Thunderbird is not an alternative to gmail, in that it doesn't offer email accounts. It does offer a different way to access a gmail account.

If you really want to break with gmail, you could add the gmail account to Thunderbird and move all the messages into Thunderbird. It has a "Local Folders" account which stores things locally. When you have rescued everything you want, you can remove and then close the gmail account.

Who provides your lifesummit account? Will this remain available to you? You can probably add it into Thunderbird and work with it directly.

What are the particular "security issues" with gmail that are giving you concern?

Hi,

Thank you for your reply. I think my question was unclear. I can receive new emails for my non-gmail address to thunderbird no problem. I want to get those that are saved in gmail and move them to thunderbird. I will then continue to use the gmail inbox for my gmail account only. But the other emails, from my non-gmail account, which have been read or archived, need to be moved to thunderbird. Gmail allows those to be downloaded, but how can I get them into thunderbird so that I have everything in one place?

Re security - apparently gmail owns everything in your inbox when it goes through them so they can do what they want with the data. In any case, I have been asked to move the messages out of there.

Add the gmail account to Thunderbird. (File|New|Existing Mail Account)

Then you can move messages from it to Local Folders, or to an alternative account. Simplistically, you can drag and drop messages from one folder to another (but please don't try to drag and drop folders!) Practically, it's a mite safer to select the messages, right-click and select "Move to", then navigate the folder browser to the required location. You'll note that the right-click method doesn't proffer folders, highlighting the need to create the empty target folders before moving the contents.

Since this method moves or copies messages from one server to another, it uses your internet connection, and is best done in many small tranches. Aim for no more than 100 or so messages at a time.

I can't comment on the gmail export tool you have used. I have never used this and I don't know what route would allow such a file to be imported into Thunderbird. I'll look into it.

I'm not moving my gmail account to thunderbird, just the other non-gmail account that I have been using my gmail inbox for. The account is already set up in thunderbird and works fine.

But the emails from this non-gmail account that I have read via my gmail inbox are sitting in my gmail account, and I want to move them all to thunderbird so that I have access to them all in the same place I am receiving new messages. I cannot drag and drop messages that are not there.

What I need to do is move my non-gmail emails which have ended up on the gmail server, back to the secureserver.net they originally came from. And then I can use thunderbird to read and store them.

If you have used the instructions here to download an mbox file, you will need to install the import /Export add-on.

On the toolbar then  and type import. Select the ImportExportTools 3.2.4 by Paolo "Kaosmos" and install them

Then use the entry on the tools menu to import that MBOX file

Thank you.

I downloaded the exact add on you recommended and I can see it in thunderbird add ons.

But when i try ti import it does not give me an option I can use - just eudora, outlook or OE... I'm missing a step. Do you know what that step is?

. I'm missing a step. Do you know what that step is?

Yes... your not looking far enough down the Tools menu. Like to the last item.

That is exactly the right answer! Thank you soooo much. All my emails are in thunderbird, and all I have to do is delete those I don't want.

Do you have any idea how to delete large numbers of emails in one go - or even just high light them...

See the set of bullet points here: http://xenos-email-notes.simplesite.com/417754237