Apple Mail Export Mailbox with Attachments – Best Ways to Save Emails with Files

Written By Ashwani Tiwari

Approved By Anuraag Singh

Modified On February 10th, 2026

Reading Time 6 Min Read

Apple Mail export mailbox with attachments is needed in backup or migration scenarios. The good news is that there is a built-in option in Mac Mail which helps you to back up data in MBOX file format. Not only this, but also numerous solutions let you make a local replica of your Mac Mail account along with attachments.

Today, I’ll show you those with proper step-by-step instructions. So, first, let me explain, after backing up what you’ll get.

What Format Apple Mail Uses for Export?

Apple Mail saves all its mailboxes in .mbox files – the most popular file format, used by 15+ major email applications globally. This MBOX file contains the entire email and attachments of the associated mailbox folder. For example, Mac Mail creates Inbox.mbox and Sent.mbox email files for its Inbox and Sent mailbox folders, respectively.

When it comes to individual email messages, Apple Mail creates an EMLX file for each email message.

These MBOX files can work as a backup file for all the Apple Mail emails and attachments. Moreover, they can also be transferred and used in various other applications, with/without conversion across multiple platforms.

How to Perform an Apple Mail Export Mailbox with Attachments

Follow the steps below defined steps:

Open the Apple Mail email client on the Mac system
Now select the mailboxes that need to be exported
Next, navigate to the Mailbox menu and hit the Export Mailbox option
You can also right-click on the mailboxes to choose the Export mailbox option
Select the destination folder where the output files will be saved and click Choose
Now, open the destination location on your system to find the selected folder saved as an MBOX file

How to Export Selective Emails from Apple Mail to MBOX

To save only selective messages in MBOX format, the following trick can be implemented:

In the Mac Mail interface, create a new folder and name it accordingly
Now select all the required email messages that need to be saved
Right-click on them and choose Move/Copy to, and choose the newly created folder as the destination
Once done, select this newly created folder and repeat all steps of the previous section to save these emails collectively in MBOX format.

Also read: How to import MBOX file in Apple Mail

How to Export Multiple Mailboxes Manually?

Apple Mail does not allow selecting multiple mailboxes at once. So, you have to repeat the same process for:

Inbox
Sent
Drafts
Archive
Any custom folders you created

Each export creates its own MBOX file.

Apple Mail Export Mailbox with Attachments Automatically

Neither of the manual methods we discussed above are not supporting bulk mailbox backup. For every mailbox, you have to repeat the same steps, which becomes time-consuming and frustrating.

To tackle this, opting for a professional solution is the wise choice. For the same, IT experts and MSPs suggest SysTools Email Backup Wizard to automate the entire process.

Download Now Purchase Now

It connects directly to the same IMAP account configured in Apple Mail and downloads every mailbox with emails and attachments into preferred formats, i.e. PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, and PDF.

Why Experts Recommend this Solution for Automation?

Professionals suggest opting for SysTools when:

You don’t need to export the Inbox, Sent, Archive, and custom folders one by one
Attachments are downloaded automatically with emails
Back up the entire mailbox simultaneously
Want the pause and resume option if the mailbox is very large

So, if you want to bypass all the limitations of the manual methods and ensure a zero data loss backup, then download this tool now for free, and follow the steps for Apple Mail export mailbox with attachments:

Install and open the tool on your macOS system, and choose any of the export formats, i.e. PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, and PDF.

Endpoint Selection

Select the IMAP Server as Apple Mail.

Select IMAP Server

Choose the destination location on your drive.

Backup Folder Path

Start the export process by hitting the Start Backup button.

Start Backup

Now, Verify That Attachments Are Really Inside the Export

Many people get confused and think attachments are missing, but they are not missing. They are inside the MBOX.

Here is how to confirm it.

#Option A. Import back into Apple Mail

Open Apple Mail
Click File
Click Import Mailboxes
Choose Files in MBOX format
Select the exported MBOX

A new mailbox appears under Import. When you open emails there, you can download and open attachments normally.

#Option B. Open the MBOX in Mozilla Thunderbird

Install Mozilla Thunderbird on Mac or Windows, and:

Open Thunderbird
Use the Import feature for MBOX
Open emails

If attachments are fully accessible, then the export is sucessfully worked.

Understand Where Apple Mail Stores Mail Locally

Do not rely only on Export Mailbox. Take a raw backup of Apple Mail data.

Here is the location.

Open Finder, press Command + Shift + G and go to:

~/Library/Mail/

Inside this folder, you see:

All mailbox data
All account data
Attachments cache
Mail settings

If you copy this entire folder to an external drive, you have a full Apple Mail profile backup. This information is useful when you’re moving to a new Mac.

Best Practices for Smooth Apple Mail Export Mailbox with Attachments

Sync all emails before exporting
Backup Apple Mail to external hard drive
Verify the MBOX by importing it
Keep backups with the date in the folder name
Never edit the MBOX file manually

Author’s Verdict

Apple Mail is capable of exporting/importing emails and attachments stored in the MBOX file format. These files can be copied to other platforms as well as converted to other file types as per requirement. In here, we mentioned the procedure to Apple Mail export mailbox with attachments to the local system. Users can also export only selective messages instead of the complete mailbox folder with a simple trick, as mentioned above.