How to Import MBOX to Gmail — Complete Solutions

Gmail is the world’s largest email client, with around 40 per cent user base. Features like spam filtration make Gmail the best email client for current and future users. On the other hand, MBOX is an email storage format containing many emails in a single plain text file supported by text editors like Microsoft Notepad and email clients like Outlook and Thunderbird. We will discuss the reasons and solutions to import MBOX to Gmail in this blog, so keep reading it to the end!

Reasons for Importing MBOX Files to Gmail

There are many reasons for importing the MBOX files to Gmail, and we will discuss some of them in the following points:

1. Email Migration: If you’re switching from a different email service or client (e.g., Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Outlook), your old emails get stored in MBOX format. Importing them into Gmail ensures you have access to your historical emails in one place.
2. Easy Email Backup: Another reason for importing MBOX file(s) to Gmail is the simple backup facility. Storing email in a single, web-based service like Gmail can be more secure and easily accessible than local MBOX files. By importing MBOX files into Gmail, you create a backup in the cloud, reducing the risk of data loss if your local storage becomes corrupted.
3. Smooth Email Accessibility: The third reason to import MBOX to Gmail is simple email accessibility. Importing MBOX files into Gmail lets you access your emails anywhere from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
4. Central Email Management: Gmail offers a user-friendly and consolidated platform for managing all your email accounts in one place. Importing MBOX files allows you to consolidate your email data within Gmail.
5. Integration with Google Services: Gmail seamlessly integrates with other Google services like Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts, offering a unified experience for productivity and communication.

These reasons highlight the importance of having emails stored in MBOX format imported to Gmail. We will now discuss the solutions for the import process, so keep reading!

Also Read: Import old email account to Gmail

Import MBOX to Gmail Manually

The best method to manually import MBOX file(s) to Gmail is using the Thunderbird email client on your desktop. The following steps describe the process of adding an MBOX file to your Gmail account using Thunderbird:

1. Add your Gmail account to Thunderbird with IMAP settings.
2. Create a new folder in your Gmail account for importing the MBOX file.
3. Go to the Account Settings by right-clicking on your Gmail account and select the location of your Gmail profile under the Server Settings option.
4. Copy the profile location from the Local Directory box and open it using the Run command.
5. Locate the MBOX file and move it to the new Thunderbird folder.
6. Close the Thunderbird app and restart it to view the MBOX email(s) listed in the folder you made.

This method to import MBOX to Gmail is lengthy and takes time for MBOX email(s) to get listed in your Gmail account.

Import MBOX File(s) to Gmail Professionally

Since the manual method for importing MBOX file(s) is lengthy and time-consuming, we will discuss the perfect solution for the import process. The automated software we explore here is the best answer for importing MBOX file(s) to Gmail without data loss. This software is the Corbett Email Backup Tool.

Salient Characteristics of the Software

This software has many features, and we will discuss some of them in the following points:

1. Data Integrity Maintained: The software ensures intact data transfer when you import MBOX to Gmail. All the emails and other data stay unharmed during the import process.
2. Robust Data Filters: This software has many filters for selecting limited MBOX file emails for Gmail migration. You can migrate emails based on factors like Subject, Attachment Size, Sender, etc.
3. Document Format Email Saving: Apart from sending MBOX file(s) to Gmail easily, this software can download your emails in MBOX format in document formats like PDF and TXT for local storage.
4. Email Server Auto-Detection: The software can automatically detect the server address and port number of all email clients.

Import MBOX Files to Gmail — Software Usage

The following points describe the process to import MBOX to Gmail using the software:

1. Download and install the software on your Windows computer.
2. Select the Open menu and click MBOX Files under Email Data Files. Click Choose Files or Choose Folders to add the MBOX file(s) to the software.
3. Click Export and select Gmail under the Email Services option.
4. Enter your Gmail account details and click the Save button to begin the import process.

Note: Try the demo version to import ten MBOX file emails to Gmail and evaluate the software’s performance before purchasing the full version. You will get all the features in the trial version mentioned in the previous section.

Conclusion

We discussed the solutions to import MBOX to Gmail in this blog. We also explored the reasons that necessitate this import process. The solutions described in the blog are perfect for importing MBOX file(s) to your Gmail account. However, the time and complexity involved with the manual method make it the less preferred choice.

The automated software mentioned here is the perfect answer for importing MBOX file(s) to Gmail without data loss, ensuring complete email structure integrity.