Author Topic: HowTo make Thunderbird re-send 100s of emails from different senders? (Read 19399 times)

Curt · « **on:** December 27, 2008, 02:29 PM »

I know that I sometimes am too fast for my own good, but most of the times I am too slow. As an example, I have only today realized how smart it can be to have a g or y -mail account to be used as a backup media for emails containing software licenses. Even though I have had such accounts for a while, I only saw the backing-up potential now. So, for a couple of hours I have been trying to figure out how to make Thunderbird re-send several hundred emails from various companies to my gmail account. So far, I have only managed to make it send a handful at the same time, even though I had marked several hundreds. Then I could of course send a handful a hundred times, but, you know, if you feel certain that it easily can be done "right" in a different way, you really don't want to do it any other "wrong" way, even if you have to use a lot more time than it otherwise would have taken. At least that is how I feel about it today, being off for Christmas and such...

So my question is: How do I make Thunderbird re-send several hundred emails (an entire folder), from various companies, from my home computer to my gmail account, in one go?

HowTo make Thunderbird re-send 100s of emails from different senders?

40hz · « **Reply #1 on:** December 27, 2008, 02:54 PM »

Would a setting up rule like this and manually running it on the relevant folder work?

TBird Rule.gif

Just be careful gmail doesn't think you're a spammer or a hacker because you're hammering one account with a ton of e-mails all at once. Good way to get your home e-mail account banned - or reported to your ISP.

I'd be more inclined to just do ten or so at a time and play it safe.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #2 on:** December 27, 2008, 04:12 PM »

How about a two step process:

forwarding them to an email account that supports POP mail
use Google Mail / Options / Accounts to setup a POP mail account to import from

If you want an alternative method you could use MailStore to backup up the email folder from Thunderbird and then restore them to GoogleMail ...

MailStore is useful anyway.

Here is another method (but read the warnings) http://www.wikihow.c...il-Into-GMail-Using-

and another (better - you set up a local IMAP server and then import the mail directly into GMail retaining all the correct headers) http://www.benshoema...notes-and-unix-pine/

Curt · « **Reply #3 on:** December 27, 2008, 07:07 PM »

hey... too many choices!!

It is two at night, and you made me feel like Mr Bean spinning with a turkey on his head - I think I will let this subject and my head rest for tomorrow! Thanks for all the answers

and good night!

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #4 on:** December 27, 2008, 07:36 PM »

I like to give options

40hz · « **Reply #5 on:** December 27, 2008, 09:09 PM »

MailStore[/url] to backup up the email folder from Thunderbird and then restore them to GoogleMail ...

MailStore is useful anyway.
-Carol Haynes (December 27, 2008, 04:12 PM)

Couldn't agree more. Install this app ASAP.

J-Mac · « **Reply #6 on:** December 27, 2008, 11:23 PM »

If they are currently stored on your computer in Thunderbird, Eric Fookes Aid4Mail is the most accurate way to transfer the messages to almost any other client and at the same time maintain your folder/mailbox structure. Of course if your goal is just to get them all onto Google's servers, well, I think forwarding as Attachments is the cleanest way. Though that could take a loooong time.

Jim

Curt · « **Reply #7 on:** December 28, 2008, 04:16 AM »

.. be careful gmail doesn't think you're a spammer or a hacker because you're hammering one account with a ton of e-mails all at once. Good way to get your home e-mail account banned - or reported to your ISP.
-40hz (December 27, 2008, 02:54 PM)

I never imagined such an outcome. Thanks for warning!

I think I already have what could be needed, what goes for local backup programs, but of course I am now also trying out the free version of MailStore. A pity that one has to purchase the $340 server version with 10 licenses, for simple automation features. My normal day to day backup program is placed in Start and will backup all day long. I would expect for an email backup program to at least offer a one-click-BackupNow!-button in the sys-tray, or something a like.

I was very impressed with Aid4Mail, Jim. Fifty bucks are just too much for me at the moment (how long can a moment be?), but Thanks for telling!

So my question is: How do I make Thunderbird re-send several hundred emails (an entire folder), from various companies, from my home computer to my gmail account, ~~in one go~~?
-Curt

- thanks to the warning from 40Hz, my question should no longer include "in one go".

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #8 on:** December 28, 2008, 09:07 AM »

From the options I suggested before I would suggest the local IMAP server is a good way to go - that way you can legitimately sync your local IMAP account with your GMAIL account (that is why GMAIL was designed to work with IMAP servers after all - and Google can't really complain if you use it as that is what it was designed for).

