How to Export Outlook Email to MBOX Format? Best Ways!

Rollins Duke
Published: January 22nd, 2024 • 7 Min Read

Various users want to export Outlook email to MBOX format because several desktop clients and cloud services support the *.mbox file extension. If you are also looking for a reliable technique to export Outlook mail to MBOX to use resultant MBOX files with Thunderbird, Apple Mail, SeaMonkey, Opera Mail, Eudora Mail, etc. Then you can end your search here.

This informative blog post explores top-notch methods to export Outlook emails to MBOX format. Hence, let’s start reading this blog post till the end and learn about the best techniques. Thereafter, opt for an effective method to resolve this query according to your choice.

What Is Outlook and MBOX Format?

Outlook is an email client that is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite family. MS Outlook allows you to send and receive email messages. Business professionals also use Outlook to manage emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, to-do lists, journals, etc. MS Outlook permits to export of its complete data in PST (personal storage table) format. Outlook creates a separate file for each configured account.

MBOX is a standard file extension to store multiple emails. A lot of email clients and cloud-based email services support MBOX formats such as Mac Mail, Thunderbird, Eudora, SeaMonkey, Powermail, PocoMail, Mullberry, Evolution, etc. These mentioned email clients export each email folder in a separate MBOX file such as Inbox.mbox, Sent.mbox, Drafts.mbox, etc.

Manual Methods to Export Outlook Email to MBOX

We have discussed three different manual methods, and users can take the help of any of them, let us understand each of them in detail, in the next section.

Convert Outlook to MBOX Format using Thunderbird

Start Thunderbird and choose an option to display Thunderbird menu.
Next, select Tools >> Import option as shown in the figure below.
Now choose Import Everything or Mail option and hit Next button.
Next, select Outlook as a file type that you would like to import.
Browse Outlook data file and click Finish to start importing data.
Now restart your Thunderbird and right-click on a folder, after that, select ImportExportTools >> Export Folder
Choose a specific folder to save resultant MBOX file.
Click Select Folder to export MBOX file from Thunderbird

Read More: Tips to Backup Outlook Contacts to External Hard Drive

Export Outlook Mail to MBOX File Using Mac Outlook

First, export the file from Windows Outlook.
Launch Mac Outlook on your Mac Machine.
Afterward, select File >> Import option.
Check Outlook for Windows Archive file and click Continue.
Browse Windows Outlook exported file and hit Import.
Your data has been imported, press Finish.
See imported data in the On My Computer folder of Mac Outlook.
Lastly, drag and drop imported data to the desktop in MBOX format.

Also Read: Expert Choice to Save Outlook Email as MSG File

Convert Outlook to MBOX using GWMMO & Takeout

Download, install, and run GWMMO, then sign in to your Gmail account using credentials.
Next, choose the From PST File(s) option to upload data.
Enable required items to import and click Migrate.
Import Outlook folders to Gmail process is running, after successful completion press OK.
Thereafter, you can see imported data in your Gmail account.
Open Google Takeout using Gmail login details and choose the Deselect All option as shown.
Next, select Mail and other items to export.
Choose the destination as Send download link via email.
Set Frequency, file type, and size and choose Create Export.
Now Takeout is creating a copy of your data, please wait.

Last, you will receive a link to download data in MBOX format.

Limitations of Using the Manual Methods

The above-discussed manual methods are very time consuming and also require someone with good technical knowledge in order to complete the process to convert Outlook to MBOX file format in an easy and effective way. Also, your Outlook mailbox data contains a lot of information in the form of attachments and thus its size increases over time, therefore, to convert it into MBOX format using the manual methods without any data loss can be very challenging.

Hence, to make this process a lot easier you should opt for the expert-recommended professional software that we have discussed in detail in the next section.

Export Outlook Email to MBOX Format Using Software

PST to MBOX Converter is a fully automated solution to export Outlook emails to MBOX mailboxes. The tool automatically uploads Outlook profile data in the software panel from a default storage location. This software supports MS Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002, 2000, 98, and 97 versions. It is also compatible with orphaned Outlook files, and it works without MS Outlook.

Just download the free trial edition of this software which can export the first 25 emails to MBOX. It also permits to export Outlook contacts to vCard and CSV formats if someone specifically wants to export contacts. After getting satisfaction, grab its license keys to activate it to avoid all the limitations.

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Quick Steps to Convert Outlook to MBOX

Start the suggested tool and add Outlook data automatically.
Select all or specific email folders and press Next.
Next, choose MBOX as a preferred saving option.
Enable advance filter to export selective Outlook mails.
Click Convert button to export Outlook email to MBOX format.
Outlook to MBOX export process has been finished successfully.
Last, the software will open destination folder to get resultant MBOX.

Why Choose Software Instead of Manual Methods?

This is a standalone utility that does not require any other application to perform this task.
The tool also gives an option to export Outlook contacts to CSV and VCF file extensions separately.
Advance filters are available to export Outlook email to MBOX format by date range, specific email subject, and email address.
It creates separate MBOX files for each Outlook folder by maintaining the folder hierarchy.
Extract Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007 emails to the MBOX file extension without reporting any error message.
Users can check or uncheck required folders to extract them in MBOX file format accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1: How do I export Outlook to MBOX manually?

You can follow the instructions mentioned above to export Outlook to MBOX format manually. However, this is mandatory to use several third-party programs to perform this task as Thunderbird, Mac Outlook, GWMMO, and Google Takeout.

Q 2: Is there any direct option available to extract Outlook emails to MBOX?

MS Outlook does not provide any direct option to extract emails in MBOX extension.

Q 3: Can I download your software on Windows Server 2022?

Yes, this software is suitable to work with the latest Windows and Mac Operating Systems.

Q 4: How to export PST file from Outlook client?

Follow these instructions:

Run Outlook client and click on File.
Select Open & Export >> Import/Export.
Choose Export to a file and hit the Next button.
Pick Outlook Data File and press Next.
Next, check the required Outlook folders to export.
Set the destination location and click Finish.

Final Thoughts

We have explained the best expert-recommended techniques to export Outlook email to MBOX format using manual and professional approaches. You will need to follow multiple stages to extract Outlook folders to MBOX manually. Suggested software is a standalone utility to complete this task without using any supportive program. We have tested all methods under BitRecover lab, all methods work successfully.