderbird emails to TXT with attachments, launch Total Thunderbird Converter Pro, pick the mail folder and select the messages, click the TXT icon, choose which fields to export, set attachment handling in the Attachments tab, then press Start. Each email becomes a separate searchable TXT file and attached text is extracted automatically — in batch, offline, with a free trial.

How to Convert Thunderbird to TXT

• Launch the program. It reads your Thunderbird profile and lists all mail folders.
• Browse to the right folder and select the emails to convert (or press Check All).
• Click the TXT icon in the toolbar.
• Set the output folder and file-name template (date, subject, sender, etc.).
• Choose which fields to export: sender, recipient, date, subject, body, headers, CC, BCC.
• Configure attachment handling in the Attachments tab. Text from attached documents is extracted and saved alongside the email.
• Press Start.

Each email produces a separate TXT file. Attached images are saved to a subfolder since TXT cannot embed graphics.

When TXT Is the Right Choice

Full-text search. TXT files are instantly searchable by Windows, macOS, and Linux built-in search tools. No special indexer required.

Minimal storage. Plain text takes far less disk space than PDF or DOC. Ideal for large mailboxes with tens of thousands of messages.

Data extraction. When you need just the raw content — sender, date, subject, body — without formatting, TXT is the cleanest option.

Selective field export. Include only the fields that matter: drop headers you do not need, keep the body and metadata, or export addresses only for a mailing list.

UTC date normalization. If your emails arrive from multiple time zones, the converter can unify all dates to UTC for a neat chronological order.