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How to Convert MBOX to MHT? Complete Step-by-Step Guide

The process of converting an MBOX file to MHT or MIME HTML makes it possible for users to open the individual emails within the file directly through a browser such as Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome without having to use any desktop email client software. The manual conversion process from MBOX to MHT consists of opening the MBOX file in Thunderbird and then saving the emails in EML format, after which they can be opened in Word and saved as a single HTML file (.mht). Even though this process may be suitable for a small number of emails and on both Windows and Mac operating systems, it becomes cumbersome when handling larger files or multiple emails.

What is a MBOX file?

The MBOX file is a plain text based file that contains multiple emails in one file. Various mail clients including Thunderbird, Apple Mail and Opera Mail use MBOX format. MBOX is used to export Gmail data through Google Takeout service.

What is MHT File?

The MHT file also known as MHTML file is the web archive file format. The MHTML file combines HTML markup of the webpage, images, and style sheets into one single file. The MHT file is used when converting emails stored in the MBOX format to web pages.

Why MBOX To MHT Conversion?

• Archiving Each email turns into a file and requires no email clients to view.
• Most teams in the U.S. need every single email to be manually transformed into a readable format due to needs such as eDiscovery, auditing, or legal holds.
• The MHT files can be viewed by any person through a browser or Microsoft Word.
• Leaving behind the email client. In case you decide to leave Thunderbird and Apple Mail, you can access your emails through the MHT format.
• Maintaining the layout of the email.

Three Things To Do Before You Convert MBOX To MHT

• Create an MBOX file backup.
• Copy your file into another directory because the conversion process must not interfere with the original one.
• Consider the size and amount of the messages. The best MBOX file should include only several hundred messages. But when there are thousands of messages then you will definitely need some application.
  Choose what is really important for you. Attachments, folders, and dates influence the choice of a method.

What are the Restrictions that You Need to be Aware of while Converting MBOX to MHT?

• It is a slow process since each email will be processed individually.
• Format might change for HTML based emails.
• Attachments will not transfer easily, so need to be verified separately.
• Cannot maintain the folder hierarchy or use any date filter restriction.
• It is prone to errors for more than a few hundred emails.

What are Important Features of MBOX to MHT Converter?

• Bulk conversion of multiple MBOX files
• Processing of attachments
• Preservation of folder structure
• Selective conversion by date or sender
• Demo version to check how the tool works on
• What are different types of criteria for selecting a software solution to convert MBOX to MHT?
• Support of attachments as these can be stored separately from the email file itself
• Preservation of folders hierarchy
• Date or sender-based selection during export
• Possibility to use a trial version of the product
• Ability to work with MBOX files created by different mail clients like Thunderbird, Apple Mail and Gmail Takeout.

What are the Common Issues and Solutions in Converting MBOX to MHT?

• The MHT file won’t open in my browser.
• .mht files will not automatically show up on Chrome. You can view them using Microsoft Word or even the Internet Explorer Mode on Edge.
• There are no images.
• The original e-mail might be using some remote images which have been deleted since the conversion. Inspect the original e-mail for more clues on whether the conversion went through.
• The attachments aren’t contained in the MHT file.
• Most of the time, converters leave the attachments in a folder adjacent to the MHT files. Please check the folder where the conversion process outputs the files.
• Special characters appear incorrectly.
• It is usually an encoding issue. Convert again with the appropriate character set, or try a smaller file first.
• This could be attributed to the corrupt MBOX file. You may want to try converting the email files with repair tools.

What are Steps For a Proper Conversion?

• Perform the extraction from a duplicate of the MBOX file.
• Perform the extraction from 10 to 20 messages first before extracting all messages.
• Use naming conventions that are consistent, like date and subject.
• Check the number of messages in the MBOX file after exporting and check the number of MHT files.
• Save the results in another disk or archiving system.
• When archiving, log the date of conversion and software version used.

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How to Convert MBOX to MHT Manually?

Step 1: Load MBOX file into Thunderbird

Use Mozilla Thunderbird and its ImportExportTools NG extension. An MBOX file can be imported through a right-click on the folder, and selecting the desired choice.

Step 2: Save the emails as EML files

Select the emails in the folder and drag them either to the desktop folder or save as .eml file.

Step 3: Open the EML files in Microsoft Word

Word is able to open such files with the email message and its formatting.

Step 4: Save the message as MHT file

Click File then click Save As, and finally Single File Web Page (*.mht)

How to Convert MBOX to MHT using Professional Software on MacOS?

• Run the software and click on Add File.
• Browse and add MBOX file into the tool.
• Then, click the Next button.
• Select MHT format.
• Click Advance Settings to apply filters on MBOX file and naming convention for MHTML.
• Select the destination to save the files after conversion.
• Finally, click the Export button to start converting MBOX to MHT file.
• Once done, click on OK in the confirmation window.

Conclusion

While in the case of the need to migrate and archive ordinary email, software such as FreeViewer MBOX Converter Tool becomes the most effective way to solve problems automatically. The manual migration by means of Thunderbird can be considered a viable and free alternative if a user needs to migrate and archive only a little number of non-important emails, but due to the necessity of converting emails in HTML format and manual re-saving in MHT format from a browser this approach is unviable for large amounts of emails. Besides that, manual saves normally remove the SMTP headers and split attachments into a separate folder.

The usage of dedicated software will allow you to convert multiple files in the batch mode and preserve Base64 encoding, folder hierarchy and all MIME information of each file. This kind of software will help you save time when dealing with MBOX files that are quite large in terms of size (multiple gigabytes). Such situations as e-discovery in legal field, digital forensics investigations and migration of corporate mailboxes may become more favorable if a dedicated tool is used.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the main difference between the two file formats MBOX and MHT?
The difference between the two types of files lies in the fact that the first one (MBOX) is a file format in which emails are archived, with several messages stored in a single text file, whereas the second file type (MHT) is a web page archive file containing single email messages with images, style sheets, and attachment files.

2. Is there an option to convert MBOX to MHT in Windows and macOS environments?
Yes. The process is the same whether you use Windows or macOS. However, in order to perform automatic batch conversion, you need special software that supports Windows operating systems (Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7) and macOS operating systems (macOS Sonoma, macOS Ventura, macOS Monterey, etc.).

3. Does the conversion preserve attachments and put them into the MHT document?
Using a converter, attachments are Base64-encoded and placed in .mht container file. In case of manual conversion, attachments will be stored in separate folders outside of the converted emails.

4. Do .mht and .mhtml refer to the same format?
Yes. .mht and .mhtml are two identical file extensions, representing MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate HTML Documents (MHTML) format. These two formats are recognized by web browsers (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome).

5. Why should I choose a converter over a manual workaround for batch MBOX conversion?
First of all, a manual workaround involves opening and saving emails one by one using Word or your browser. This method works only for a small number of emails. Professional software allows converting a lot of emails at once, preserving the original SMTP headers, folder structure, and avoiding any possible data loss.