Getting the Job Done: How to Convert MBOX Files to PST Files Like a Pro

6 min readMay 13, 2024

Have you ever been confused by a bunch of MBOX files and wished you could easily add them to your trusty Microsoft Outlook? You’re not by yourself! This guide gives you the courage to confidently move your emails from MBOX to PST.

Before we start, let’s take a look at the main points:

Many email apps, such as Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Google Takeout (for exporting mail), use the MBOX file format.
Each email letter is saved in its own file, which is in plain text.
If you want to keep emails, calendars, contacts, and other data in Microsoft Outlook, you can use the PST file format.

Why Change MBOX to PST?

There are a few reasons you might need to change MBOX files to PST:

Switching Email Clients: If you want to use Microsoft Outlook instead of an MBOX-based email client, you need to change your emails so that they work with both.
Archiving Emails: Maybe you want to save old emails from an old email program in a format that Outlook can easily read.
Consolidation: You may have MBOX files from different places and want to combine them into a single, well-organized PST file in Outlook.

Getting ready for the conversion:

To begin, you will need these things:

MBOX files you have: Find the MBOX files that you want to change. These could be kept in the default place of the email client you used before or wherever you saved them after downloading them.

Conversion Tool: To change from MBOX to PST, you have two main choices:

Dedicated MBOX to PST Converter Software: There is a lot of third-party software that can convert MBOX files to PST files. These usually come with extra features like the ability to filter emails, keep folder structures, and deal with files.
Microsoft Outlook (Some Features Limited): Outlook does not offer a complete answer, but it does allow you to import some MBOX files (more on this later).
A Place to Put Your Converted PST File: Pick a place to save the converted PST file. If possible, pick a place in your file system that is easy to get to.

Methods of Conversion: Now, let’s look at the two main ways to convert MBOX to PST:

First method: Use special software to convert MBOX files to PST files.

For a reliable and easy-to-use experience, you should use specialized MBOX to PST converter software. Some software may have different exact steps, but here’s a rough outline of the process:

Start up the converter software: To use your chosen MBOX converter tool, open it.
Pick out MBOX files: Find where your MBOX files are saved and pick out the ones you want to change. Some software lets you choose many files at once to convert.
Pick a destination and a conversion method: Choose the folder where you want to save the changed PST file. A lot of apps have advanced features that let you do things like keep folder structures, deal with attachments, and sort emails by date or sender.
Start the conversion: We can now begin the change. Most of the time, the software will show progress bars and expected completion times.
Import PST into Outlook (Not Required): After the conversion is done, you can easily view your emails by importing the new PST file into Microsoft Outlook.

Method 2: Use Microsoft Outlook (Some Features Are Limited)

Outlook has a basic MBOX import feature, but it’s not as complete as dedicated software. Keep in mind that this method has some flaws, but here’s how to use it:

Start up Microsoft Outlook: Start up the Outlook app on your machine.
To import, go to Import: Once you’re on the “File” tab, click “Open & Export” and then “Import/Export.”
Pick the Import option: Pick “Import from another program or file” in the Import/Export Wizard window and hit “Next.”
Choose the type of file: Pick “Outlook Data File (.pst)” and press “Next.”
Look for MBOX files: Find where your MBOX files are stored and pick them. Press “Next.”
You can choose a destination folder here if you want to move your emails into a certain folder in your Outlook mailbox. If you don’t, Outlook will make a new folder for the received emails. Press “Next.”
Options for importing (limited): Unfortunately, Outlook’s import feature doesn’t give you many choices. You can make a duplicate folder arrangement or not, but you can’t do things like filter or deal with attachments.
Check that what you chose is correct, then click “Finish.”

Important Things to Think About:

Software Choice: Do some study on reputable options when picking dedicated converter software, and think about things like features, user.

Size and Quantity of MBOX Files: The conversion time can be significantly impacted by the quantity and dimensions of your MBOX files. Depending on the volume of emails requiring conversion, the process may require a considerable amount of time. This is particularly true if you are utilizing limited-featured gratis software.

Folder Structure & Attachments: When converting MBOX to PST, specialized software frequently retains the folder structure and attachments from the MBOX files exceptionally well. This makes it simple to locate and organize your communications in Outlook. Additionally, the majority of software converts files automatically, ensuring that they are transmitted without incident.

Data Integrity: Ensuring the accuracy of your communications is critical during the transfer process. Select reliable software that has established a strong reputation for safeguarding your information. Additionally, just in case, you may wish to create a backup of your MBOX files prior to beginning the conversion procedure.

Beyond the Fundamentals: More Sophisticated Approaches to Conversion

If you desire greater control over the conversion procedure, specialized MBOX to PST converter software provides the following advanced features:

Selective Conversion: Do you require the conversion of a specific subset of your emails only? Numerous applications allow you to sort emails by keywords, sender, recipient, or date range in order to find the specific message you seek.

Multitude Elimination: Are you concerned that multiple emails will remain in your inbox following the conversion? Certain tools are capable of locating and removing duplicates from PST files, leaving behind pristine, well-organized documents.

Utilizing a passphrase to lock: Password-protected MBOX files can be decrypted automatically by certain converter applications, thereby eliminating the need for an additional conversion phase.

Have an extensive collection of MBOX files that require conversion? Absolutely not a problem! Saving time, bulk conversion allows you to modify multiple MBOX files simultaneously.

Remaining Touches: Incorporating a PST file into Outlook

Once the MBOX files have been appropriately converted to PST format, they can be imported into the Outlook environment. Please have a brief examination of this:

Commence using Microsoft Outlook: Launch the Outlook application.
To access File: Select the “File” icon.
“Open & Export” : Select “Open and Export” from the menu.
Incorporate a File: Select “Open Outlook Data File” from the resulting menu.
Locate the PST document: Locate and select the PST file that was created during the transfer. Select “Open.”

You now have it! Your updated emails should now be visible in your Outlook inbox. The folder structure and ability to access emails remain intact in the event that it was preserved throughout the conversion process.

To conclude:

Changing MBOX files to PST files need not be a difficult task. By selecting the appropriate tools, understanding the process, and adhering to these guidelines, one can ensure a seamless transition for their email correspondence.

Acquiring the knowledge necessary to convert MBOX files to PST files will enhance your ability to manage emails in Microsoft Outlook with greater efficiency, be it when you are merging data, archiving old messages, or transitioning email clients.