Windows 7 mail to windows 11

andjayik · Tuesday at 10:45 PM

Hello, i have been using windows mail from windows 7 on my windows 10 computer. Can i still install windows mail on windows11 and keep them?

Berton · Tuesday at 11:04 PM

I don't often use what was Mail, now called Outlook. But will ask, was Win10 an Upgrade over Win7? I'd investigate the Exporting of messages and Contacts from Mail. And there's probably a Contacts folder in C:\Users\YourName which may be the same as in your Mail, that still exists in my Win11. As for actual operation there may be someone with more experience along that line, I mostly use Webmail to have access from different computers.

andjayik · Tuesday at 11:07 PM

i have like 5 accounts and want to keep them on one account and import all my old messages. Windows 10 was clean install and had to add some stuff and tweak to get windows 7 mail working

Berton · Wednesday at 12:05 AM

Saw this on the Widgets a few minutes ago, might be of interest:

MSN

Secret Squirrel · Wednesday at 2:08 AM

andjayik said:
.............. i have been using windows mail from windows 7 ...............................

Windows 7 never had a program called just "mail" and actually it never included a built-in email client. Post the exact name of your mail program and I may be able to help. Are you perhaps referring to "Windows Live Mail"?

SIW2 · Wednesday at 3:12 AM

Presumably means windows live mail it uses .eml format iirc

andjayik · Wednesday at 6:38 AM

Secret Squirrel · Wednesday at 8:10 AM

Thanks for the screenshot - very interesting.

How did you get Windows Vista's Mail program running on 7 & 10? Anyhow, it doesn't really matter because I don't know how to get it to import your old accounts and messages into Windows 11.

Kees · Wednesday at 8:47 AM

In the past for transferring mail, from my old PCs (with Outlook Express or something like it) into newer apps like Thunderbird or Windows Live Mail, I have successfully been using Mailstore Home. I used that about 2025-2020 and used the portable version.
But because already a long time I'm using thev EM-Client, that has it's own importing options, I don't use it anymore, so I can't tell exactly how to use it.

I remember it as a very universal app, where you could (temporarily) store all mails in some kind of database.
So you might try that, it cost you nothing!
You can save the portable app on a USB-flash drive, put it in the old system and export all data there to a database and then put it in the new PC, importing the data into the new mailapp.

Maybe you will have to rename subfolders in the new app after importing.

glasskuter · Wednesday at 9:02 AM

So everyone will know, that is an old Vista app from 2006 that there was a workaround for to get it to work in Windows 7 and another for windows 10. No way in hades would I personally run this app in 2025 but to each his own.

Windows Mail

How to Reinstate Windows Mail in Windows 7

www.sevenforums.com

How to reinstate WinMail onto Windows 8/10/11

How to Reinstate WinMail onto Windows 8/10/11 ..incl Server Windows 7 users go: Here ..updated April, 2025.. Microsoft no longer supports Windows Mail, aka WinMail. It's recommended you use another well known supported email client. Using WinMail on Win8 or especially Win10/11 is not supported...

www.eightforums.com

andjayik · Wednesday at 3:28 PM

Unless there is one program that will do the same for all my email accounts and i can bring all the old messages in.

glasskuter · Wednesday at 3:38 PM

Thunderbird works really well in handling multiple accounts . Here is the wonderful Chatgpt answer. It's not from me. You can also ask AI to provide you with the proper email provider settings if you wish.

Yes, it is possible to export messages from Windows Mail on Windows Vista and import them into Mozilla Thunderbird, though it requires a few steps because the two programs use different formats.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Locate Your Windows Mail Messages

Windows Mail stores emails as .eml files, typically in this folder:

sql
CopyEdit
C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folders

Press Win + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows Mail\Local Folders, and press Enter.

2. Copy the Emails to a Temporary Folder

Copy the .eml files (and folders, if organized) to a location you can easily access—like the Desktop or an external drive if transferring to another PC.

