Apple Mail, also referred to as Mac Mail or Mail, is the default email client for macOS. Transferring emails from Mac Mail to Microsoft Outlook is not a straightforward process, as both email clients use different data files to store mailbox items. Therefore, you cannot just connect the data file of the macOS email client to Outlook. In this blog, we will explain some practical and easy-to-follow approaches that can help you to export emails from Mac Mail to Outlook.
You may need to switch from Mac Mail to Microsoft Outlook due to some personal reasons or official requirements. However, most of the users consider using Outlook as it is compatible with both Windows and macOS, and offers more features for integration and mailbox management. Let’s take a look at some reasons why you would migrate from the macOS-based email client to Outlook:
- Mac Mail is primarily useful for email communication and users have to use Contacts and Calendar apps on the macOS. However, Outlook has in-built features for calendars and contacts.
- Outlook, configured with Exchange/Microsoft 365, makes it easy to access the mailbox data like emails, contacts, calendars, etc., from anywhere and from any device.
- It allows users to easily book appointments and meeting rooms from within the app.
- It can seamlessly integrate with Microsoft 365 applications, such as Word, Excel, and Teams, making it suitable for collaboration.
- It offers various advanced features, such as scheduling, email rules, and others for smooth mailbox organization and management.
As there is no direct way to transfer or export emails from Mac Mail to Outlook, you can follow the methods mentioned below.
You can configure your Outlook account in Apple Mail and then export emails. Follow the step-by-step process below:
Step 1 – Configure Outlook in Mac Mail
First, you need to add the Outlook account in Mac Mail. Here’s what to do:
- Open the Mac Mail application.
- Click on Mail in the Menu bar and then select Add Account.
- Click on Choose from a list and select Microsoft Exchange.
- Enter your Outlook email and click on Sign In.
- Let the wizard discover your Outlook account. Click on Sign In.
- Next, enter your password and click on Sign In again.
- It will show you a list of apps to use with the account. Select the apps and click on Done.
- Your Outlook account will appear in the left pane under the “Exchange” section.
Step 2 – Copy the Emails to Outlook
Now, create a new folder under the configured Outlook account and copy the emails from your Apple Mail mailbox. To do this,
- Click on the New Mailbox icon next to “Exchange” to create a new folder in the configured Outlook account.
- Give it a name and click on OK.
- Now click on a mailbox folder and select email messages in it.
- Use the two-finger tap (right-click) on the selected emails and select Copy to. Choose the newly created folder.
- Go to this folder to verify the transferred emails.
Now, sign in to your Outlook account and you’ll see the newly created folder containing the Mac Mail emails in the left pane.
Limitations of the Above Method
Though the above method can help you transfer emails from Mac Mail to Outlook, it has certain limitations, such as:
- It is a lengthy and time-consuming process as it includes steps to configure Outlook in Apple Mail, create a new folder, and then move emails from every mailbox folder.
- Chances of missing emails during the manual transfer due to human error.
EML is a file format that offers cross-platform compatibility. As a workaround, you can save your Mac Mail emails in this format and then drag and drop them in Outlook. Here’s how to do:
- Open the Mac Mail app.
- Select email message(s) that you want to transfer to Outlook.
- Drag them to a location/folder on your Mac. They will be saved as EML files.
- Now, open the Outlook app and create a new folder.
- Drag and drop the EML files into it.
Note: In the case of Outlook for Windows, first transfer the EML files to your Windows PC using a flash drive or an external HDD/SSD. Then drag and drop them into Outlook.
Limitations of the Above Method
The above workaround has the following limitations:
- It is a time-consuming process as you have to repeat the steps to save emails as EML files from different mailbox folders.
- The original mailbox structure is lost as all the email messages are saved as individual EML files.
- This cannot be used to migrate contacts, calendars, and mail items.
- Chances of missing email messages due to human error.
