Do you have a set of vCards (.vcf files)? They can be imported with the help of an add-on:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/switching-thunderbird#w_importing-windows-mail-contacts

I am still only able to import a single address at a time, not the entire group. I have followed the directions, to no avail.

What are you actually importing, .vcf files, one for each contact, .contact files or a .wab file, and how did you export the contacts from Outlook Express?

I have been trying to import .vcf files. But, for some reason, I am unable to select them all at once and can only select one at a time to import, and I have about a thousand of them. Doing it one at a time works, but it might take me a month. I have tried to export them from Windows Mail (Outlook Express) but I can't send them to Thunderbird, I could only send them to a folder I created. I am no computer geek, but this is getting really frustrating. Can you help?

friendlyphil said

I have tried to export them from Windows Mail (Outlook Express)

Just a drive by comment.

Mail,Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail and Outlook Express are four different free mail programs developed over the years by Microsoft. They share nothing and trying to treat them all as the same thing will cause issues. Not the least of which will be other folk offering inappropriate advice.

friendlyphil said

I have been trying to import .vcf files. But, for some reason, I am unable to select them all at once and can only select one at a time to import, and I have about a thousand of them. Doing it one at a time works, but it might take me a month. I have tried to export them from Windows Mail (Outlook Express) but I can't send them to Thunderbird, I could only send them to a folder I created. I am no computer geek, but this is getting really frustrating. Can you help?

When you're at the point where you're selecting the vcf files (Step 4 in the instructions), select one in the 'Contact open' window, then Ctrl+A to select them all, then click the Open button. That should import all the vcf files at once.

I'm afraid that one does not work either. I can't understand why I cannot select all the contacts at once to import them. I can do that to export them from Windows Mail, but not to import them into Thunderbird.

If Ctrl+A doesn't select all the vcf files, select the first one, press Shift, then select the last one. Did you install the MoreFunctionsForAddressBook add-on? Your experience is what you would have if you imported a vcf file with the Import facility built into TB, where only a single vcf can be imported.

No, I did not install the add-on file. Windows did not know what to do with it, and Thunderbird did not know it existed. After downloading, I tried to open it, but Windows said no program was associated with it. In Thunderbird, under tools and add-ons, it was not listed, nor was there any way to find it.

Instructions for installing add-ons is provided in the link in my first reply. Open Tools/Add-ons/Extensions in TB, click the gear icon next to the search box, select Install add-on from file..., select the xpi file you downloaded. After a TB restart, you should find a MoreFunctionsForAddressBook option under Tools in Address Book. Proceed with the instructions in the first link.

Thanks for your patience. I was able to import the addresses as .csv files into Thunderbird. But in the Thunderbird address book, they appear only as an icon with no list of name and address until you click on the icon. And there are a thousand icons. How can I get that list to appear with the name of the contact when I open the address book?

If you import a csv file, it's necessary to first edit it in a spreadsheet to make the input columns match the structure of the TB address book.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Import_address_list_from_text_file

When this step is not done, the result is what you see: the names and addresses are in the wrong places.

That is why the method of importing vCards was recommended as the simplest, fastest and most effective means of transferring contacts.