Once you have finished you can always uninstall the local IMAP server if you no longer have a use for it.

Curt · « **Reply #9 on:** December 28, 2008, 10:37 AM »

... I am now also trying out the free version of MailStore.
-Curt (December 28, 2008, 04:16 AM)

- all emails stored in dat files? No thank you, not for a Backup job!

----

Thanks, Carol, I will study Shoemate's article closely.

----

I am wondering if I merely can copy+drag&drop all emails into Gmail Drive ? I will test this further, but now the supper is on the table :-)

J-Mac · « **Reply #10 on:** December 28, 2008, 02:15 PM »

Curt,

First, if this is for emails containing licenses/registration codes, Gmail might not be the most private place for them. However if you do not fear any privacy issues surrounding Google, why not create yourself a Google Group? Assign yourself as administrator of the group, make it private - membership only upon approval of the administrator (of course you don’t approve anyone!), and then forward all the email you want saved to that group. Can't get easier access than that, and it is at least as private as a Gmail account. (Which you will need anyway to start a group). Plus youn have the benefit of the Google search engine to search the group.

From that point on you can also have any email account auto-forward to the address of the group and it will be saved there for as long as you have that group - or until Google goes out of business, whichever comes first!

Jim

BTW, I have a group like that and all messages to my Gmail account are forwarded there, as a redundant backup.

Curt · « **Reply #11 on:** December 28, 2008, 05:55 PM »

- wow, this sounds really cool, J-Mac - I sure will look into such a fancy model, also!

4wd · « **Reply #12 on:** December 28, 2008, 06:21 PM »

Regarding the original question of getting a ton of emails onto a GMail account from Thunderbird.

Couldn't you just enable IMAP on the GMail account, set up an IMAP account in Thunderbird for it and then just drag'n'drop the folders between accounts in Thunderbird ?

Just tried it here with a few emails and it worked fine.

Woohoo!! 300 posts, I'll be catching up to Darwin in no time

J-Mac · « **Reply #13 on:** December 28, 2008, 10:45 PM »

- wow, this sounds really cool, J-Mac - I sure will look into such a fancy model, also!
-Curt (December 28, 2008, 05:55 PM)

Curt, here's an article about how to do this. Take a look and see if it helps you at all.

Jim

Curt · « **Reply #14 on:** December 29, 2008, 06:52 AM »

... just drag'n'drop the folders between accounts in Thunderbird ?

Just tried it here with a few emails and it worked fine.
-4wd (December 28, 2008, 06:21 PM)

@4wd, did these emails keep their original sender addresses (in gmail), or do they now appear as if they were mailed from you to you?

Congrats on #300

Curt · « **Reply #15 on:** December 29, 2008, 07:49 AM »

@Jim the Mac... , I don't have gmail as my prime address, (and won't), so, googlegroups or not, I now realize that is important for me to first be certain that the saved emails are not showing up as if they were send from me to me, but from the original sender.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #16 on:** December 29, 2008, 08:04 AM »

If you are dragging to an IMAP folder it should retain all the headers correctly as you are not posting it anywhere.

Why not simply enable IMAP in GMail and then setup IMAP access to your Gmail account in Thunderbird and try it by just dragging one email to a GMail IMAP folder? You can then inspect the email headers in the web based interface in GMail.

If it doesn't work you have lost nothing.

Curt · « **Reply #17 on:** December 29, 2008, 09:21 AM »

... enable IMAP on the GMail account, set up an IMAP account in Thunderbird for it and then just drag'n'drop the folders between accounts in Thunderbird ?
-4wd (December 28, 2008, 06:21 PM)

... enable IMAP in GMail and then setup IMAP access to your Gmail account in Thunderbird and try it by just dragging one email to a GMail IMAP folder
-Carol Haynes (December 29, 2008, 08:04 AM)

-you were right (both of you), this is the way to do it.

All license keys have now been copied to gmail. Fast & easy. THANKS!!

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #18 on:** December 29, 2008, 09:30 AM »

Glad it all worked out for you.

4wd · « **Reply #19 on:** December 29, 2008, 05:08 PM »

Congrats on #300

Thanx, congrats on 2500

-you were right (both of you), this is the way to do it.

All license keys have now been copied to gmail. Fast & easy. THANKS!!
-Curt (December 29, 2008, 09:21 AM)

Good stuff - K.I.S.S. wins again