How to Export Office 365 to MBOX Format? 2026 Guide

Quick Answer: If you’re looking to export Office 365 mailbox to MBOX files, you can either use Thunderbird email client or an automated tool that eases the entire process. Using the manual method, you need to set up your Office 365 account in Thunderbird first and then use it to drag the emails to your local drive and save them in MBOX format using the tool ImportExportTools NG. The manual process is tedious and doesn’t support bulk export Office 365 to MBOX, hence, the best option is to use a dedicated tool by RecoveryTools.

To manage your emails, Microsoft Office 365 is a better option. But what if you want to store your mailboxes in a local drive or you are required to put your data in other email clients? The MBOX file will be a great help. So, in this article, we will provide you with different methods to export Office 365 mailbox to MBOX file.

Overview of Office 365 and MBOX file

You know Office 365 is a very popular cloud-based suite. Many businesses use this suite to improve their productivity, collaboration, and communication. Here, you will get various Microsoft applications based on the plans you choose. But for a basic subscription you get Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, then the Teams application.

Whereas, MBOX file is a file extension that stores a group of emails. It is a flexible file format because it is accessible on any platform, including Windows, Mac and Unix systems. Most email clients support these file formats. That’s why some users want to download their Office 365 emails in the MBOX file format.

From the above query, you can see why the users want to export their Microsoft 365 mailbox. To know more about this, below we have provided you reasons to save your emails in MBOX format.

Read Here: How to Export Exchange Server Emails to MBOX Format?

Why Export Office 365 to MBOX?

• Cross-Platform Compatibility: By exporting your Office 365 data to MBOX file, you can easily access your emails in MBOX supported email clients like Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or Eudora.
• Offline Backup & Archiving: Secure long-term email archiving to ensure you have a local copy of your data offline.
• The file can be opened on any platform and application, even in Notepad.
• Cost Savings: If you are thinking of closing your subscription to avoid licensing fees, then MBOX format is a secure way to migrate your data.
• Some users export Office 365 mailboxes to MBOX to move to Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and other email services that support MBOX files.

Hence, exporting your emails and saving it in the MBOX file provides you with many benefits. Now, let’s see the solutions that you can use to save your mailbox.

Method 1: The Free Manual Method (Using Thunderbird)

Microsoft 365 doesn’t come with a direct one-click approach for exporting Office 365 mailboxes to the MBOX format. But, with the help of a free desktop email application like Thunderbird, you can manually export your emails in MBOX format by connecting Office 365 account via IMAP.

1. Launch Thunderbird on your PC and head to the Tools > Account Settings in the menu.
2. Click on Account Actions option and, thereafter, click on the Add Mail Account option.
3. Type in your email address linked to your Office 365 account along with your name and password for configuring the account using IMAP/OAuth, and click Continue.
4. Once synchronization is done, right-click on your account name in the left panel, select New Folder option, and name it “Office 365 Data”.
5. Select folders or emails you want to export from your Office 365 account and drag & drop them to the newly created local folder.
6. Hit Right click on local folder and click on Export option (Note: This option will only work if you have the free ImportExportTools NG extension installed in Thunderbird).
7. Choose the hard drive destination to save the files in the MBOX format.

Drawbacks of the Manual Method

Using Thunderbird to export Office 365 mailbox to MBOX is a free method, but it is not recommended for businesses having large mailboxes due to several limitations:

• Highly Time-Consuming: Users need to drag and drop the Office 365 folder one by one, which is a time-consuming process, especially for large data.
• No Bulk Export: You cannot export multiple Office 365 accounts to MBOX format.
• Risk of Data Loss: Manual process does not guarantee preserving attachments, original folder hierarchy, and formatting.
• Requires Technical Efforts: Configuring the account to export Office 365 to MBOX requires technical expertise which can be difficult for non-technical users.

How to Export Office 365 to MBOX Using the Easy Tool?

1. First of all, download and install the right version of this application on your computer.
2. Now, enter your Office 365 user account details in the interface. You can also log in securely with an Office 365 account via OAuth.
   
3. After this, the software analyzes the Microsoft 365 folders. Select the specific mailboxes, folders, or subfolders you want to extract.
   
4. Choose the MBOX file from the list of saving options.
   
5. Set the destination location path to save your exported Office 365 MBOX files.
   
6. Apply any optional filters (like date ranges), and press the Backup button to start the conversion.

Highlighted Features for Professional Tool

• The software easily backs up your entire Office 365 mailbox to MBOX while maintaining the folder hierarchy.
• You can use advanced filter options to export selected data (e.g., date ranges, skipping duplicates).
• The tool is available for both Windows and Mac OS versions.

Read More: How to Import MBOX to Office 365? For your data restoration needs.

In Conclusion

Exporting Microsoft 365 emails to MBOX format is an effective means of keeping your emails stored on your local system, moving from one platform to another, or preventing expenses. We offer you full insight into the issue: an absolutely free method for exporting Microsoft 365 emails to MBOX with the help of the free Thunderbird software and an automated approach using RecoveryTools.

As the manual method has a lot of disadvantages, such as being time-consuming and not allowing to export Office 365 mailboxes to MBOX in bulk, experts seem to be more interested in working with the automated software.