MBOX and PST are two common file formats for email exchange, and emails are used extensively for business and occasionally for personal communication. Although email clients like Apple Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird use the MBOX format, Microsoft Outlook PST files are used to save data offline.

Download Now

Many email users wish to convert the email data from MBOX files to PST format for various reasons. Read this article through to the very end if you're among the many email users looking for information on how to convert MBOX to PST. You'll discover not only why you should, but also the most effective techniques to finish the data conversion procedure.

Why Do Email Users Want to Export MBOX to PST?

Conversion of MBOX to PST files can happen for a number of reasons, some of which are mentioned below:

1. Data protection: The main motivation behind the change is the protection of email data. Many users choose Outlook over other email clients because PST files come with data security features including multi-factor authentication (MFA), email encryption, and anti-spam filters. Nevertheless, MBOX files are not a reliable source of security as they lack data encryption, have issues with data scalability, and are prone to viruses. Consequently, there is a requirement to convert MBOX data files to PST.

2. Advanced Email Management features: Converting MBOX files to PST is also justified by Outlook's rich feature set. Outlook's features include task creation, improved email management, calendar integration, and interoperability with Microsoft Office. As of right now, MBOX files are only email management files, therefore they don't have any significant features above Outlook. As such, the process of data conversion is unavoidable.

3. Email Unification: Users of Microsoft Outlook may effortlessly merge several email accounts (that are MBOX-compatible) into a single Outlook account. Email organisation and data access are made simple, and users may identify emails based on specific keywords thanks to tools like search filters. MBOX files don't have built-in search filters or data indexing, therefore they're not as helpful for email usage.

For these reasons, users whose email data is in MBOX format must convert it to PST format. Read on as we look at the solutions for the data conversion process!

How Do I Transform MBOX Files into PST?

The methods for converting MBOX to PST files will now be looked at in this section. The professional alternative will be discussed when we have completed the manual data conversion process.

Data Conversion by Hand

An easy method to export MBOX files to PST is not provided by the Outlook program. The Mozilla Thunderbird client will thus be used to convert the MBOX file to an Outlook-compatible format (such as EML), and the EML files will then be uploaded to the Outlook account. Installing the ImportExportTools NG add-in for Thunderbird is a prerequisite before beginning the data conversion.

In the following parts, the entire process is broken down into three steps:

Step 1: Data Conversion from MBOX to EML

1. First, open Mozilla Thunderbird on your computer.
2. After that, find the MBOX data folder and give it a right-click.
3. Select ImportExportTools NG from the menu, then click "Export All Messages in Folder."
4. Select EML Message Format at this time.
5. Choose between Messages and HTML Index and Messages and Index with Subfolders as your preferred data conversion option.
6. Click the Select Folder button to start the conversion process after selecting the location for the created EML files.

Step 2: Launch Outlook and Add Files (EML)

1. Open the Microsoft Outlook program on your desktop or laptop.
2. Create a new folder in your inbox named "MBOX data".
3. Select the folder from where you stored the EML files.
4. After using the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut to select them, drag and drop them into the newly created folder.

Step 3 Export the files to PST from MBOX (EML).

1. In Outlook, select the Import/Export option from the File menu under the Open and Export section.
2. Next, select Export to a File under the Import/Export Wizard and select Outlook Data File (.pst).
3. Select the "MBOX Data" folder and then click the Next button.
4. Click the Browse option to select the location for the produced PST file.
5. To finish converting MBOX files to PST, click the Finish button.

There are a few disadvantages even if manually converting MBOX files to PST seems like a workable method. The initial factor is the overall duration of the operation, as data conversion involves many steps. Data tampering also has the drawback of potentially resulting in data loss. The third drawback is that different data sets cannot be converted; the fourth is that completing this entire manual process requires specialised knowledge. Thus, it is possible to avoid employing the manual method. We'll talk about the best way to convert MBOX to PST files in the section that follows.

Using an Expert Method to Convert MBOX Data Files to PST

The manual technique cannot convert MBOX to PST because of its flaws.So, as the best method for converting data, we will look at automated software. There are several benefits to using the application we will discuss here for a simple MBOX data file to PST export. It is referred to as the MBOX to PST Converter Tool. It is possible to convert several MBOX files to PST without worrying about data loss or maintaining the data structure. It also preserves all MBOX file attributes, including email headers and HTML layout, and works with every version of Outlook and Windows OS.

How Can MBOX Data Be Exported to PST Using the Software?

1. First, obtain the MBOX to PST Converter.
2. Use the browse option to choose files straight from MBOX.
3. After seeing the emails in the MBOX, choose the ones you want to export.
4. When Convert to PST format is selected, click Create or Open PST File.
5. Select Browse and enter the location of the PST file to be stored.
6. To start the conversion process, click "Convert Now.".

Conclusion

The steps and explanations for converting MBOX to PST were discussed in this blog post. The arguments put out here highlight the significance of data conversion. For data conversion, you may make use of the top-notch options offered here. However, the limitations of the manual approach prevent the file export operation from using it. For this reason, the automated tool on this list is the best choice for converting MBOX files to PST while preserving their original structure and preserving no data.