# Exporting an Apple Mail mailbox as mbox ## What you are going to do Apple Mail (the default email app on your Mac) has a built-in feature that saves an entire mailbox to a single file in one go. That file uses the **mbox** format: a widely used, open format that stores all the emails from a folder one after another inside a text file. This gives you a copy of your messages that you can always read back later, even without Apple Mail. In this article we show you how to export a mailbox in Apple Mail, where the file ends up, and what to watch out for with very large mailboxes. After that you open the result locally in Mbox Viewer so you can check it right away. ## Why an mbox export is useful An mbox export comes in handy in many situations. A few examples: - You want to archive old emails and then remove them from your mailbox to free up space. - You are switching to a different email program and want to bring your messages along. - You need emails as evidence or for your records and want to secure a fixed copy. - You want a backup that is separate from your email account, in case something goes wrong online. The nice thing about mbox is that it is an open format. You are not tied to a single vendor: the file is still readable years later with all kinds of programs, including Mbox Viewer. ## Exporting the mailbox :::howto title="Export a mailbox in Apple Mail" 1. Open Apple Mail on your Mac. 2. Look at the sidebar on the left for your folders (mailboxes). Click the mailbox you want to save, for example Inbox, Sent, or a folder of your own. 3. Click Mailbox in the menu bar at the top of the screen. 4. Choose Export Mailbox from that menu. 5. A window appears where you pick a destination folder. Select your Desktop or Documents folder, for example, so you can find the file again easily. 6. Click Choose to start the export. 7. Wait until Apple Mail finishes. With large folders this can take a while, so let it do its work calmly. ::: :::tip title="Several folders at once" Want to save more than one folder? Hold the Command key and click multiple mailboxes before choosing Export Mailbox. Apple Mail then exports each folder as its own mbox. ::: ## Where does the file end up? Apple Mail does not drop the export as a single loose file, but as a **folder** named after your mailbox with the suffix .mbox, for example Inbox.mbox. In the Finder this looks like an ordinary folder. Inside that .mbox folder is the actual message file. It is often simply called mbox (without an extra extension) and sometimes sits one level deeper. That is normal: this is how Apple Mail stores it. Mbox Viewer recognizes this file without you having to convert anything. :::info title="Checking in the Finder" Cannot find the folder? Open the Finder, press Command+Shift+G, and type the path of the destination folder you chose (your Desktop, for example). You will recognize the export by the name ending in .mbox. ::: ## Watch out with very large mailboxes :::warn title="A known pitfall with large folders" With mailboxes that hold a great many messages (think tens of thousands of emails or several gigabytes), the Apple Mail export can take a long time or appear to freeze. Sometimes the export stops without a clear message, or the result is missing part of the messages. What helps: split a large folder into smaller pieces and export those separately. For example, create subfolders per year and move the messages into them, or select a smaller mailbox each time. After every export, check that the message count is correct before you delete the original. ::: :::tip title="Copy first, tidy up later" Only delete original emails after you have opened and checked the export. That way you are certain your copy is complete and readable before you throw anything away. ::: ## Reviewing the result locally After the export you will want to check the file right away. You do that with Mbox Viewer by Cloud Captains, a Chrome extension that opens mbox files. Everything happens **locally on your own device**: nothing is uploaded, there are no servers and no tracking. Your emails stay yours. :::howto title="Open the export in Mbox Viewer" 1. Open Mbox Viewer in Chrome. You can find more information and the installation at https://mbox-viewer.online 2. In the Finder, locate the exported .mbox folder (Inbox.mbox, for example). 3. Drag the folder or the mbox file into the Mbox Viewer window (drag and drop). 4. Wait while the messages are read in. On the left you see the list of emails, on the right the opened message, just like in Gmail or Thunderbird. 5. Click a message and view it in the Preview tab. Check that the content and the number of messages match what you expected. ::: :::info title="Privacy by design" Mbox Viewer keeps your opened emails in a database on your own computer (IndexedDB) and sends nothing to the internet. External images in emails are blocked by default, so hidden tracking pixels cannot follow you. Want a clean slate later? You can do that through Settings, Clear database. ::: ## In summary With Export Mailbox you create an mbox copy of a mailbox in Apple Mail in just a few clicks. The file ends up as an .mbox folder in the location you choose. For very large folders it is best to break the export into smaller parts and verify the result. After that you open it locally and privately in Mbox Viewer to be sure everything is complete. :::faq ### Where is Export Mailbox in Apple Mail? You find the option in the menu bar at the top of the screen under Mailbox. First select the folder you want to save in the sidebar, then click Mailbox and choose Export Mailbox. ### Is an mbox export a single file or a folder? Apple Mail creates a folder named after your mailbox with the .mbox suffix, for example Sent.mbox. Inside that folder is the actual message file. This is normal, and Mbox Viewer reads it without any trouble. ### My large mailbox freezes during the export. What now? With a great many messages the export can become slow or stop. Split the folder into smaller parts, such as subfolders per year, and export those separately. After each export, check that the message count is correct before you delete the original. ### Are my emails uploaded anywhere when I view them in Mbox Viewer? No. Mbox Viewer works entirely locally on your own device. Your emails are not uploaded, there are no servers and no telemetry. Everything stays in a database on your computer, which you can clear through Settings. ### Can I move back to Apple Mail later with an mbox file? Yes. Apple Mail can import mbox files again through File, Import Mailboxes. That keeps your export usable in the future, whether you use Apple Mail or another program. :::