Best way to migrate Outlook PST to MBOX file format

Are you looking for an easy way to migrate the Outlook PST to MBOX file format, then read this blog till the end.
Microsoft Outlook stores all the personal data in PST file format. But the PST files are very sensitive to bugs or Malware, and sometimes it leads to data corruption or Outlook crash like problems. 
So, it becomes crucial to take the backup of their data or to transfer all the important data from the PST file to a safer file format i.e, PST to MBOX format. 

MBOX format has higher compatibility and is used by several various email clients, such as - Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Entourage, Eudora, PocoMail, etc. 


Why it is essential to convert PST to MBOX file?
Some reasons why users need to transfer all their important PST files data to other file formats like MBOX-
  • PST files are much likely to get corrupted hence a user’s personal or professional data can be lost if the file gets corrupted. Sometimes the PST file gets corrupted if your hard drive gets crashed. 
  • Another reason is to switch operating systems. In that case, it becomes necessary to convert PST files to MBOX format.

How to convert PST to MBOX?
First, we'll convert the PST file to MBOX by the manual method and then we use the professional method. 
Note:  It is recommended that you should create a complete backup of all your PST files before applying the below procedure to duplicate PST files.

Step 1: Enable IMAP in Gmail- In this step, you have to enable the IMAP in Gmail. 
Login to Gmail, Click on “Gear icon” and after that select “Settings”.
Click on “forwarding and POP/IMAP”
Click on “Enable IMAP”

Step 2: Sync Outlook with Gmail- In this step, you have to Sync the Outlook with Gmail. 
  • Go to the “file” in Microsoft outlook
  • Click on the “Add account”
  • After filling all the required credentials, go to the “Manual configure server settings”
  • Click to the “Internet Email” and then after this, Click on “Next” button.
  • Fill the required details in “Add New account”
  • Change “Account type” to “IMAP” and to the “incoming mail server” enter “imap.gmail.com” and to“outgoing mail server”, “smtp.gmail.com” 
  • Click on to the “more settings” and after that click to the “Advanced” 
  • Click on the “Outgoing server”, and go to “My Outgoing Server (SMTP)” and then click “use same settings as my incoming Mail server”
  • Click on “OK” and after that “Next”
Now you can add Emails, calendars, and other Outlook items by using these steps -
  • Click on “file settings”
  • Go to the “open & export” and there choose the “Import/Export” option.
  • Select “Import from other program or file”, & then click on “Next”
  • Choose the Outlook data file (.pst)
  • Browse PST file.
  • Click on “finish” for completion of the process

Once you implement the above steps the outlook will automatically get synced with Gmail, as the IMAP account works as the mirror between the Email server and Email client.

Step 3: Save your data from Gmail by using Google Takeout
  • Users can also download the data in compressed files using this feature. You can save your Gmail database to MBOX by using the following steps -
  • Login to Google Takeout and click on the “Select None” option located in the Navigation Bar.
  • Click “create an archive” option
  • Choose Gmail in the service and go to create an archive option.

The manual method for conversion of PST to MBOX is the more complex process, and sometimes the data gets corrupted if any steps get skipped. The Manual approach is a little tricky one has to be careful and attentive in every step. If anyone steps get skipped then it may cause data loss. 

However one can opt for third party software for an easy and secure process.

Converting PST to MBOX with the help of MBOX Converter tool- 
You can use the PST to MBOX converter tool to migrate all your PST files in MBOX format. With this tool, you can convert the PST file to MBOX without any effort. The tool saves a lot of time and effort during converting the PST file to MBOX format. 
Let us discuss the working of PST to MBOX converter tool-
  • Download, Install, and run the tool.
  • Press the “Add file(s)” button and pick the PST file.
  • Click on the check “Single-mode”, then hit “Next”
  • Select the files to be converted and choose “Save as MBOX” in the dropdown and click on convert.
  • If the file size exceeds 500MB then click on the “MBOX Split” checkbox.
  • Choose the “Destination Path” and choose the path where you want to save the final output, and click on “Apply”
 
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed the manual and professional ways to convert PST to MBOX format file format. For fast, effective, and secure results you should use the PST converter tool. The tool saves a lot of time and effort and helps a user to safely convert the PST files to MBOX format.