Solutions to Migrate MBOX Files to Outlook on Windows/Mac

Find the top 2 techniques to migrate MBOX files to Outlook 2019, 2016, and lower versions. Solutions are available for both Windows and Mac platforms to ensure a seamless MBOX conversion experience.

Microsoft Outlook is a popular email client that enables users to manage multiple email accounts at the same time. It has strong data management capabilities, a simple yet intuitive user interface, and various advanced features. It is available for both Outlook and Mac users. In recent times, Outlook has seen a huge surge in a number of users migrating from other emails clients to Outlook. Most of these users are from MBOX-based email applications such as Thunderbird, Mac Mail, Entourage, etc. The phrase “MBOX-based” simply means that the email applications use MBOX files to store their mailbox data.

Now, the question arises: How to Migrate MBOX files to Outlook. The general population is not aware of the technicalities of such email migration scenarios. Hence, they are unable to comprehend the techniques that can be used to migrate the MBOX data. Therefore, through this write-up, we will share the top 2 solutions for MBOX to PST Conversion. Keep reading for detailed conversion steps:

Top 2 Solutions for Transferring MBOX Files to Outlook

Given below are the best techniques that can be used to obtain favorable results while migrating MBOX emails to Outlook.

1. Use Mozilla Thunderbird as Mediator Application
2. Using SysTools MBOX to Outlook Converter

Both the methods are explained in details in the next section:

Ist Approach: Use Mozilla Thunderbird as Mediator

By using an add-on in Mozilla Thunderbird, users can import their MBOX files into Thunderbird. Afterward, the imported emails will be saved as EML files and then transferred to the MS Outlook client. The complete process is as follows:

1. Install & Run Mozilla Thunderbird.
2. Install a free add-on “ImportExportTools” and restart Mozilla Thunderbird.
3. Now, right-click on the Local folder mailbox.
4. Among the available options, select ImportExportTools and proceed to select the Import mbox file option.
5. Afterward, choose the appropriate radio button and browse the MBOX file. Proceed to import it into Thunderbird.
6. Now, open the imported MBOX mailbox folder in Thunderbird to view all its emails.
7. Here, select all the email messages that you wish to migrate and right-click on any one of them.
8. From the list of options, select the save selected message option. Now continue with the EML format option.
9. Users will need to locate the folder where these EML files will be saved. To finish, click on the Select Folder option.
10. Now, Thunderbird will not be needed. So close it and run the MS Outlook application.
11. Create a folder that will save all the emails from the desired MBOX file. Open it. It will be empty.
12. Now, go to the location where the EML files were saved. Select all of them, then proceed with dragging and dropping them onto the Outlook interface.

For success during the migration of MBOX files to Outlook, ensure that the EML files are dropped at the center pane of MS Outlook.

Important Note:

The given steps are performed on the Windows platform, so Mac users may not be able to implement it. Also, it is clear that the manual method consumes a lot of time and effort to finish the process. Amidst the complex steps, the chances of data loss or human errors are high. Also, there is a requirement of both Mozilla Thunderbird and MS Outlook for the process to be successful.

Hence, in such scenarios, it becomes necessary to utilize a quality third-party solution. For user convenience, we have one discussed one below:

IInd Approach: Use MBOX to Outlook Converter Wizard

Conversion of MBOX files associated with multiple email applications such as Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Gmail (.mbox), etc. is a risky process. However, it can be easily taken care of with SysTools MBOX to PST Converter. It is the perfect application to convert multiple MBOX files into PST file format in bulk. These PST files are of Unicode type, making them compatible with all the versions of Outlook. Moreover, the tool migrates emails and attachments without compromising email attributes like inline images, links, formatting, and header information.

The best part is that it is available for both Windows & Mac platform. So, no matter which platform the user’s from, he/she can convert the MBOX files without restrictions.

Step 1: Add & Scan MBOX File

Users will need to click on Add File, upon which they will be given choice to add the MBOX files into the tool’s interface. There are options to add a single MBOX file as well as multiple files with folder mode.

Step 2: Preview MBOX Emails

After adding the files, the Windows tool will display the MBOX emails in eight different preview modes. In the Mac software, this step is replaced by some Advance settings to customize the export process.

Step 3: Export MBOX to PST

Finally, the users will be able to export the MBOX files into Unicode PST format. The option is available to perform selectively or batch migration as per requirements.

Now, all that’s left to do is import these PST files into your Windows or Mac Outlook, and access your MBOX emails with ease.

Conclusion:

Every form of data is priceless for users including the emails. This especially holds true for those users whose main communication medium is through emails. Therefore, in this article, we explained the best techniques to migrate MBOX files to Outlook without losing data. Users have the full authority to choose any solution they wish. But it is recommended to opt for MBOX to Outlook converter in order to convert emails in a seamless manner.