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How to Save Gmail Emails to MBOX with 2 Simple Solutions

Shaks George ~ Modified: March 4th, 2025 ~ Export ~ 6 Minutes Reading
Downloading your Gmail emails into MBOX format is not difficult. If you follow correct methods. Therefore, in this article we will provide two excellent methods to export Gmail to MBOX file. Follow the ways correctly and move your data to your desired results.

Know About Gmail and MBOX

Gmail, the world’s most popular email client, offers you many advanced features like 2-step verification, customizable tools, and integration with G Suite. These features are used to help you manage your emails. But despite this, there are chances of losing your data, unable to open your account, or any other errors users may face. Therefore, it is better to save your Gmail emails which secure your data and access them easily. For this, the MBOX file is a suitable choice.

MBOX file is a famous email client used by most email programs like Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Eudora, etc. It is a flexible file which contains numerous emails in plain text. Having your Gmail emails in the MBOX format will provide you various benefits that we will explain below.

What are the Benefits of Transferring Gmail to MBOX?

  • Gmail is a Webmail which you need internet access to data. So, by saving Gmail emails to MBOX you can access your emails offline.
  • To secure your important emails, use the MBOX file to take the backup of your Gmail mailbox.
  • You can easily open the Gmail MBOX file in other email programs like Thunderbird, Apple Mail, etc.
  • It will also reduce the storage of your Gmail by downloading your inbox into MBOX format. By doing this it becomes easier for you to manage your account.

These are the common reasons for exporting your Gmail emails into MBOX format. So, we have learned the advantages of saving the Gmail data, now let’s go to the solutions to transfer Gmail emails to MBOX format.

Export Gmail Emails to MBOX File – Manual Technique

Google launched the Google Takeout tool to backup your Google data in your local storage. It offers ZIP format to save your data, but when you extract them your data will be in MBOX format. Thus, with the help of this free Google utility you can easily download Gmail mailboxes in MBOX format. Here are the steps to do it.

  1. First, access the Takeout by searching Google and the official site.
  2. Click the Deselect All button. Scroll down to the Gmail option.
    press deselect all button
  3. Check the box beside Gmail and click on the All Mail Data Included button.
  4. Choose the specific data you want to export. Then, click Ok.
  5. Scroll down and click on the Next Stop button.
    Click next step
  6. Choose the File size, limit, and destination. Then, press the Create export button.
    create export

After this process, Takeout starts exporting your data. Once the process completes you will receive the download link via email. Click on the file and your file will be in the ZIP format. Extract the file and your file is is in the MBOX format. This free method is simple but can create problems such as.

Limitations of Manual Technique

  • Google Takeout takes time to export your data. depending on the size of the mailbox it will take hours or a few days. Thus, this method is a time-consuming process.
  • There is no advanced option like a filter available in takeout that exports selective data.
  • If the process is interrupted, your files get corrupted, or need to re-start the process.

So, using this free method can cause you problems in exporting Gmail to MBOX format. So, to avoid that you can use this next solution.

Transfer Gmail Emails to MBOX File – Expert Method

For better results, use the Corbett Gmail Backup Tool. A powerful way to export Gmail emails into MBOX format. The purpose of this software is to create the backup of your Gmail mailbox and save them into several other formats like PST, EML, PDF, etc.

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It is easy to use because of its user-friendly interface and availability in many Windows OS systems. Also, many experts recommend this tool, so try its free demo version and follow the steps below to convert Gmail emails to MBOX file.

Steps to Export Gmail to MBOX

  1. Launch the Software and click on the Open button.
    click on open
  2. Then select the Email Accounts and Add Account option.
    select email accounts > add account
  3. Enter Gmail account credentials such as Email ID and password and hit the Add button.
    enter account credentials
  4. Next, the tool uploads all your Gmail account data into the tool’s panel. Preview the emails.
    preview uploaded data
  5. Now, click on the Export option and choose MBOX format.
    Export Gmail emails to MBOX
  6. Browse a location where you want to store your file and click Save to start the process.
    Select Save to start

With these steps, you can easily convert Gmail data into the MBOX file. The software smoothly exports your emails and also provides advanced features as we mentioned below.

Features of this Automatic Solution

  • You can use this tool to save your Gmail emails into other file formats like EML, PST, PDF, CSV, HTML, etc.
  • The software allows you to move your data to email clients like Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.
  • It provides you various preview modes to view your emails in Hex View, Raw Message, Message Header and Content.
  • If you have the Google Takeout files, you can directly open the files in your software and convert it to the MBOX format.
  • You don’t have to worry about losing your data as it maintains data integrity, email structure, and folder hierarchy.

To Conclude

If you don’t know how to export Gmail to MBOX file, read this article to save your files. Here, we discuss the benefits of saving your Gmail emails. Then, explore two solutions: manual and professional. Manual one provides you with a takeout option to save your file which is free but causes you many problems. But the professional method will be a great way to open your data as it quickly transfers your files and provides you with many additional features to help you in your work.