Simple Ways: Export/Shift MBOX Emails & Attachments to EML

Author: Anjali Aggarwal

Summary: This blog explains why users change MBOX to EML. Manual and tool-based MBOX-to-EML conversion will also be covered. Mozilla Thunderbird stores messages in MBOX. There are certain disadvantages to using MBOX files that force users to convert them to EML.

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Why Convert MBOX to EML?

Users choose MBOX-to-EML conversion for these reasons:

  • Why? Better Email Application Compatibility

    • Outlook, Windows Live Mail, DreamMail, and others are unstable with MBOX. But EML files work with all these email clients.

  • Browsers and Text Editors Open EML Files

    • EML files are formatted like MHT files. Changing.eml to.mht opens EML files in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera. Microsoft Notepad or another text editor can display EML files. However, browsers and text editors cannot access MBOX files.

    Thunderbird MBOX to EML Conversion?

    There are two ways to convert MBOX files to EML:

  • First, select ‘Save As’ or ‘Save selected messages’.
  • Save chosen MBOX mail messages to EML using any of the following options:
    • How to Use ‘Save As’?
  • Choose Save As from the choices after right-clicking or pressing CTRL + A to select all email messages to export.
  • Select the folder to store the files in the store Message As window and click Save.
  • This stores messages with.eml extensions to the given place by default.
    • Save Selected Message’ Steps:
  • First, right-click a message or press ‘Ctrl + A’ to pick all messages to convert.
  • Second, click Save selected messages, then EML format.
  • Use the ‘Select the destination directory’ box to browse and select the EML file folder, then click Select Folder.
    • 2nd method: Use ‘ImportExportTools’ Add-On

    Mozilla's ImportExportTools NG add-on saves all Thunderbird messages to EML. You may get the tool here. After downloading, follow these steps:

  • Start up Thunderbird.
  • From the main menu, choose Tools, then Add-ons.

    • Note: The menu bar is hidden in Thunderbird versions published after November 2012. If the menu bar is missing, hit ALT.

  • Select ImportExportTool under Featured Add-ons in Add-ons Manager.
  • ImportExportTools NG is added to Thunderbird by clicking Add.
  • The notice ‘Add ImportExportTools NG?’ appears. Click Add.
  • After adding the tool, click Restart Now to restart Thunderbird.
  • Restart Thunderbird & right-click the folder to export.
  • Use ImportExportTools NG to export all folder messages as EML.
  • The ‘Select the target directory’ window appears.
  • Select the folder to save EML files, then click Select Folder.
  • From the selective folder, open the exported folder. To open messages in your preferred program, right-click the messages folder and select Open with.
    • Manual Method Challenges

    Manual tackles work, but they have drawbacks:

  • Access one converted message at a time.
  • It lacks a mailbox hierarchy.
  • The ‘ImportExportTools’ can only export one folder to EML. Exporting all MBOX mail folders with the program might be time-consuming.
    • How Can BLR Tools MBOX Converter Tool Solve these issues?

    BLR Tools MBOX Converter Tool converts MBOX to PST, EML, RTF, HTML, PDF, and others. Users can install this software in any Windows OS. The tool is easy to use to convert MBOX emails to EML. The software supports multiple types of email clients, such as Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail, SeaMonkey, GNU, and many more. The software can export/shift MBOX emails & attachments to EML. This MBOX converter solves manual techniques' problems:

  • Allows simultaneous previewing of transformed messages.
  • Maintain mailbox hierarchy while exporting MBOX mail to EML.
  • All MBOX mail folders are converted to EML in a few stages.
    • Finishing Up

    Thunderbird users convert MBOX files to EML files to read messages in Outlook and other email applications that don't support MBOX format or examine mail contents in browsers or text editors. Manual MBOX to EML conversion methods are covered in this post. Try the BLR Tools MBOX Converter Tool demo if you have trouble using the manual approaches. The program handles all MBOX converting needs. It converts MBOX files from 17 email clients to EML, PST, PDF, etc.