If you’re looking to transfer your old emails to a new email address, or if you’ve ever needed to send someone a mile-long email thread, MBOX files can be an easy and flexible solution. MBOX files can be opened on MacOS, iPhone, Windows, and Android.
What exactly are MBOX files?
MBOX files are a container for various compressed email files. The simple format is a great organizational tool for exporting and delivering a large group of emails, all while keeping attachments to those emails. MBOX files are a convenient and flexible file format that can be opened in any text editor, including Microsoft Notepad, Apple TextEdit, or GitHub Atom. They can also be opened through email client applications on both MacOS and Windows.
Here’s how to open MBOX files with Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Outlook.
read more: How to protect your email as cybersecurity concerns mount
Open MBOX files in Mozilla Thunderbird
1. From within the Thunderbird application, select Menu and choose account settings.
2. When the account settings screen opens, click local folders on the left.
3. Under the message storage header, select the Browse button in the lower right corner.
4. In the new panel that opens, navigate to the folder where you previously saved your MBOX file and click Select the folder. When Thunderbird asks you to reboot, do so.
When Thunderbird reopens, your MBOX file will appear in the Local Folders section of your inbox and you’ll be able to browse its full contents and attachments.
Open MBOX files in Apple Mail
1. On your Mac, open the Mail request.
2. In the Proceedings menu select import mailboxes.
3. In the new panel that appears, select Files in mbox format from the list of options and press Continue.
4. In the next window that appears, navigate to your previously saved MBOX file, select it and press To choose.
5. In a new window, Apple Mail will confirm where it can find the newly imported MBOX file and you can select Done to close the window.
How to open MBOX files in Outlook
The Outlook version of the MBOX file is the PST file. So for Outlook to read your imported file, you will need to convert it to PST first. We recommend a bit of caution if you’re looking for an easier way around this common pitfall. Disreputable tools abound that promise to easily import the content of your MBOX email.
Fortunately, Microsoft’s suite includes a helper app for this called Convert To Outlook. Eliminate potential privacy risks and stick to the original article.
