PST file is a backbone of Microsoft Outlook software. It
serves as the most important data source file of outlook. MBOXs are also the
major data source of some renowned email clients like Gmail, Thunderbird and
Apple Mail. These two are two popular choices, each with its own format for
managing emails. Outlook uses the PST (Personal Storage Table) format to store
emails, contacts, and other data, while MBOX is a widely used open-source
format compatible with numerous email applications.
These two formats pose high demands for interchange with each
other. Reasons may include switching email clients, ensuring cross-platform
compatibility or wide usability. While MBOX and PST are very different formats
from their core, exporting data from Outlook to an MBOX file requires specific
steps and tools. This guide explores the process, tools, and best practices to
successfully convert PST files to MBOX format, ensuring seamless data migration
without loss or corruption.
What is a PST and MBOX File?
PST a.k.a. Personal Storage Table is a file type
used by Microsoft Outlook to save it’s information like Emails, Contacts,
Calendars, Tasks, Schedules etc. This file type is only used by Microsoft
Outlook for POP accounts. PST files are stored locally on a user's computer and
are commonly used for archiving or backing up email data.
MBOX is a
trimmed form of Mail Box, which is a
standard file format used to store email messages in a single text file. It
organizes emails in such a format that every message comes after the preceeding
one. MBOX is widely supported by open-source and cross-platform email clients,
such as Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Gmail.
Why
convert PST to MBOX?
There are several advantages to converting PST to MBOX. The rising usage and demand of webmails has made people realize that MBOX are more versatile and widely used format across multiple platforms. Thus, converting PST to MBOX is a question which has to be answered.
MBOX is a widely used format, used across multiple platforms like Gmail, Thunderbird and Apple Mail. While PST is a domestic file of Microsoft Outlook which cannot be used by any other platform.
MBOX serves in open-source platforms which are exclusively for providing email services. However, Outlook is more than just an emailing service provider. It is a corporate software that provides services like calendaring, organizing tasks and schedules and much more. Therefore, PST files would be much more heavier and complex to manage than MBOX.
MBOX files have simpler file structure in which it stores mails in simple plain text format. Therefore, they can easy to interpret while PST files stores data in complex binary structure which cannot be understood without use of a software.
Thus, we saw that MBOX is more flexible to fit in solutions of
most of the arguement, while PST can’t be
seen fit for that.
Ways to Convert PST files to MBOX
There are multiple ways to do the conversion, but they can be
broadly classified into two main categories, Manual and Automated. While manual
ways focus on taking advantage of the tools given in the email software itself,
automated ways focus on the use of other tools to quickly complete the process.
Manual
Method: Using Google takeout
The concept is to first import PST files in Gmail account,
then use Google Takeout to export the imported emails to MBOX.
Step 1: Enable IMAP in Gmail account.
Step 2: Go to Outlook and configure Gmail account in it.
Step 3: Make a folder in outlook and import.
Step 4: Open the Gmail account and find pst emails.
Step 5: Now, go to Google Takeout. In the ‘’Select data to
include”, first click on Deselect all and then check Gmail.
Step 6: Click the down arrow next to "Mail" and
choose specific labels (or leave it to export everything).
Step 7: Choose the file type (.zip or .tgz) and size. Click
Next.
Step 8: Click Create
Export. This process might take several hours or days,
depending on the size of your Gmail data.
Step 9: When the export is ready, you’ll receive an email with
a download link. Download the archive, which contains the Gmail data in MBOX format.
This is how you can use the manual method to convert PST file
to MBOX via Google Takeout. But the thing to notice here is, this manual method
is very lengthy and complex. Would a person not having any technical knowledge
be able to do the process easily? Another point is that there is a huge risk of
the process going wrong as any minor mistake would lead to incomplete data
transfer.
To avoid any chance of failure, an automated method is used.
We will use a PST Converter Tool which will easily convert PST file to MBOX
without any worries of configuration or other issues.
Automated
Method: Using a PST Converter Software
Using a PST converter software, we can convert PST files to MBOX very easily in a few
steps. Let’s see how.
Step 1: Open the Webbyacad PST Converter Software. Click on
“Add Files” to add your PST file to the software.
Step 2: Double click on the Inbox to preview the emails. You
can select the emails if you want to convert only selective emails. Otherwise
click on next.
Step 3: Select the MBOX option from the Select import Option.
You can also apply filters for filtering out emails by date. Enter the Saving Path
if you want your MBOX file to save MBOX file at any location. Click Next to
proceed.
Step 4: Your conversion process will start. Once it’s
complete, you will be notified by a message. You can check the MBOX files by
navigating to the location which you entered. Your mails will be saved in
Inbox.mbx file within Inbox folder.
Conclusion
Manually converting PST to MBOX, via Gmail and Google Takeout,
is free but time-consuming and requires technical steps. Using a PST converter
tool is faster, user-friendly, and minimizes errors. While the PST converter
software may be chargeable, they are ideal for bulk conversions or when time
and simplicity are priorities.
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