Thunderbird Export Failing? Try These Fixes

Hey everyone! So, you're running into some weirdness with exporting your emails from Thunderbird, huh? Specifically, it seems like exporting to HTML or plain text is just not cooperating, and instead of a nicely formatted file, you're getting the raw email source with a .html or .txt extension. Guys, I totally get how frustrating that can be, especially when you're trying to archive important messages or share them in a readable format. Don't sweat it, though! We're going to dive deep into why this might be happening and walk through some potential solutions. It sounds like you're using Thunderbird 140.4.0esr on Ubuntu 24.04 with the ImportExportTools NG add-on version 14.1.15. That's some solid info right there, and it helps us narrow down the possibilities. We'll tackle this step-by-step, so even if you're not a super-techy wizard, you'll be able to follow along. Let's get those exports working perfectly again!

Unpacking the Export Conundrum: Why Plain Text and HTML Exports Might Fail

Alright, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of why your Thunderbird exports might be acting up, especially when you're aiming for HTML or plain text. From what you've described, it sounds like the ImportExportTools NG add-on, which is usually a lifesaver for this kind of thing, is getting confused. It's like it's trying to read a recipe but ends up just copying the ingredients list instead of baking the cake. The key clue here seems to be the difference between your working and failing email accounts. You mentioned that the account where exports fail requires the Owl for Exchange add-on, while your other accounts don't. This is a huge hint, guys! Exchange accounts, and any special add-ons that manage them, can sometimes add their own layers of complexity or modify how emails are structured or presented within Thunderbird. This modification might be what's throwing off the ImportExportTools NG add-on. It's designed to work with standard email formats, and when it encounters something unexpected, it can get flustered and just dump the raw data. You even pointed out a critical observation: in the failing case, the source seems to start with > and Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable. This is a classic sign of how some email systems handle encoding or might be adding headers or disclaimers, especially for external emails (like your [External] subject line suggests). The quoted-printable encoding, while standard, can sometimes require more careful parsing than plain 7bit encoding. The fact that the exported file looks like the original source with just a new extension is the smoking gun. It means the add-on isn't processing the email content to generate a proper HTML or plain text representation; it's just grabbing whatever it finds and relabeling it. Think of it like this: a regular email is like a nicely written letter. When it works, ImportExportTools NG reads the letter and writes a new, clean copy in HTML or plain text. When it fails, it's like taking that original letter, scribbling .html on the back, and calling it a day. The > symbol at the beginning of a line in email source often indicates a quoted portion of a previous reply, or in some contexts, it can be part of the raw formatting that the email client is presenting. If ImportExportTools NG isn't correctly stripping or interpreting these characters before attempting to format the export, it could absolutely lead to this messy output. So, while the add-on is fantastic, it might need a little help understanding the nuances of emails coming through your Exchange account via the Owl for Exchange add-on. We'll explore ways to help it do just that.

The > Character and quoted-printable: Potential Culprits

Okay, let's really zoom in on those technical bits that seem to be causing the headaches: the > character and the Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable header. You absolutely hit the nail on the head by noticing the > at the beginning of the source in the failing case and comparing it to the working one. This is a major clue, guys! In the world of email, the > symbol is traditionally used to denote a quoted line, meaning it's part of a previous message that you're replying to. Sometimes, email clients or servers might prepend this character, especially if they're trying to preserve the context of a conversation or if there's some specific formatting rule they're enforcing. If ImportExportTools NG isn't correctly parsing or stripping these leading > characters before attempting to generate your HTML or plain text file, it could very well be dumping them directly into the output, making it look like raw source. It’s like if you were copying text from a webpage, and accidentally copied the HTML tags along with the visible text – it’s not what you wanted! Now, let's talk about Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable. This is a method used to send 8-bit data (like characters outside the basic ASCII set, or even just formatting) over a 7-bit ASCII channel, which is traditionally how email worked. It encodes characters that might not be safely transmitted as-is into a format that uses = signs followed by hex characters, or just leaves normal ASCII characters as they are. The reason it's relevant here is that while it's a standard way to handle character encoding, it adds another layer of complexity for any software that needs to decode and interpret the email's content. If ImportExportTools NG is expecting a simpler, cleaner Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit (which you saw in the working example) and encounters quoted-printable, it might struggle. It's possible the add-on's parser isn't robust enough to handle the decoding of quoted-printable data perfectly in all scenarios, especially when combined with other formatting like those leading > characters. This would lead it to fall back to just dumping the raw, encoded source content instead of transforming it into the desired HTML or plain text. Think of it as trying to read a book printed in a special code; if you don't have the key to that code, all you see is gibberish. The Owl for Exchange add-on might be influencing how these headers and content types are presented to Thunderbird and, subsequently, to ImportExportTools NG. It's a common scenario where specific server configurations or add-ons alter the standard email structure just enough to break third-party tools that rely on those standards. So, by understanding these two elements – the > quoting and the quoted-printable encoding – we have a much clearer picture of why the export is failing. It’s not that the tool is broken, but rather it’s encountering data in a format it wasn't fully prepared to handle, leading it to simply regurgitate the raw source.

Troubleshooting Steps: Let's Get Those Exports Working!

Alright folks, it's time to roll up our sleeves and get this Thunderbird export issue sorted! We've identified some key suspects: the Owl for Exchange add-on, those pesky > characters, and the quoted-printable encoding. Let's try a few things to see if we can coax ImportExportTools NG into behaving. First off, the most straightforward step is to try exporting directly from Thunderbird without the add-on, if that's even possible for individual emails. Sometimes, Thunderbird itself has basic export functions. However, since you're using ImportExportTools NG, we'll assume you need its advanced features. So, the next logical step is to isolate the problematic email. Can you try exporting just one of those problematic emails using ImportExportTools NG? Focusing on a single message helps rule out issues with batch exports or corrupted mail folders. If a single export also fails, it reinforces that the issue is with the email's content or how it's being processed. What if we try exporting to a different format first? Not HTML or plain text, but maybe MBOX or EML format. If those work, it tells us ImportExportTools NG can at least access and copy the email data correctly, and the problem is specifically with the conversion to HTML/TXT. This gives us a more precise area to investigate. Now, let's consider the Owl for Exchange add-on. Since this account is the one causing trouble, could you try temporarily disabling the Owl for Exchange add-on and see if exporting works then? Important: Make sure you know how to re-enable it and that you won't lose connectivity to your Exchange account while you do this! If disabling it fixes the export, then we know for sure it's the culprit. You might then need to look for settings within Owl for Exchange that could alter email formatting, or perhaps contact their support. If disabling it doesn't fix it, we can rule that out and move on. Another angle is to check the Thunderbird settings related to message display and composition. Sometimes, settings like