As Mac Mail stores mail items in MBOX file format, a more practical and easier approach is to convert this file to Outlook-compatible PST file format by using a dedicated MBOX to PST converter. After that, import the converted file into Outlook. Here’s the stepwise process:
Step 1: Locate the MBOX File on Mac
Mac Mail stores the MBOX files at the following location:
~/Library/Mail
You can navigate to this location by using Finder. Here’s how:
- Press command + shift + G and type ~/Library/Mail. Press return.
- Find and open the subfolder named Vx. Here, x means the number mentioned next to V. Double-click to open it.
- You will find folders containing MBOX files of various mailbox items.
Alternatively, you can also export the mailbox folders to MBOX files manually. For this,
- Select the mailbox folder that you want to export and then go to Mailbox > Export Mailbox.
- Select a location and then click Choose. This will save the selected mailbox folder to MBOX file.
- Repeat the process to export other mailbox folders.
Step 2: Convert MBOX File to PST
The next step is to convert the MBOX file to the Outlook-compatible PST format. For this, you can use the online MBOX to PST converter by Stellar. This web-based converter lets you conveniently convert MBOX file of size up to 100 MB to PST for free. The premium version of this converter allows you to convert MBOX file of up to 5 GB.
Some salient features of this MBOX to PST converter are:
- Quick MBOX to PST file conversion without installing any additional software
- No dependency on Microsoft Outlook
- Offers preview of MBOX file structure in HTML format
- Supports MBOX files from different email clients, like Apple Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Eudora, Entourage, etc.
- Compatible with macOS and Windows
- The uploaded and converted files are deleted from the servers after 24 hours
If you want to convert MBOX files without any size limitations, you can download Stellar Converter for MBOX. It is a Windows-based MBOX to PST converter tool that lets you convert MBOX file of any size to PST without altering the mailbox folder structure and hierarchy. It can also save the mail items in commonly used file formats such as MSG and EML. The tool has advanced features that you can leverage to auto-split a large PST file (~45GB) into small sized files or even directly import MBOX file data to a Microsoft 365 profile.
Now, let’s see how Stellar Converter for MBOX works:
Note: Transfer the MBOX file to the Windows PC where you’ve installed the software.
- Launch the software.
- The Select MBOX window will appear. Click on Select Mail Client and select Apple Mail from the list.
- Next, click on the Select Identity button and select the folder containing your Mac Mail MBOX files. Alternatively, you can click on the Select File option to select an individual MBOX file.
- After selecting the file, click on the Convert button.
- The software starts converting the MBOX file. After conversion, it lists all the mailbox items. You can click on any item to see its preview.
- Select the mail items you want to save to PST and click on Save Converted File in the ribbon.
Note: To save the converted mailbox items, you need to activate the software.
- On the Save As window, select the Save As PST option and click Next.
- Click Browse to choose a location on your PC to save the PST file.
- Click Save after selecting the destination path.
- Wait for the saving process to complete. You’ll see a Saving Completed message when the process is finished. Click OK to complete the process.
Step 3: Import PST File into MS Outlook
Now, you can import the PST file into Outlook for Windows using the built-in Import/Export wizard. When the import operation is finished, you will see the exported emails from Mac Mail in Outlook.
Note: If you using Mac Outlook, transfer the resultant PST file to a Mac and then import it into Outlook.
You can export emails from Mac Mail to Outlook by using the methods discussed above. Manually, you can transfer the emails by configuring Outlook in Mac Mail or saving email messages as EML files. The manual methods, however, are time-consuming and do not maintain the mailbox structure.
For quick and precise mailbox data conversion, you can use the online MBOX to PST converter by Stellar. It is a free web-based service that you can use on a Mac to convert your Mac Mail MBOX to Outlook PST without any hassle. Alternatively, you can convert the Mac Mail MBOX file to PST by using Stellar Converter for MBOX. This software can quickly can convert MBOX file to PST format by maintaining mailbox structure and data accuracy. Additionally, it lets you directly transfer MBOX file items to a configured profile in Outlook for Windows or append its contents to an existing PST file. It is compatible with MBOX files of 15+ email clients, including Apple Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Google Takeout (Gmail), and Eudora.
