How to Export Outlook to MBOX File Format – Multiple Ways
Are you hassling with the same type of query? Don’t panic! In this article, all your worries will come to an end as here we have outlined a complete solution to export Outlook emails to MBOX format.
Know About Outlook and MBOX Format
Microsoft Outlook: Currently, MS Outlook is among the most widely used email clients. It is an email application that comes as a part of Microsoft Office application suite. Outlook is available for both Windows & Mac. It has a feature-rich environment with a simple GUI that compels organizations to use Outlook over email applications. After all, Outlook can be combined with other flagship products like MS Exchange and MS Office 365 to give the organizations firm control over their data.
Microsoft Outlook has a wide range of functionalities and helps users mailbox items like emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, and journals. It saves all these items in a single mailbox file i.e. PST (Personal Storage Table).
MBOX Files: MBOX is a simple mailbox format to store email messages. It follows an industry-standard message format and hence is compatible with most email clients. MBOX came into existence for the UNIX systems. However, with its practicality and ease of use, it quickly became the favorite mailbox format of all the Operating systems.
A plethora of email clients utilizes their own variation of MBOX files like MBOX without extension by Mozilla Thunderbird, .mbs file by Opera Mail, .mbx file by Eudora & Pocomail, and .mbox files by Apple Mail, Entourage, Google Takeout, and many more applications.
Why Convert Outlook Emails to MBOX File Format?
All these factors compel the users to export Outlook to MBOX format-
- Switching from one job place to another one.
- The transition from Windows system to Mac.
- While switching from Outlook email client to other email applications that utilize MBOX format such as:
- PST file corruption.
- Sharing files with clients who use MBOX compatible applications.
Multiple Ways to Export Outlook to MBOX Format
There are basically four approaches to convert Outlook PST to MBOX. The first three methods are completely free but require additional applications to be of use. However, the last method is a professional and standalone solution.
#1- Export Outlook PST to MBOX using Drag and Drop Solution
The first method is divided into 2 separate steps. The first step requires the user to export Outlook PST file to external drive and then import it into the Outlook for Mac application. After all, this app can easily create an MBOX file via drag-n-drop.
Step 1- Use Import/ Export Wizard in MS Outlook
- Open Outlook and navigate to File>> Open & Export>> Import/Export
- Now, choose an action to perform by selecting the “Export to a file” function
- Then, in the create a file type option, select Outlook data file (.pst)
- Choose the file or folder to export to MBOX
- Browse a saving location to store the exported file and click on Finish
You will get all emails from Outlook to the specified location on your computer.
Step 2- Use Drag and Drop Function to Export Outlook to MBOX
- Move the PST file to the Mac system
- Launch the Outlook for Mac application
- Navigate to File>> Import
- Select Personal Folder File (.pst) >> Next
- Choose the option of Outlook for Windows Data File (.pst)
- Select the PST file location and tap on Import
- The imported file will be stored in Outlook folder
- Now, drag the respective folder to your desktop
In this way, you can export Outlook messages to MBOX.
#2- Use GWMMO Tool to Export Outlook Email to MBOX Format
This method utilises the Google Workspace account by migrating all the Outlook data into it. Once this account has the PST emails, it is easy to export them to MBOX via the free Google Takeout service.
To start, download Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Outlook and launch it on your Windows system.
- Open this GWMMO tool and specify your Gmail email address and click on Continue
- Now, select your Gmail account to proceed further
- Then, pick your .pst files to export to your Gmail account
- Next, choose the desired data to move: Calendar, Contacts, Email messages and click on Migrate tab
- The Outlook mailboxes are now successfully moved to the Google Workspace Mail account.
- Thereafter, open Google Takeout and click on Deselect all.
- Now, select the Mail option and click on Next
- Select Send download link via email in the Delivery method options
- Choose any File type and Size for the export of Outlook emails to MBOX
- Click on the Export button to begin the process
- After a few hours, you will get a link to your email address from where you can download the ZIP file.
- This ZIP file contains a Mail folder that has all the emails in MBOX format.
Hence, this finishes the process to export Outlook to MBOX format.
#3- Utilize Mozilla Thunderbird
- To start with, go to your Windows system’s Search box and put Default App Settings then, snap on the first result.
- Verify whether Outlook is the default email client. If not, then turn Outlook into your primary email client by navigating to the default email account and picking the Outlook option from the drop menu.
- Launch Mozilla Thunderbird and select Tools >> Import…
- Enable the radio option next to Mail and click on Next
- Choose the type of file that you want to import by selecting the Outlook option. This will import the data from Outlook
- After that, install the ImportExportTools NG add-on in Thunderbird.
- Now, select the Outlook mailbox folder and choose Tools >> ImportExport Tools >> Export folder (.zip)
- After extracting the ZIP files, you will get the MBOX files.
This concludes the process to export Outlook to MBOX file format by using an MBOX compatible email application.
Drawbacks of the Manual Methods
- Additional email applications such as Outlook for Mac, Google Workspace and Thunderbird are necessary.
- If the PST file has the corruption of any sort, the methods will result in data loss.
- A time-consuming process that involves a large number of steps.
- No guarantee of the preservation of data integrity.
- Needs technical supervision to carry out the export operation.
A Premium Outlook to MBOX Converter that Leaves Behind All Manual Tricks
NXT Software is one of the most reliable applications to convert Outlook emails to MBOX file format. It has a simple GUI, which makes it feasible for even non-specialized users to utilize it easily and export files with complete comfort. The product keeps the folder structure the same as it was before the conversion.
Furthermore, the MBOX files can be opened in all supported email applications without fail like Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Entourage, Opera Mail, etc. The software keeps the data structure and formatting the same as it was in Outlook.
Also, one major benefit of using this software is that you don’t need to have Microsoft Outlook in order to execute this process. Just having the PST file is enough to convert Outlook PST to MBOX format. Moreover, it supports all the latest Windows OS such as Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, etc.
Concluding words
In this article, we have explained the whole solution to export Outlook to MBOX format. We have provided both the manual and professional ideas for implementing this process. So, you are free to select any of the above methods because the majority of them are free of cost. But, they don’t provide data integrity and effectiveness. Hence, we suggest you give a try the automated one and enjoy this transformation within a couple of seconds.
