An MBOX file has an archive of e-mails. When you download your Gmail archive from Google Takeout, for instance, you’ll get an MBOX file made up of all your e-mails. Here’s how to view its contents.
Down load Mozilla Thunderbird
Our favored app for opening an MBOX file is the open up-resource Mozilla Thunderbird application. We performed the ways below with Mozilla Thunderbird version 78, which was the present-day model as of January 15, 2021.
To get commenced, download Mozilla Thunderbird and install it. It is out there for Home windows, macOS, and Linux.
Start Thunderbird and Established Up an Account
If you are not currently working with Mozilla Thunderbird, you are going to see a “Set Up Your Current E mail Address” dialog box the to start with time you open it. Click “Cancel” to carry on.
Thunderbird wishes to come to be your default e-mail application. Truly feel free of charge to uncheck “Always accomplish this examine when starting Thunderbird” and click on “Skip Integration” to dismiss this.
Mozilla Thunderbird is a minimal bizarre, and it requires you to set up a area “account” in advance of you can carry on with this system and deliver your MBOX file.
To create an vacant community account, simply click “Feeds” underneath Pick What to Established Up. You can also click menu > New > Feed Account.
Simply click the “Next” button and click on “Finish” to develop the account.
Level Thunderbird at Your MBOX File
You can now have Thunderbird open up and display the contents of your MBOX file.
To get commenced, click on menu > Account Settings.
On the Account Options display, click on “Local Folders.”
Less than Information Storage, click the “Browse” button to the ideal of Neighborhood Directory.
Search to the folder that contains your MBOX file and click “Select Folder.” For case in point, if your MBOX file is located in C:Consumers[Name]DownloadsTakeoutMail, look through to that “Mail” folder and click “Select Folder.”
Thunderbird will tell you it needs to restart. Click “Restart.”
Look through the Contents of Your MBOX File
You can now look at the contents of your MBOX file in Thunderbird. You’ll see the title of the MBOX file underneath “Local Folders” in Thunderbird. Simply click it and you can look through the contents of the MBOX file like you would browse another electronic mail inbox.
Bonus: Get rid of the Feeds Account
By the way, you can now take out that empty “Blogs & Information Feeds” account you developed earlier.
To do so, click on menu > Account Options. Select “Blogs & Information Feeds.” At the base of the window, click on the “Account Actions” box and click on “Remove Accounts.”
Click on “Remove” and then click “OK” to verify your adjust.
Now you can open Thunderbird whenever you want to perspective the contents of your MBOX file. Remember that Thunderbird is pointed at your MBOX file where ever it is on your computer system. So, if you go the MBOX file to another folder, you’ll need to have to go again into Thunderbird’s account configurations and place it at the new area of the MBOX file.