An MBOX file is a mailbox format that stores email messages one after the other as a plain text. Each individual message within mbox file stored in EML format. If you need to view complete emails stored in a Mailbox file with all the tags To, From, CC, BCC, Subject, Date, etc., you have to use the special Viewer application such as our free Mbox Viewer. Alternatively, you can open MBOX file with any text editor or viewer such as Text Lister or Notepad. However, this will display you a lot of technical information in an uncomfortable view.
The Best Way to Open MBOX files
Mbox Viewer by GlexSoft
Mbox Viewer is a free software designed to open and view virtually any type of mbox and mbx files at no cost. Mbox Viewer is currently in beta and provides users with the ability to open and view Mbox files and email without any restrictions. As we continue to develop and improve this software, we aim to add more features to enhance the user experience.
Download MBOX Viewer from here…
- Version 1.0 Opens mbox files of the following formats: Gmail (Google Takeout), Apple Mail, Linux email apps, TheBat!, Postbox, Thunderbird, Entourage, Eudora, Turnpike, Netscape, Opera Mail.
- Version 1.2 Mailbox re-indexing function added. You can use it in case if mailbox file was not properly indexed by previous version of the software and now shows blank result or not all emails. You may find this option in the File menu.
- Version 1.3 We have added the ability to export email from the Mbox to a html document. To save mailbox email to html use menu File > Save as HTML or right click on the email message in the list and select Save as HTML.
- Version 1.4 Export Mbox email to an EML file using the File > Save as EML menu or the pop-up menu with the same name.
- Version 1.5 Improved detection of the mailbox type.
- Version 1.6 Enjoy filtering by Subject, Recipient, or From fields.
- Version 1.7 Sort emails alphabetically by clicking heading cells.
- Version 1.7.0.7 Fixed minor bugs and improved the speed of e-mail parsing.
- Version 1.8 Currently under development…
Please leave your comment below this post to let us know what option you would like to see included…
How to open Mbox file with Mbox Viewer
- Run the Mbox Viewer software.
- Click the Open button.
- Select Mbox file to open.
- Enjoy! Now you can browse through your emails.
Your feedback is valuable to us in this development process, so please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any thoughts about the functionality of the software.
How to back up your email messages on Gmail
To preserve important data and reduce the risk of losing it, you may want to open MBOX files backed up from your email account. This will help prevent a mental breakdown if your Gmail account mailbox experiences issues, is hacked, or becomes inaccessible. Consider the critical information in your Gmail account – would you want to lose it?
- To back up your email messages, simply go to “My Google Account,” click on Data and Personalization.
- Then scroll down to download your data and click it. On the next page, click on deselect all and scroll down till you get Mail.
- Click on next, then choose the doc type & size, and tap “create export.” That’s it. You now have your exported mailbox data.
Read how to transfer email messages from Gmail to Outlook.
Now, let’s learn how to access and open an MBOX mailbox file in Outlook and other email clients…
Different messaging software stores emails in different mailbox formats, which are often conflicting. If you’re seeking ways to open MBOX file, you will find the right tactics in this guide. Whether using Microsoft software or Apple applications, you will be able to access the contents of the mailbox files.
How to Open MBOX file in Microsoft Outlook?
1) Import MBOX emails into Microsoft Outlook
Do you want to change your mailbox email files to a favorable version that MS Outlook can open on Windows or macOS? Here are the steps you can take to view your backed-up mail messages.
Step 1: First, download the MBOX to Outlook transfer software. Once downloaded, install it on your PC.
Step 2: If your Microsoft Outlook version is 32 bit, choose the 32bit transfer software, but if it is running on 64 bit, choose the 64bit transfer software.
Moreover, you need to ascertain the Microsoft Outlook software version on your computer. You can do this by opening your Outlook software, tick on File > Office account > About Outlook, and it will show you whether you are using 32bit or 64bit Outlook. Read how to check your Outlook version.
Step 3: Once the installation is complete, open your MBOX to Outlook conversion software. On the top menu bar, select “Mode” to choose the “Import to Outlook” option.
Step 4: Click on the three dots to browse the folder with your mailbox email data. Then tick “Scan Folders.” Once the scanning process is complete, press the “import” button.
Step 5: You will be prompted to choose a destination folder and location to import your mail.
Step 6: Close the conversion software when the importing process is complete. Then open the MBOX files in your MS Outlook software.
2) Convert MBOX to PST format
Personal storage format (PST) stores outlook data as compared to MBOX that only stores email messages. Hence, when you convert to PST, you can open it in Microsoft Outlook. Here is how you can convert MBOX to PST to be able to view them in Outlook;
Step 1: First, download the MBOX to Outlook Transfer software. Install it on your PC.
Step 2: Run the mailbox conversion tool depending on your Outlook version, 32bit or 64bit.
