How to Convert PST to MBOX With Automated & Free Methods?

Microsoft Outlook keep mailbox data in PST files but so many email clients like Thunderbird, Apple Mail & SeaMonkey use MBOX format instead of PST file format. If you’re switching from Outlook or need to better cross-platform compatibility, you’ll need to convert PST to MBOX. This blog will guide you easiest ways to convert PST file into MBOX format using both manual & automated solutions.

What is PST File?

PST (Personal Storage Table) file is Microsoft’s proprietary mailbox format used by Microsoft Outlook. It stores emails, contacts, calendars, notes, tasks, journals & other Outlook data in single file. PST files are commonly used for backing up Outlook mailboxes, archiving old emails & migrating Outlook data between computers.

What is MBOX File?

An MBOX file is standard mailbox format supported by many popular email clients, including Thunderbird, Apple Mail, SeaMonkey, Postbox & others. Unlike PST, an MBOX file stores messages in universally supported format, making it easier to migrate emails between different platforms & applications.

Major Reasons Why People Convert PST to MBOX

Some of the key reasons why users convert PST file to MBOX are listed below:

• Cross Platform Compatibility: MBOX is more compatible with Operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, and also supports email clients such as Thunderbird and Apple Mail. Because of this, it becomes a more convenient option for users, and they switch to MBOX.
• Cost and Complexity: Outlook is a paid email client, and some people are overwhelmed due to the complex features of Outlook especially if they want to use it for personal use. This is because users change PST to MBOX.
• Data Backup: The MBOX files are easy to manage and retrieve, so users can simply archive or back up their old emails easily. In addition, it also provides a long-term data storage solution. This is the reason why users convert PST to MBOX.
• Data Loss Prevention: PST is the standard format for Outlook, and they are quite weak. If the PST file gets damaged, the stored emails will be lost. Due to this, people convert PST file to MBOX format.
• Organization Requirements: Some organizations use different email clients in their departments. Due to this, the organization’s employees need to change PST to MBOX.

So, these were the major reasons, which is why users are converting their PST files to MBOX format.

Now, let’s see the manual solution to save PST to MBOX format in the upcoming section.

Change PST to MBOX with Manual Methods

You can convert PST files to MBOX format manually with the three solutions listed below, with their detailed steps.

1st Method: Use of Outlook and Thunderbird

1st Step: Import PST in Outlook

1. First of all, open Outlook on your computer.
2. Go to the “file,” click on “Open & Export,” and choose “Import/Export.”
3. Then, select “import from another program or file,” and click Next.
4. After that, choose “Outlook Data File (.pst),” and click “Next.”
5. Browse the file location and choose the PST file, and click “Next.”
6. Done!

2nd Step: Import Outlook to Thunderbird

1. At first, open the Thunderbird application on the Windows Operating system.
2. Go to the “tool” options from the menu bar and select the import option.
   
3. Choose the “Import from Outlook” option and hit Continue button.
4. Select the items to import and click Continue.
   
5. Click the Start Import button to import your PST files.
   
6. At last, click finish.

3rd Step: Export from Thunderbird

1. Open the Thunderbird application on the Windows Operating system.
2. Go to the “tool” options and select the export option.
3. Afterwards, simply click on the export button.
4. Done! Your converted MBOX file has been exported successfully.

2nd Method: Convert PST to MBOX using Gmail

1st Step: Import PST in Outlook

1. At first, open Outlook on your computer.
2. Now, open “file,” go to the “Open & Export,” and click “Import/Export.”
3. After that, choose the “import from another program or file” option and hit Next.
4. Now, select the “Outlook Data File (.pst)” option, and click “Next.”
5. Lastly, browse the file location and pick the PST file, and hit “Next.”
6. Done!

2nd Step: Configure Gmail Account on Outlook

1. Open Microsoft Outlook on your desktop PC.
2. Next, open “file,” and click on the “add account” button.
3. Write your Gmail account ID and password in Outlook.
4. Finally, click on the connect button to connect your Gmail account to it,
5. Done!

3rd Step: Drag and drop into the folder

1. First of all, open Outlook on your personal computer.
2. Now, create a new folder inside the configured Google account.
3. Simply drag all the emails one by one from your PST folder into a new folder.
4. Done!

4th Step: Use of Google Takeout

1. Firstly, open the Chrome or any other supported browser on your computer.
2. Type Google Takeout in the search bar and open the first result on Google.
   
3. Now, check the mark only mail and click on the next step button.
   
4. Afterwards, set the frequency and file type & size.
   
5. At the end, click on the create export button.
6. Google Takeout will send you a download link for your MBOX files in ZIP format after 24 hours.

3rd Method: Use of Thunderbird

1st Step: Import PST in Microsoft Outlook

1. At first, open Outlook on Windows Operating System.
2. Go on “file” option, choose “Open & Export,” & select “Import/Export.”
3. Select option “import from another program or file,” and click Next.
4. Choose option “Outlook Data File (.pst),” & hit “Next.”
5. Lastly, pick PST file from your local computer folder & hit “Next.”
6. Done!

