How to Export Gmail Emails to MBOX File Stepwise? A Quick Guide

Chirag Arora ~ Modified: December 2nd, 2022 ~ Gmail ~ 3 Minutes Reading

Export Gmail Emails to MBOX

Query: I want to import my Gmail account emails into Mozilla Thunderbird. I know that Gmail exports its data in the MBOX format and Thunderbird supports MBOX file. However, I don’t know the exact procedure of exporting Gmail emails to MBOX file. So, how Can I transfer my Gmail emails to the required format?

Recommended Solution: There are two solutions for exporting Gmail account emails to MBOX file format. The first is by using SysTools Gmail Backup Tool and the second is through Google Takeaway or Takeout.

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Solution 1: Export Gmail Emails to MBOX by Software Solution

Solution 2: Transfer Emails from Gmail to MBOX Using Google Takeaway

Let’s discuss both these methods one by one.

Solution 1: Software to Export Gmail Emails to MBOX File

Perform the following steps to transfer Gmail account data to MBOX format:

Step 1: First download and run the Backup tool
Step 2: Enter your credentials and login to your Gmail email account

Step 3: Select the MBOX file format option from the Select E-mail Format pane

Export Gmail emails to MBOX file

Step 4: Select Email, Contacts, Calendar, and Document items to export from Gmail account to MBOX

Select Mailbox Items

Note: If you want to transfer only Gmail emails to MBOX, then select Email option only.

Step 5: Browse the location where you wish to save the export data

Browse

Step 6: Click on Apply Filter to transfer only selective Gmail data to the MBOX file

Apply Filter

Step 7: Under Select Folders, you can choose which Gmail folder you want to export to MBOX format
Step 8: Go to Email Filter section, and select the time-interval to export only selective Gmail emails to MBOX

Select Export Gmail Emails to MBOX

Step 9: Click the Start button to execute Gmail to MBOX conversion process. You can view the live progress report of the conversion process on your system’s screen.

Start

The Download completed successfully message appears after the completion of the conversion process.

Transfer Gmail emails to MBOX

You can check that all your Gmail data has been saved in separate folders like emails, calendars, contacts, and documents at your selected location.

Exported Gmail Data to MBOX

Now, import the resultant MBOX file to Mozilla Thunderbird.

Solution 2: Transfer Gmail Data to MBOX Using Free Google Takeaway

This Google Takeaway or Takeout (https://takeout.google.com/settings/takeout) is a free solution to export Gmail emails to MBOX file. In this solution, you have to sign in your Gmail account from which you want to download Gmail emails to computer.

Final Words

Here, we have read about two solutions to export Gmail to MBOX file format. The first solution is not free but it is the best solution for transferring Gmail emails to MBOX because it takes less time than Google Takeaway. Also, it provides the date filter option by which users can export selective data from their Gmail accounts.

Google Takeaway or Takeout takes much more time than the Recommended Solution. Also, it does not provide a date filter option and transfers only emails from the Gmail account to MBOX format. As a user, I would like to go with Solution 1 for conversion. You can decide as per your requirement.