How to Import MBOX into Gmail: A Step-By-Step Guide

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• To import MBOX files into Gmail, users must rely on third-party tools or methods such as converting MBOX to PST using Outlook, renaming MBOX to .eml files, or using Mozilla Thunderbird with the ImportExportTools add-on.

Option 1: Using MBOX to PST converter with Outlook Desktop Client

Option 2: Changing the file extension from .mbox to .eml before using Outlook Desktop Client

Option 3: Using Mozilla Thunderbird Desktop Client with ImportExportTools Add-on

1. Make sure you have either Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird Desktop Client installed on your PC and connected to the Gmail account where the MBOX file has to be imported.

Step 1: Click “File”→ “Info” and then click the “Account Settings” icon and choose “Account Settings…”

Step 2: Click “New…” in the dialog box. 

Step 3: Type in your Mail ID and click “Connect.”

How to set up your email on Thunderbird desktop client

Step 1: Open Thunderbird Desktop Client and select “Email” under ‘Choose What to Set Up:’

Step 2: In the dialog box that appears, enter your name, email address, and password and click on continue.

Step 3: Select the IMAP radio button, and click on the “Done” button.

How to install ImportExportTools add-on

Step 1: On Thunderbird, click on the hamburger icon on the right-hand corner and click “Add-ons and Themes” from the drop-down menu.

Step 2: In the next pop-up window, click on “Find more add-ons” at the bottom of the page.

Step 3: Type in “ImportExportTools NG” in the search tab on the next screen. 

Step 4: Click “Add to Thunderbird.”

Step 5: Click “Install Now.”

Step 6: Restart the application to complete the installation. 

Step 1: Click the Settings icon that appears on the top right-hand corner of the Gmail mailbox.

Step 2: Click “Settings.”

Step 3: Move to the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab. Click “Enable IMAP.” Ignore this step if it has already been enabled.

Step 4: Click “Save Changes” to complete the action.

Step 1: Click “File” on the top left-hand corner of the Outlook window.

Step 2: Click “Open & Export.”

Step 3: Click “Import/Export.”

Step 4: In the dialog box, choose “Import from another program or file” and then click “Next.”

Step 5: In the next dialog box, choose “Outlook Data File (.pst)” and click “Next.”

Step 6: After you browse and choose the file you want to import, click “Replace duplicates with items imported” and then click “Next.”

Step 7: Choose the folder to import the file into, then click “Import items into the same folder in:” 

How to extract files from a ZIP folder

Step 1: Click the “Extract All” icon on the toolbar at the top of the window.

Step 2: Select the file and right-click on it. On the menu bar that appears, click “Rename.”

Step 3: Click “Yes” at the bottom of the dialog box

How to import an EML file into Outlook desktop client

Step 1: Drag the EML file and drop it under the label of your choice.

Step 2: Double click on the message to open it.

Step 3: Click “Yes.”

Step 4: Click “Open.”

How to import your Gmail MBOX exports into a Gmail account

Step 1: Link your Gmail account to Thunderbird Desktop Client and install ImportExportTools add-on using these steps.

Step 2: Right-click on the left-hand pane and select “ImportExportTools.”

Step 3: In the dialog box, choose “Import directly one or more MBOX files” and browse through your PC to choose the MBOX file.

Step 4: After choosing the file, click “Open.” The MBOX file will be imported into Thunderbird with a label that’s the same as the file name.

Step 5: Drag and drop the imported data into the label’s section under your Gmail Account.