How to sync contacts to Mozilla Thunderbird via CardDav

How to sync contacts to Mozilla Thunderbird via CardDav

CardDAV allows personal, public, and shared contacts to be synced with a number of email clients and mobile devices that support CardDAV.  This article will detail how to sync MDaemon contacts with Mozilla Thunderbird.  

Thunderbird does not support CardDAV by default.  The Lightning and the SOGo plug-ins will need to be downloaded and installed.

  1. Navigate to the SOGo download page 
  2. Download the version of SOGo that corresponds to your Thunderbird version.
  3. Download the version of Lightning that correstpond to your Thunderbrid version. 
  4. Open Thunderbird
  5. Select Tools
  6. Select Add-ons
  7. Click the Configuration gear icon (next to the Search all add-ons text box)
  8. Click Install Add-on From File…
  9. Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the file and select it
  10. Click Open
  11. Click Install Now
  12. Restart Thunderbird


  13. Repeat the process for the Lightning add-on

    Once both plug-ins have been installed and enabled.
  1. Select the Address Book button in Thunderbird
  2. Click File
  3. Mouse over New
  4. Select Remote Address Book
  5. Enter a name for the address book in the Name text box.
  6. Use the desired URL of the particular contact list you wish to sync (see URL Templates below for syntax).
  7. (Optional) Check the Periodic sync box and choose the rate at which you would like the contacts synced
  8. (Optional) Choose Show Notifications and/or Notify only if data synchronized if desired
  9. (Optional) Choose Show Notifications for manual synchronizations if desired
  10. (Optional) Choose Show Notifications when saving a card if desired
  11. (Optional) Choose Show Notifications on startup
  12. (Optional) Choose Read Only if you wish to sync the contacts and not be able to edit them
  13. Click OK

    Contacts should begin syncing immediately.  To perform a manual sync:

    1. Right click on the name of the address book
    2. Click Synchronize

    URL Templates


    *Replace {server host name} with the server host name or IP address

    Personal Contacts
    The “addressbook” directory is a shortcut to the user’s own default addressbook.

    logged in user’s default contacts folder
    http://{server host name}/webdav/addressbook 
    logged in user’s “friends” contacts folder
    http://{server host name}/webdav/addressbook/friends

    The logged in user’s “personal” contacts folder in a “folder” subfolder
    http://{server host name}/webdav/addressbook/folder/personal

    Shared Contacts
    The “contacts” path is a shortcut to shared contact folders.

    user2@company.mail’s default contact folder
    http://{server host name}/webdav/contacts/company.mail/user2user2@company.mail’s “test” contact folder
    http://{server host name}/webdav/contacts/company.mail/user2/test 

    Public Contacts
    The “public-contacts” path is a shortcut to public contact folders.
    Domain’s default contact folder
    http://{server host name}/webdav/public-contacts/company.mail
    “test” contact folder in the root of the public folder hierarchy
    http://{server host name}/webdav/public-contacts/test