There was a time when MBOX was considered to be the best format because of being accessible through multiple clients, for example, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Entourage, Claws Mail, Pocomail, Netscape, Spicebird, SeaMonkey, Mozilla Mail, Eudora, Evolution, Sylpheed, Opera Mail, and Mulberry, etc. The very first edition of Mac mail used only MBOX file to store data.
But with time, as Microsoft Outlook is becoming more popular, people require to convert MBOX files to Outlook format. Outlook stores data as a PST file and is considered to be more reliable, with offering a lot more features and benefits. MBOX file format is not supported in Outlook, so, to access MBOX data in Outlook, you need to convert MBOX file into PST file.
| Note: Conversion of MBOX to PST file involves only a few steps, but you still can’t take the risk of using them without having some technical knowledge. You require basic technical knowledge to do this manually or with the help of professional software to perform the conversion automatically. Read on to discover our top pick for the best software to convert MBOX to PST. |
Manual Process to Convert MBOX to PST
Follow the steps mentioned below to extract your MBOX data in Outlook manually:
Step 1: To be done on your Mac system:
First of all, you need to convert AppleMail to MBOX. For this, perform the following steps:
- Launch AppleMail on the system
- Click on the File menu and then click on Import Mailboxes option
- Under ‘Import data from:’ select the program from where you need to import data, i.e. ‘Files in MBOX format.’
- Click on Continue button to proceed further
- Then, provide the location where MBOX files are stored on the system
- Select MBOX files that you want to import and click on Choose
- Then select the items that you desire to import and click on Continue
- Lastly, click on Done and browse the Import section in the mailboxes list
Next, you will need to install Eudora (Windows version) since MBOX files cannot be directly migrated to PST.
Step 2: To be done on Windows system:
- To begin the procedure, you will need to add MBOX file extension to the file just imported. For example, ProjectMBOX needs to be changed to ProjectMBOX.mbx
- Move the file ProjectMBOX.mbx to the Eudora directory where the files are stored by default in the application:
“C: Documents and Settings\<user>Application Data\Qualcomm\Eudora”
- Next, open Eudora and double-click on the ProjectMBOX.mbx. Then, close the application
- Install Outlook Express on your Windows system
Step 3: In Outlook Express:
Now, you will need Outlook Express to import the messages from Eudora.
- Launch Outlook Express
- Go to File menu, then click on Import and then select Messages
- Select Eudora from the list of email apps and then select Next
- Browse the location to pick the ‘.mbx’ file and click on OK
- Then click on Next twice and then select Finish
- In Outlook Express, the imported mailbox can be accessed in the Local Folders
Step 4: In MS Outlook:
Finally, you now need to import messages from Outlook Express to MS Outlook:
- In MS Outlook, go to the File tab and select Open
- From the list of options select Import and then Import and Export wizard
- Next, select Import Internet Mail and Addresses option and click on Next
- Select Outlook Express 4.x, 5.x, 6.x or Window Mail
- Ensure that the Import Mail option is checked and click Next
Through this procedure, the MBOX file will be successfully converted to PST format. It can then be viewed in MS Outlook application.
Automated Procedure for converting MBOX to PST
In case you don’t want to follow the manual steps or find them too cumbersome, you can also use automated commercial tools to perform MBOX to PST conversion. But while choosing which tool to use, make sure to do some primary research. Not using the right tool could result in the loss of your precious data, which no one prefers. So only use tools that are reliable and recommended by experts.
We recommend using Stellar Converter for MBOX to perform the said conversion. This trustworthy product easily performs the migration of MBOX email clients to PST format. It supports over more than 17 email clients and possesses the ability to convert single or multiple MBOX files in one go for unlimited number of times. Users can preview converted items before saving them and do selective recovery of mailbox items using advanced filters. The interactive GUI of the software helps perform hassle-free MBOX file conversion.
To sum it up
In the end, we would advise you that if you want to convert and import MBOX emails to Outlook manually or through any tool, make sure you have all the resources and technical expertise to perform safe and complete transfer of data without losing any single mail. Also, it is always good to have your data backed up to avoid any unwanted situation. We hope that the article helps you to understand and execute MBOX to Outlook conversion successfully.