2nd Step: Add Gmail Account in Outlook

1. Open Outlook on desktop personal computer.
2. Go to “file” option, & choose “add account” button.
3. Next, enter your Gmail ID along with Password.
4. Lastly, hit “connect” button & wait for few minutes to configure it.
5. Done!

3rd Step: Drag PST files in Gmail Account Folder

1. First, open Microsoft Outlook on desktop personal computer.
2. Create “new folder” in configured Gmail account in Outlook.
3. Start dragging all emails from your PST folder into a newly created folder.
4. Done!

4th Step: Configure Gmail Account in Thunderbird

1. At the beginning, open Thunderbird application on your computer.
2. Click on “gear” icon in left panel & go to “account settings”.
3. Click on “New Account” button & choose “mail account” option.
4. Enter your Gmail ID & Password for Thunderbird & configure your account.
5. Done! After this, your account is ready to use in Thunderbird.

5th Step: Installation of Thunderbird Extension

1. Open Thunderbird application on your Windows OS.
2. Click on “gear” icon in left panel.
3. After that, choose “add-ons and themes” option.
4. Search for “ImportExportTools NG,” click on add to Thunderbird button.
5. Done!

6th Step: Convert MBOX from Thunderbird

1. Go to Gmail account & select folders individually.
2. Right-click & choose “ImportExportTools NG” option.
   
3. After that, select “Folder Export (MBOX)” option & choose “as MBOX file.”
   
4. Last, you successfully convert PST to MBOX.

You can convert PST to MBOX by following all the above solutions as per their steps.

The solutions given above have some loopholes, which you need to know before using them.

Limitations of Manual Solution

Below we have mentioned limitations of Manual Methods:

• You need to keep Microsoft Outlook installed on your computer system to perform all three solutions.
• The solution is a lengthy, time-consuming process and not easy for non-tech users.
• Solutions have multiple steps that make process slow, like import>import to Thunderbird> export.
• The attachments, email formatting, and metadata To, Cc, Bcc, and Date are not converted properly.
• If the PST file size is more than 20GB, then the system might hang or crash.
• A strong internet connection is compulsory to sync and upload to Gmail.
• You have to manually drag & drop emails, which takes too much time in case of a large mailbox.
• If your PST file is bigger, you are not able to store it on Gmail.
• Google Takeout sends the export link after 24 hours and sometimes even more time.
• The folder hierarchy of the original PST might be changed during the import to Gmail.
• When your Thunderbird and extension versions mismatch, the error might occur.
• Sometimes the bulk conversion can corrupt the email formatting and attachments of emails.
• If your mailboxes are larger, Thunderbird might slow down or become unresponsive in the middle of the conversion process.

Quick Steps to Convert PST File to MBOX

Here are easy steps to convert PST to MBOX:

1. Download & open the automatic application on your Windows PC and click Next.
   
2. Choose the option “convert configured Outlook mailbox data” option and hit next.
   
3. Check the required mailbox folders that you want in MBOX format from the panel.
   
4. After that, click next and choose MBOX as a saving option.
   
5. Select the “destination path” for the converted MBOX files.
   
6. Finally, click on the “Convert” button to start the conversion into MBOX format.
   

FAQ

Q1. Does Outlook support MBOX?

Ans: No, Outlook doesn’t support MBOX files, but Microsoft Outlook supports other file formats such as PST, OST, and MSG formats.

Q2. What is an MBOX file?

Ans: An MBOX file is a regular way to keep messages. It keeps all the info related to messages you saved, which includes messages and attached files.

Q3. Can Outlook export MBOX file format?

Ans: The answer to this question is No. Outlook does not export MBOX format. But you can export your data into MBOX format with use of given above manual solutions

Q4. What is the difference between PST and MBOX?

Ans: The MBOX format stores a complete mailbox of a user’s email account, which helps users to keep their mail safe from future loss. On the other hand, the PST file stores only Outlook emails, which are not accessible in all other types of email clients.

Q5. Does Gmail use MBOX?
Ans:  The answer to this question is No. Gmail doesn’t use MBOX format, but it allows users to export their Gmail emails into MBOX format with the use of the Google Takeout Tool.

Final Thoughts

In this blog post, we discussed how to convert PST to MBOX easily and securely, with and without Outlook. We have covered all the main reasons why users want to change PST to MBOX. We have found that users are switching from PST to MBOX to reduce costs, keep data backups, and others.

We tested three manual solutions to save PST to MBOX. After testing all three solutions we found some loopholes in the solutions, such as being time-consuming, risky, not useful for batch PST files, and lastly, not easy for non-tech users. On the other side, the automatic solutions did the conversion of PST to MBOX easily, quickly & safely without losing data integrity and attachments of any single email inside the PST file.

Additionally, we also given the answer of users’ frequently asked questions on the internet. So, as per our opinion, the easy and secure solution to convert PST to MBOX is the use of an automatic method. Now it is totally up to you which solution you are going to choose for your PST to MBOX conversion.