Extract text from MAB files
To convert your MAB file to another format, you need Mozilla_Thunderbird or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Contact Manager File" file type, you need software like Mozilla_Thunderbird or a similar tool.
A .MAB file is most commonly a legacy Mozilla Address Book used by older versions of email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird and SeaMonkey. Internally, these files utilize the notorious "Mork" database format, which is text-based but structured in a complex, non-relational manner that makes it nearly impossible to parse with standard text editors or database viewers. While modern versions of Thunderbird (78+) have migrated to the standard SQLITE format, many users still encounter .MAB files when restoring old backups (e.g., abook.mab for Personal Address Book or history.mab for Collected Addresses). The primary disadvantage is their obsolescence; they are locked into the Mozilla ecosystem and cannot be directly imported into Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, or smartphone contact apps without processing.
To make this data usable, the best workflow is converting the .MAB file to a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file for editing in Microsoft Excel or importing into Outlook. For transferring contacts to mobile devices or Apple iCloud, converting to VCF (vCard) is the standard. If you are migrating between LDAP-based systems, LDIF is the preferred target.
Secondary Use Cases:
Less frequently, a .MAB file may be a proprietary database export from SKF Machine Analyst software used for vibration monitoring, a bibliographic data file using the MAB2 library standard, or a compiled game asset (audio or animation) from engines like the Dunia Engine used in Ubisoft titles (e.g., Far Cry series). These binary variants are completely incompatible with address book converters and typically require the original vendor software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MAB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MSF, MBOX and LDIF files.
If you want to convert MAB file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use Mozilla_Thunderbird or similar software from the "Legacy Email Contact Database" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to MAB, try Mozilla_Thunderbird or another comparable tool in the "Legacy Email Contact Database" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our MAB converter.