Exporting Lotus Notes Contacts to Thunderbird Address Book

You can use a special program to import your Lotus Notes Address Book Contacts to Thunderbird.

  1. If you have not yet done so, go to
  2. Select the Option to Save the zipped file. These instructions are also in the zipped file.

1. Install the nte_conv application and conversion files.

  1. Create a folder on your PC to store the unzipped files as well as the exported Lotus Notes Address Book / Contacts.
  2. Copy the files from the (zipped) folder above to the new folder.

2. Export Addresses from Lotus Notes Address Book

  1. Start Lotus Notes and go to the Address Book screen and select Contacts.
  2. Select File/Export from the menu to display the screen below. Save the file in the folder you created earlier with the file name Address Book from Lotus in the Structured Text type as shown below.

  1. Click Export. The following screen displays.
  1. Click OK to create the export file.

3. Run the Lotus Notes Export Converter.

  1. From the folder you created, double-click the nte_conv.exe application. The screen below is displayed.
  2. Select the Destination File Type of CSV.

  1. Click onEdit Optionsas shown on the screen above). The Options screen displays. Under CSV Format Options, select Use Comma as Separator.

  1. Click OKat the bottom of the screen. You are returned to the Lotus Notes Text Export Converter screen.
  2. Click on Load Notes Exportfile.
  1. Select the Files of typeAll files and click on the export file. Click on Open. (Note you may need to click on the View Menu icon and select Details to select the correct file (i.e. not the .nos or .nof file.).

  1. The screen below will be displayed. It shows the available fields from Lotus on the left and the pre-selected Thunderbird fields on the right.

  1. Click on Convert and Save. The converted file must be saved as a .csv file (which should be the default). Click Save.
  1. Close the Conversion Application_

4. Import the converted file into Thunderbird.

  1. Start Thunderbird. From the TB Address Book, select Tools/Import. Select Address Books, click on Next.
  1. Select Text File, Click on Next.
  1. Display the Files of typeComma Separated and click on the Address Book from Lotus file. (The Address Book file will have an Excel icon before the name.) .
  1. Click Open. Carefully check the field names on the left side of the screen. This is the default field order and if different the wrong information will be imported into the fields. If you need to change the field order, click on the field name and use Move Up to move it up the list. Start at the top and work your way down.
  2. Click OKwhen your fields match the default order.
  1. Click Finish. The addresses will now be available as Address Book From Lotus.

NOTE: If you exported CarlsonSchool addresses please note that they will need to be changed. For example John Smith/Student/Carlson School is not an Internet address and his new address would be his UMN address, e.g., .

Default field order.

The following are the fields in Thunderbird when first installed. If any changes have been made when previously importing address books, change back to the default below.

1