3. Import .eml Files into Thunderbird

Thunderbird does not natively support .eml import, so you'll use an add-on:

Option A: Using "ImportExportTools NG" Add-on

Open Thunderbird.
Install the add-on:
- Go to ☰ Menu → Add-ons and Themes.
- Search for ImportExportTools NG.
- Install and restart Thunderbird.
Create a new folder in Thunderbird to receive the imported messages.
Right-click the folder → ImportExportTools NG → Import all messages from a directory → Choose "also from its subdirectories" (if needed).
Select the folder where you saved your .eml files.

After Import

Your emails should now appear in Thunderbird under the chosen folder.
Double-check folder structures and message content to confirm everything was imported correctly.

Would you like instructions for contacts or settings as well?

You said:

yes

ChatGPT said:

Great! Here's how to transfer contacts and account settings from Windows Mail on Vista to Thunderbird:

Step 1: Export Contacts to a File

Open Windows Contacts:
- Press Win + R, type wab, and hit Enter.
Click Export on the toolbar.
Choose CSV (Comma Separated Values).
Choose a save location (e.g., Desktop) and name the file contacts.csv.
Select the fields you want to export (Name, Email Address, etc.).
Finish and check that the .csv file was created.

Step 2: Import Contacts into Thunderbird

Open Thunderbird.
Go to the Address Book (Ctrl+Shift+B or from the ☰ Menu).
Click Tools > Import.
Select Address Books → Click Next.
Choose Text file (LDIF, .tab, .csv, .txt) → Next.
Browse to and select your contacts.csv.
Map the columns if prompted (e.g., make sure the “Email Address” field is matched correctly).
Complete the import.

Thunderbird doesn’t directly import mail account settings from Windows Mail, so you'll need to manually reconfigure your email accounts.

Step 1: Get Your Account Info from Windows Mail

Open Windows Mail.
Go to Tools > Accounts.
Select your email account, click Properties.
Record the following details:
- Email address
- Incoming server type (POP3 or IMAP)
- Incoming server name and port
- Outgoing (SMTP) server name and port
- Username and any SSL settings

Step 2: Add the Account in Thunderbird

Open Thunderbird.
Go to Account Settings (☰ Menu > Account Settings).
Click Account Actions > Add Mail Account.
Enter your name, email address, and password.
Thunderbird may auto-detect settings. If not, choose Manual config and input the info you recorded.
Save and test the account.

antspants · Wednesday at 3:39 PM

glasskuter said:
No way in hades would I personally run this app in 2025 but to each his own.

Ditto.

dacrone · Wednesday at 3:42 PM

you may be able to use OE Classic to get your mail imported from Windows Live Mail, if that's what you're looking to do

Can you get Outlook Express on Windows 10 or Windows 11?

Can I use Outlook Express on Windows 10 or Windows 11? Where can you download it now? We answer all your questions in this post.

www.thewindowsclub.com

glasskuter · Wednesday at 3:44 PM

@dacrone, it's not WLM he uses. It the Windows Mail from Vista.

dacrone · Wednesday at 3:48 PM

glasskuter said:
@dacrone, it's not WLM he uses. It the Windows Mail from Vista.

either way, OE Classic should be able to pull in the db

Windows 7 mail to windows 11

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Step-by-Step Guide​

1. Locate Your Windows Mail Messages​

2. Copy the Emails to a Temporary Folder​

3. Import .eml Files into Thunderbird​

After Import​

You said:​

ChatGPT said:​

​

Step 1: Export Contacts to a File​

Step 2: Import Contacts into Thunderbird​

​

Step 1: Get Your Account Info from Windows Mail​

Step 2: Add the Account in Thunderbird​

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Similar threads

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Locate Your Windows Mail Messages

2. Copy the Emails to a Temporary Folder

3. Import .eml Files into Thunderbird

After Import

You said:

ChatGPT said:

Step 1: Export Contacts to a File

Step 2: Import Contacts into Thunderbird

Step 1: Get Your Account Info from Windows Mail

Step 2: Add the Account in Thunderbird