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Comprehensive Guide to Open MBOX File Securely

Justin Cener ~ Modified: June 23rd, 2025 ~ How to ~ 6 Minutes Reading
Trying to open MBOX but unable to? No need to worry, we solve all the queries of our users. This step-by-step guide will teach you how to open MBOX files, whether it is on Chrome, Windows, or macOS. Go through the article till the end and find all your answers.
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MBOX files store all the email data, including several email messages and all of their associated attachments. Numerous email clients, including Google Takeout, Mozilla Thunderbird, Spicebird, Eudora Mail, and many more help to Open MBOX Files.

MBOX File Format Variations

There are four types of MBOX File Formats. Take a look at the following:

  • MBOXO: This type of file format is supported by Eudora where messages are stored as attachments. This format is not a standard MBOX format. Moreover, its meaning or usage depends on the context it is being used in, however, it may be related to archiving sent messages.
  • MBOXRD: These are supported by Qmail, Thunderbird, and Netscape which begin the messages with “from”. This file format is associated with MBOX and is a valid format as well.
  • MBOXCL: In this format, the headers are used to locate the starting message and emails are transformed before appending. The format is not a standard format and may even be specific to a particular email client.
  • MBOXCL2: Similar to MBOXCL, this format uses a content length (header) to indicate beginning messages. However, it does not necessarily convert email before storing. This is also not a standard MBOX format and is specific to a particular email client application.

Default Location of MBOX Files for Different Operating Systems

Here are the default locations of MBOX files in Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Postbox for both macOS and Windows that will easily help you to Open MBOX File:

Mozilla Thunderbird

  • Windows Location: C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\\Mail
  • MacOS Location: ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles//Mail

Apple Mail

  • MacOS Location: ~/Library/Mail/V8
Note: “V8” may be replaced with a different number depending on the version of Apple Mail.

Postbox

  • Windows Location: C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\PostboxApp\Profiles\\Mail
  • MacOS Location: ~/Library/Application Support/PostboxApp/Profiles//Mail

How to Open .mbox Files?

MBOX files are plain text files that can be accessed using standard MS applications such as Thunderbird and Apple Mail. Furthermore, both MacOS and Windows operating systems offer applications, where MBOX files can be viewed. However, there is one more option to open .mbox file, which is using Chrome browser.

In the upcoming paragraphs, you will find steps on How to Open MBOX file in Windows including Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Postbox, and Chrome, macOS.

How to Open MBOX File in Chrome?

To open an MBOX File in Chrome, first, the user will need to look out if Chrome supports MBOX files. So the answer is no, Chrome browser supports HTML file format! In order to open MBOX file in Chrome browser, you need to convert MBOX file format into HTML first. If you haven’t already done so, then follow the steps given below:

  • Once the user has converted the MBOX file to HTML, save the HTML file to your computer.
  • Launch the Google Chrome web browser on your computer.
  • To view the HTML file in Chrome, simply drag and drop the HTML file onto an open Chrome tab or window.
  • Alternatively, you can right-click on the HTML file and select “Open with” and then choose Google Chrome.
  • Chrome will open the HTML file, displaying its content, including any text and images, just like a web page.[/ai]

By following these steps, you can easily open .mbox file in Chrome after converting it to HTML format.

Open MBOX File/Folder in PostBox

Follow the given steps to open MBOX files in PostBox:

  • First and foremost, open PostBox.
  • Now go to the File menu option and click the Import Button.
  • After clicking the import option, you will be able to choose the MBOX folder from your computer.
  • After selecting the MBOX folder, click Import.

How to Open MBOX file in Windows?

To open MBOX files in Windows, the user would need to take the help of any Microsoft application like Mozilla Thunderbird, Outlook, etc.

  • Just install any of the applications you want.
  • Afterward, go to the File or Open tab.
  • Choose the .mbox file to open.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Open .mbox Files in Apple Mail

To open an MBOX file in Apple Mail on macOS, follow these steps:

  • First and foremost, make sure you have Apple Mail installed on your macOS. Mail is the default email client on Mac.
  • Then, find and locate the MBOX file you want to open. It should be saved somewhere on your computer, or you might have received it via email.
  • Import MBOX File:
    • Open Apple Mail on the user’s system.
    • In the Apple Mail menu at the top-left corner of the screen, click on “File”.[/ai]
  • In the “File” menu, select “Import Mailboxes”. Once you do that, a dialog box will appear.
  • In the dialog box, choose “Files in MBOX format” and click the “Continue” button.
  • Use the file browser to navigate to the location of the MBOX file the user wants to open. Select the MBOX file and click the “Choose” button.
  • Apple Mail will ask you to choose where you want to import the mailbox. You can select an existing mailbox or create a new one. Once you’ve made your selection, click the “Continue” button.
  • Upon doing so, Apple Mail will begin importing the MBOX file. The time it takes will depend on the size of the file.
  • Once the import is complete, you can access and view the emails from the imported MBOX file within Apple Mail. You will find them in the mailbox you selected during the import process.

What is the Best Way to Open MBOX Files Instantly?

The user can use the verified Corbett MBOX Viewer to instantly open the bulk of MBOX files without facing any trouble. If they use the software, they would not need to install any other application as it does it all. Along with that you can also change its file formats and apply filters to the folder as per your requirements. All you need to do is just install the application, then upload the MBOX file, and open it whenever wanted.

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Conclusion

We have provided a bunch of information on how to open MBOX files including Windows, Chrome, and MacOS. Along with that, some of the major information related to MBOX file format that users need to know has also been covered. We hope this ultimate guide might have helped you, thanks for reading!

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