Step 3: On the top menu bar, select “Mode” and choose the “Save to PST file” option.
Step 4: Select the folder where the MBOX file is located. Click “Scan Folder” and once the scanning process is complete, tick “Save PST.”
Step 5: The conversion tool will prompt you to choose the PST name and destination folder.
Step 6: Close the conversion tool once the process is over. If you want to view the mailbox data, open your MS Outlook software, press file > Open and Export. Choose the “Open Outlook Data File” option and choose your PST file to view in Outlook.
i) How to open a PST in Windows:
- Open your Microsoft Outlook software, push File > Open & Export, then select Outlook Data File.
- Navigate and open the PST file on your PC.
- On the left vertical panel of the Outlook window, scroll down the folders until you get the specific one you want.
ii) How to open a PST on MAC
- Open the Microsoft Outlook application.
- Click the File option on the menu bar, on the dropdown, select Import.
- Click “Outlook data file,” select the doc and tap Next. Import the file.
- Once the import process is complete, tick Done and close.
How to Convert MBOX files to EML file format?
Not only can you view your MBOX files in Outlook through PST, but also the EML format. An EML format allows you to open your data using various email clients. Hence, it breeds more flexibility, and you can view it in any of your mail applications.
- Step 1: Download the MBOX to Outlook transfer software and install it.
- Step 2: Open the software and on the top menu bar, choose “Mode” and select “Export to EML files.”
- Step 3: Click on the three dots to browse where your mailbox docs are located. Once selected, tap on Scan Folders. Once the scanning process is complete, select “Save EML” and choose a destination folder.
- Step 4:Once, the exporting is complete, use a mail application to open the EML files.
Read how to transfer EML files to Outlook PST format.
How to Import MBOX Files into Live Mail?
- Step 1: Run the Windows Live Mail software.
- Step 2:Select the EML file you want to import.
- Step 3: Then press the mouse button firmly, drag the selection into a folder in your Live Mail app. Then release the mouse button.
- Step 4: The selected EML will be imported.
How to Open MBOX files on Mac OS?
How to open MBOX files in Mac Mail App?
- Step 1: Navigate to your computer applications, search for Mail App.
- Step 2: Once the Mail app opens, click on File. On the dropdown select, “Import Mailboxes.” A popup will appear. Tick on “files in MBOX format.” Click on continue. On the new window that will appear, look for the doc.
- Step 3: Go back to the mail app, choose mailboxes to see an array of folders and mailboxes. Then click “import” and select from the list of MBOX files. Now, you can access them.
How to open MBOX files in Thunderbird?
You can also use Thunderbird to view an MBOX file. However, you will need to use the Import Export Tools plugin for a smoother mailbox transfer.
- Step 1: First, download Thunderbird software.
- Step 2: Once it completes, download the Importexporttools add-on for Thunderbird. Alternatively, open your Mozilla Thunderbird software, tap on the Tool option on the top menu bar and choose “Add-on” on the dropdown. Search for the ImportExporttools add-on there and add to Thunderbird.
- Step 3: Click on the Tools menu, choose the Import MBOX option on the dropdown.
- Step 4: Now, you can view your mailbox messages at ease.
Alternative method to Open Mbox file in Thunderbird
- Download and install Thunderbird on your computer.
- Open Thunderbird and click on the “File” menu.
- Select “Open” and then choose the MBOX file you want to open.
- The MBOX file will be imported into Thunderbird, and you can view its contents.
How to Open Mbox file in Opera Mail?
- Download and install Opera Mail on your computer.
- Open Opera Mail and click on the “File” menu.
- Select “Import” and then choose the MBOX file you want to open.
- The MBOX file will be imported into Opera Mail, and you can view its contents.
How to Open Mbox file in SeaMonkey?
- Download and install SeaMonkey on your computer.
- Open SeaMonkey and click on the “File” menu.
- Select “Open” and then choose the MBOX file you want to open.
- The MBOX file will be imported into SeaMonkey, and you can view its contents.
How to Open Mbox file in Text Editor?
Honestly, it is bad idea to open Mbox files in text editor since it may contain a lot of encoded data that you will be unable to see normally. However if you are advanced user, you may browse inside mailbox files as follows:
- Open a text editor such as Notepad or TextEdit on your computer.
- Drag and drop the MBOX file into the text editor window.
- The MBOX file will be opened in the text editor, and you can view its contents.
Final Thoughts
Backing up your emails is essential and will help you when you want to recover some important data. You can use any of the options described to open your MBOX files and convert them to favorable formats. Also, while downloading some software, be careful not to download malicious adverts that may cause an issue to your PC.
You may also want to know:
- How to import emails from MBOX files to Gmail account
- How to Convert Emails From Mbox to Outlook
- Why you should avoid manually converting Mbox to Outlook
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