Import files with the contact extension?
I have a folder with files with the ".contact" extension that Windows recognizes because it opens them up and displays the contact information when I double click. I'll be damned if I can figure out how to import them into Thunderbird though. The import address book option does not seem to recognize them at all when using the following options: Outlook Express, Text file and Vcard file. The other two options "Eudora" and "Outlook" are greyed out. I can't drag the contact files into the Thunderbird address book either.
I am utterly perplexed because they are obviously contacts and it must be in a common format or else it wouldn't open with Explorer. If Thunderbird won't import these then I wish it was mentioned on the import menu or somewhere so that I don't have to spend an hour reading and watching tutorials that are of no help. The contacts were from another computer and saved onto a new replacement computer by the Geek Squad (Best Buy).
Windows 10 Thunderbird 45.5.1
thank ya
Solution choisie
Are these .contact files in the c:\Users\username\Contacts folder? If so, you should see a toolbar with buttons for New contact, New contact group, Import, Export etc. Click Export and choose CSV or vCard format. For csv files, you may want to edit it in a spreadsheet so the records match the layout of the TB address book. Then, select Tools/Import...Address books...Text file... change the file type filter to comma separated (csv), and open the csv file. Next, move the input fields up or down to match TB.
To import vCards, see this post.
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Solution choisie
Are these .contact files in the c:\Users\username\Contacts folder? If so, you should see a toolbar with buttons for New contact, New contact group, Import, Export etc. Click Export and choose CSV or vCard format. For csv files, you may want to edit it in a spreadsheet so the records match the layout of the TB address book. Then, select Tools/Import...Address books...Text file... change the file type filter to comma separated (csv), and open the csv file. Next, move the input fields up or down to match TB.
To import vCards, see this post.
Thank you,
They were in an owner\contacts folder on the desktop so I just moved them to c:\Users\username\Contacts and discovered the new options which you described. The CSV thing was just not working out, as you suspected, so I ended up importing each contact individually via vCard which creates it own contact group/book. I then dragged each contact into the personal address book and then deleted its book.
So... If this person or myself gets a new computer in the future and is still using Thunderbird then all I would have to do is copy "C:\Users\Owner\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\3jo0jh89.default" to the equivalent location on the new computer; thus avoiding all of this import export business?
Actually, it's easier to copy the ...\Roaming\Thunderbird folder to another computer, as outlined here. Packing the TB folder in a zip or rar archive is recommended, and this also serves as an effective means of backing up the profile on a regular basis.
It's good you were able to import the .contact files, and the method works for individual vCards, but if there are hundreds or thousands vCards, the method that uses an add-on has the added advantage of handling multiple vCards at once, plus it preserves all data including phone numbers and street addresses.