BitResQ » How to Export Apple Mail to Outlook Manually?

How to Export Apple Mail to Outlook Manually?

  author
Shubham Dixit   
Published: Jul 13, 2023 • Export • 7 Minutes Reading

Summary: Obtain a simple two-step method to export Apple Mail to Outlook. The conversion takes place on the Mac system and is readily supported by all Outlook email clients regardless of their version.

Apple Mail (also known as Mac Mail) app is the default email application of Mac OS X and macOS system. It is readily used by users for both home and professional email management.

Outlook is a product of Microsoft, available for both Mac & Windows systems. The latest version currently is Outlook. It can be integrated and used with Office 365 and Exchange server. It is the most popular email client as of now.

Apple Mail to MS Outlook – Technical Constraints

Apple Mail stores its messages in MBOX file format. There is also a way to save the individual messages in EMLX files. The MBOX files store all the email messages of a single mailbox. For example, the emails that reside in Inbox folder is stored in Inbox.mbox file locally.

MS Outlook uses PST file to save its email messages. Like MBOX, PST file also stores several emai messages of a mailbox folder in a single file locally.

The technical constraint that occurs while moving Apple Mail to Outlook is the difference in the file formats used for local storage. Mac Mail does not have a feature to export emails in PST format. Also, Outlook does not support importing the MBOX file. So, there is no native option that can directly export Apple Mail to Outlook.

The proper way is to export the messages from Mac Mail in a file format that it supports i.e., MBOX and then convert the MBOX file to PST. Since, Outlook has a import functionality for PST files, the while process becomes easy to understand and carry out.

How to Export Apple Mail to Outlook – Manual & Professional Methods

First, we will provide the method used for migration dominantly i.e., the professional approach. It is a 2-step method to transfer Mac Mail emails to Outlook platform.

Step 1: Prepare Messages of Apple Mail for Conversion

Locate the MBOX files from the system and copy them to an easily accessible location. To do that, follow these steps:

  • Open a Finder windows and choose Go >> Go to folder.
  • Input and navigate to ~/Library/Mail and look for a subfolder with V(x), where x is any number such as V6.
  • Remember the location or copy the MBOX files to an easily accessible location.

There is another way to prepare the MBOX files of Apple Mail:

  • Open the Mail app.
  • Select the mailbox folder such as Inbox.
  • Click on the Mailbox menu and select Export Mailbox.
  • Select the destination and save the file.
  • Similarly, save all mailbox folders that you want to export to Outlook.

Step 2: Export Apple Mail to Outlook (All Editions)

Best MBOX Converter is a proven tool to export multiple mailbox files of Apple Mail into PST format. These PST files are of Unicode type and are supported by Outlook 2021, 2019, and below versions. There is no need for MS Outlook to carry out the conversion process. Multiple features are also provided in order to help users customize the process such as selective conversion, filters, .pst file creation, etc.

Alert: Do note this tool is available for both Windows and Mac systems. Also, the PST files generated by the tool can be imported into both Outlook for Mac and Outlook for Windows email clients.

For Windows

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For Mac

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Instructions to export Apple Mail emails to Outlook PST are as follows:

  • Run the Apple Mail converter and click on Select Files.
  • Locate and select all the Mac MBOX files from the system.
  • In the next window, select PST from the Saving options.
  • Choose whether you want a single PST file or separate one for each MBOX file.
  • Finally, click the Convert button to successfully transfer Mac Mail to PST files.

Extra – Quick Video to Export Apple Mail to Outlook on Mac

Want to Import PST Files in MS Outlook? Do it Like this!

The steps are for importing files in Outlook 2019 for Mac. It varies with the Windows versions.

  • In Outlook for Mac, click on the File menu.
  • Select Import >> Outlook for Windows archive file (.pst) and continue.
  • Browse the converted PST file and click Import.
  • Once all items are imported, click Finish.
  • The Mac Mail messages will be under ‘On My Computer’.

Also Read: How to Convert Apple Mail to PDF?

Free Way to Export Apple Mail Folders to Outlook

This method starts by exporting the folder from Apple. This is because Apple Mail supports MBOX but Outlook does not, so you need to change the file extension. Therefore, you need to convert the file to an Outlook compatible format. So check out how we can do it.

Phase 1 – Export Apple Mail’s MBOX File

Access your Mac Mail Account by logging in.

Open Apple Mail

Step 1 – Choose the Appropriate Mailbox Folder

Select the mailbox folder that you wish to export in .mbox format

Step 2 – Navigate to the Menu Bar

Select Mailbox from the Menu >> Select Export Mailbox… option
Select export mailboxes

Step 3 – Store Apple Mail MBOX Data and Click on Choose Option

Browse for and select the file destination path for the Apple Mail MBOX data that you wish to save. Following that, click the “Choose” button.

export Apple Mail to Outlook

Step 4 – Export Selected Apple Mail Mailbox Data Successfully

Correctly exports the selected Apple Mail mailbox data to the specified location in seconds. Now you can easily export these MBOX files to any Windows PC with external storage.

Phase 2: Move the MBOX files to Eudora.

To begin, rename the file InboxMBOX to InboxMBOX.mbox. You must copy this InboxMBOX.mbx file to the Eudora file location.

Note: The location is as follows: (C:User NAMEDocuments and SettingsApplication DataQualcommEudora)

Now, on your machine, run and open the Eudora programme. Double-click the InboxMBOX.mbx file to complete the mailbox creation process. Then Exit Eudora.

Phase 3: Import Eudora Data into Outlook

  • Open Outlook on your computer
  • Navigate to File >> Open >> Select Import option
  • Select Import internet Mail and Addresses from the Import or Export Wizard’s list and click Next to finish the procedure.
    import internet mail and address
  • Select Eudora from the list of options in the Outlook Import Tool box. By default, the Import Mail and Import Address book boxes are selected. If you’re solely interested in transferring email files, click and uncheck the Import Address book option.
    click import option to export Apple Mail folders to Outlook
  • Select the Eudora mail folder in the Browse for Folder dialogue. Finally, click OK to initiate the procedure.

This completes the manual steps to export Apple Mail folders to Outlook. By following these steps, you can easily access your Apple email data using your favorite Outlook application.

As you can see, exporting a mail folder from Apple Mail to Outlook is a long step that requires using an intermediate client like Eudora.

If you are worried about time-consuming manual steps and looking for an automated solution to fix this problem, you can always opt for the first method and effortlessly export Apple Mail emails to Outlook. It is very easy to use and only takes a few steps to complete the process without the need for another email program.

Primary Reasons for Exporting Folders From Apple Mail to Outlook

  • Apple Mail isn’t very good at storing emails in your inbox, so archived emails can appear in your inbox folder. Apple Mail also doesn’t have a forwarding feature. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to handle the transfer function.
  • However, Microsoft has a built-in feature that makes Outlook bigger than email. A feature that reacts to messages and immediately removes individual emails from the message preview.
  • Apple Mail hasn’t added any new features in recent years, but other email clients like Outlook have many useful features that make it easier for end-users to manage their email.
  • Microsoft Outlook is easy to use, has an attractive graphical user interface, and offers a high level of security.

Wrapping It Up

Apple Mail and MS Outlook are two popular email clients. The transition between these two email applications is often seen. Users choose the app as per affordability and usage. To make the process easier, we have defined two simple methods to export Apple Mail to Outlook. These manual and instant methods are applicable for Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016 and 2011 email clients.