How to Convert MBOX to PST? – Detailed Solutions
Many people prefer emails for professional and sometimes personal communication and MBOX and PST are two renowned file formats used in email exchange. While the MBOX format finds usage with email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird and Apple Mail, PST is a Microsoft Outlook file format used for offline data accessibility.
Many email users wish to move their MBOX file email data to the PST format for various reasons. If you are amongst many email users looking for solutions to convert MBOX to PST, read this blog till the end to know the best solutions for the data conversion process, besides the reasons for doing so.
Why Email Users Want to Export MBOX to PST?
There are many reasons for MBOX to PST file conversion, and the following points mention some of them:
a. Data Security: Email data security is the first and foremost reason for the conversion. PST files offer data security benefits like anti-spam filters, email encryption, and multi-factor authentication (MFA), which makes Outlook the preferred email client for many email users. On the other hand, MBOX files are not safety-wise reliable due to no data encryption, data scalability issues, and malware vulnerability. Hence, it becomes necessary to convert MBOX data file to PST.
b. Advanced Email Management Features: Another reason to convert MBOX to PST is the plethora of features Outlook offers. Outlook provides features like task creation, better email management, calendar blending, and Microsoft Office connectivity. Meanwhile, being a simple email management file deprives MBOX file of any noteworthy features compared to Outlook. Hence, a data conversion process becomes imminent.
c. Email Unification: MS Outlook offers a seamless email account consolidation facility for email users to have their different email accounts (MBOX compatible) under one Outlook account. It leads to simple email arrangement and data access, besides features like search filters to help users find emails based on specific keywords. On the other hand, the lack of built-in search filters and data index features makes MBOX files less acceptable for email usage.
These reasons compel MBOX data users to convert their email data to the PST file format. We will now explore the solutions for the data conversion process, so keep reading!
How to Convert MBOX to PST?
We will now explore the solutions for MBOX to PST file conversion in this section. We will start with the manual method for data conversion, followed by the expert solution.
Manual Data Conversion
There is no direct method to export MBOX to PST in the Outlook app. Hence, we will use the Mozilla Thunderbird app to convert the MBOX file to an Outlook-compatible format such as EML and then upload the EML files to the Outlook account. You must install the ImportExportTools NG add-in on the Thunderbird app before commencing the data conversion.
The following sections mention the entire process into three parts:
Step 1: MBOX to EML Data Conversion
1. Open the Mozilla Thunderbird app on your computer.
2. Next, go to the MBOX data folder and right-click on it.
3. Select the ImportExportTools NG menu, and click on the Export All Messages in Folder option.
4. Now, select the EML Message Format option.
5. Choose your preferred data conversion option – Messages and HTML Index or Messages and Index with Subfolders.
6. Select the location for the resultant EML files and click the Select Folder button to start the conversion process.
Step 2: Upload EML Files to Outlook
1. Open the Microsoft Outlook app on your computer/laptop.
2. Create a new folder in your inbox and name it “MBOX data.”
3. Now, open the folder having the saved EML files.
4. Select them using the Ctrl + A key combination and use the Drag & Drop method to upload them to the new folder.
Step 3: Export the MBOX (EML) Files to PST
1. In Outlook, go to the File menu and select the Import/Export option under the Open and Export section.
2. Now, select the Export to a File option under the Import/Export Wizard and select Outlook Data File(.pst).
3. Select the “MBOX Data” folder and click the Next button.
4. Click the Browse button to select the location for the resultant PST file.
5. Finally, convert MBOX to PST by clicking the Finish button.
The process to export MBOX to PST manually looks achievable, but presents many limitations. The first is the time taken for the entire process due to multiple steps involved in the data conversion. Another drawback is the possibility of data alteration, which can even lead to data loss. The third drawback is the lack of multiple data conversion, and the fourth one is the technical expertise required to perform this entire manual process. Hence, the manual method becomes avoidable. We will mention the best solution for MBOX to PST file conversion in the following section.
Expert Method to Convert MBOX Data File to PST
The manual solution’s limitations restrict its usage to convert MBOX to PST. Hence, we will explore the perfect method for data conversion – automated software. The software we discuss here brings many benefits for a seamless MBOX data file to PST export. This software is SysTools MBOX Converter Tool. You can export multiple MBOX files to PST without data loss problems and intact data structure. Moreover, this software retains all MBOX file attributes – email headers, HTML formatting, etc – and supports all Windows OS and Outlook editions.
How to Export MBOX Data to PST Using the Software?
1. Install and run the software on your Windows system.
2. Next, click Add File to add one or multiple MBOX files.
3. Now, choose either Default Profile Configured or Select File(s)/Folder from the File System to add the file(s).
4. You can preview your MBOX file hierarchy in the preview panel on the left.
5. Then, click on Export or Export Selected to convert MBOX to PST totally or selectively.
6. Now choose PST as the export format.
7. Click the Advanced Settings button to use the PST Split and Date Range filters.
8. Next, select your preferred PST file destination using the Browse button.
9. Check the Maintain Folder Hierarchy and Create Single PST for all MBOX files options.
10. Finally, export MBOX to PST using the Export button.
11. Open the destination folder to view the converted PST file(s).
12. Add the converted PST file(s) to your Outlook account.
Note: Use the demo version and export twenty-five MBOX items per folder to the PST format to test the software’s working. Buy the full version to convert MBOX data file to PST without any limitations.
Conclusion
We discussed the methods and reasons to convert MBOX to PST in this blog post. The reasons mentioned here highlight the necessity for data conversion. The solutions described here are perfect and you can use them for data conversion. However, the limitations of the manual method make it unfeasible for the file export process. Hence, the automated software listed here becomes the best choice to export MBOX to PST with no data loss and intact data structure.
