Import MBOX Files to Thunderbird & MS Outlook

Yatendra Singh | Updated On - November 10, 2022 |

Read time 7 minutes

MBOX is the most popular file format among many platforms to store the user’s information. Email Clients like Mozilla Thunderbird, Entourage, Apple Mail & Qualcomm Eudora also use this file format. If you’re considering importing MBOX files and wonder how you can do that without compromising your mailbox items. We’ll guide you in importing the MBOX file in Mozilla Thunderbird and MS Outlook.

This article will be the right stop if you’re moving from any of these listed email clients.

Understanding the need for importing MBOX files to MS Outlook

MS Outlook offers a wide range of outstanding features like offline accessibility, mailbox organization, anti-spam features, password protection, advanced configuration & settings, and a lot more add-on features.

• For better accessibility than the Apple Mail MBOX email client
• MS Outlook only supports PST file format
• MBOX cannot be used in another applications file format

To open MBOX file in Thunderbird, we first need to figure out the file location on your system. So, where to find the MBOX file?

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To find the location of MBOX files on your system, follow the steps:

1. Launch the RUN utility by pressing + R keys together.
2. Type %APPDATA% in the box and press Enter.
3. Double-click on Thunderbird > Profiles.

Every folder inside the Profiles folder is your MBOX email client profile.
Alternatively, you can go to the following location path:

Mozilla Thunderbird requires the installation of an add-on, using which you can proceed with the import process. After installing the ImortExportTools add-on in Thunderbird, you can proceed with these steps to open MBOX file in Thunderbird:

1. Open Thunderbird, click on Tools, select ImportExportTools, and click Import MBOX file.
2. In the pop-up, the option Import directly one or more MBOX files is set by default; click Ok.
3. Browse for the MBOX file in the specific location.
4. Below, you can see all your mailbox items after the import.
   

The importing steps would be slightly different if you’re a Mac user. Follow the steps below to open MBOX file in Thunderbird while working on a Mac system:

1. Open Thunderbird for Mac, click on the Tools tab and click the Import option.
2. In the pop-up window, select the Mail option; click Next.
   
3. Select Apple Mail in the dialog box and click Next.
   
4. Upon completing the import process, a folder named Apple Mail will be listed in Thunderbird, and you can see all the mailbox items on the left-hand side of the email client on Mac.
   

Importing MBOX files or migrating Thunderbird emails to Outlook is a common requirement for many Outlook users. Migration using manual methods may sound handy and fuss-free, but it doesn’t guarantee a complete migration.

You should not consider manual methods unless you are ready to face the consequences that come with them. You can import only a single MBOX file at once. The exact process will be repeated if you migrate multiple MBOX files. The most common occurrence of this approach is loss of data, which permanently impacts work. Moving MBOX files to Office 365 is another desired action that the users want to perform. But the lack of support for the platforms reduces the chances of any such manual attempt.

But Kernel for MBOX to PST Converter tool helps you to sideline all these drawbacks. The tool offers various features like file repair, data recovery, cross-platform migration, filtered migration, etc. Multiple file migration in a single go, live preview, Apple Mail & Thunderbird support, etc., are some additional salient features.

Conclusion

If you try to import MBOX file to Outlook without a proper understanding of the steps, you may get stuck somewhere in the middle and possibly risk the integrity of your MBOX file; then, the chances of file corruption also bubble up. So, it is recommended to use a specialized MBOX file to PST conversion tool for the task. First, you need to find the location to open MBOX file in Thunderbird, and all the related details have been explained above.