In response to requests from Franchise Owners (current or former) or legal counsel, historical emails are sometimes exported from our Google Vault archives. To ensure all data is securely bundled into a single, comprehensive file, these exports are provided in a special MBOX format. This guide provides simple, step-by-step instructions to help you open and view the contents of these files on your Mac or Windows computer.
How to Open MBOX Files
Follow the instructions below that match your computer's operating system.
For Mac Users (Using Apple Mail)
Your Mac's built-in Mail application can easily import and display MBOX files.
Open the Mail application on your Mac.
From the top menu bar, navigate to
File > Import Mailboxes.In the window that appears, select the Files in .mbox format option and click Continue.
Navigate to the MBOX file you downloaded, select it, and click Choose.
Apple Mail will create a new mailbox in your sidebar under a section named Import. You can now browse the full contents of the export.
For Windows Users (Using Mozilla Thunderbird)
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free and reliable email client that can be used to view MBOX files on a Windows PC.
If you do not already have it, download and install the free Mozilla Thunderbird application.
Open the Thunderbird application.
Click the menu icon (☰) and choose Account Settings.
In the Account Settings screen, select Local Folders from the list on the left.
Under the Message Storage heading, find the Local directory path and click the Browse... button.
In the window that opens, navigate to the folder where you saved your MBOX file and click Select Folder.
Thunderbird will ask to restart to apply the change. Click Restart.
When Thunderbird reopens, the imported MBOX file will appear as a new folder in your Local Folders section, ready for you to view.
Note: This can also be accomplished with Microsoft Outlook.