How to fix Error no valid MBOX files were found?

Different operating systems (OS) support different email clients and file formats. When it comes to supportive and compatible file formats for different OS and email clients, the MBOX file format is the most noticeable format used by a number of popular email clients like Apple, Pocomail, Entourage, Mulberry, SeaMonkey, Opera Mail, Spice bird, Netscape Mail, etc. However, some situations may lead to corruption of the MBOX file. When users encounter MBOX file corruption, an error message is displayed on their device screen. The issue ‘Error no valid mbox file were found’ is prevalent with MBOX files and needs a solution. Therefore, in this blog, we will discuss the root cause of the error and explain the solution to fix the issue. 

The error is most likely to be encountered by Mac Mail users. It occurs due to a compatibility issue between older and newer Mac operating systems. The variation in MacOS makes the MBOX file inaccessible. Therefore, users may encounter “No valid MBOX files were found”.

The root cause of error ‘No Valid MBOX files were found’

The ‘No valid MBOX files were found’ error appears to occur mostly among Apple Mail users when they try to import MBOX files. To understand the situation better, the causes of the error is discussed below:

• When an Apple Mail user is trying to access an inappropriate directory.
• When a user imports MBOX files from one macOS version to another.
• When a user wants to import an already corrupted MBOX file.

How to Fix the issue of ‘No valid MBOX files were found’?

The problem is mainly faced by Mac Mail users when they try to import MBOX files from one macOS to another, e.g., from macOS 10.6 to macOS 10.7. There are compatibility issues that result in the error message ‘no valid MBOX files were found’. To troubleshoot the problem of importing MBOX files from macOS 10.6 to macOS 10.7, follow the steps given below. But, before proceeding, take back up of your Mac Mail mailbox.

Follow the commands which are given below:

~/library/mail/

And

~/library/preferences/com.apple.mail.plist.

Note: If you want to open a hidden library folder in macOS, take the following steps.

Click ‘Go to Folder.’

And enter ~/library/ in the ‘Go to the folder:’ box, then click Go.

Note: When you want to import MBOX files, it is essential to access the previous/old messages by locating files in ~/library/mail/ folder.

Once the above steps are completed, follow the command given below.

• Close the mail.app.
• Copy messagerules.plist from the old folder of mail.
• Then, paste the new location i.e. ~/library/mail/v2/maildata/.
• Delete messagerules.plist.backup, which is present in the current folder.
• Now, open mail.app.
• Verify the rules from the preferences.

Steps to import MBOX files:

• Go to ‘File,’ and select import mailboxes.
• Select import mailbox.
• From the list of popular MBOX-based email clients, select Apple Mail option, and click ‘Continue.’

• Locate your MBOX file, select and then click on ‘Choose’.

• Preview the MBOX files extracted from mailboxes to verify, and then click ‘Continue’.
• Restart the mail.app.
• Verify the imported mailbox and move them to the original path.
• Check the system searching tool, to see if it is working.
• If not, rebuild the spotlight index using the sudo mdutil-e shell command.

Limitations of Manually fixing ‘No valid MBOX files were found’ error

The error ‘No valid MBOX files were found’ can be fixed using the above manual method in Apple Mail. But, the method is grievously lengthy and requires technical skills to complete. Moreover, if you enter a wrong command, you may lose critical data. Therefore, if you’re planning to move from Apple Mail to Outlook due to consistent error issues, you may convert MBOX files to PST files using Stellar Converter for MBOX.

The Stellar Converter for MBOX is a specialized tool for converting MBOX files to PST files and other formats like MSG and EML. The tool is also compatible with not just Apple Mail but also other popular MBOX clients like Thunderbird, Google Takeout, Entourage, Spicebird, Pocomail, Eudora, Mulberry, SeaMonkey, Netscape, Opera Mail, Mozilla Mail, Evolution, etc.

Conclusion:

MBOX files are popularly used by several email clients like Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Pocomail, Netscape, etc. But, Apple Mail users are facing error ‘No valid MBOX files were found’ when they try to import the MBOX files. The error can be manually fixed. However, the manual method has limitations of being lengthy, confusing, and requiring technical skills to perform the steps successfully.

If the given solution doesn’t work or the issue is consistent, you may think of moving/migrating to another email client like Microsoft Outlook. But this may require you to convert your MBOX files to PST files. It can be done seamlessly, within minutes, with the help of automated tools like Stellar Converter for MBOX. The software converts MBOX files to PST files and multiple other file formats like MSG and EML. You can either backup in your preferred format or import it to another supportive email client.

Was this article helpful?

YES0

NO

About The Author

Shelly Bhardwaj

I am a Product Consultant and is associated with Stellar Data Recovery from last 8 years. I write about the latest technology tips and provide custom solutions related to Exchange Server, Office 365, MS Outlook, and many other Email Clients & different flavors of OS Servers. Read More