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MBOX to PDF: Convert Mailbox Archives in Your Browser
This tool opens .mbox mailbox files in your browser, splits them into single emails, shows each one with its header and attachments, and saves them as PDFs. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is installed; it works on Mac, Windows, Linux and Chromebook.
Convert MBOX to PDF
or drag files, a whole folder, a ZIP or an .mbox archive here. PDF files are accepted too and get Bates numbers.
Free, no limit on emails, no sign-up. Files are read on your device and never uploaded.
Many emails at once? A Case Pass is US$29.90 for 90 days. See pricing.
Save as PDF
Keep this tab open until the download starts. Closing it stops the export.
One row per email and per attachment, with its first and last number.
Bates numbers for PDFs
Keep this tab open until the download starts. Closing it stops the numbering.
One row per file, with its pages and its first and last number.
Several emails? The paid features save them all at once: a ZIP of PDFs, or one merged PDF sorted by date with a contents page and page numbers. PDF and image attachments are added after their email, and all attachments come as a ZIP.
Case Pass
For one case or one clean-up.
US$29.90 one-time
for 90 days
One-time · 90 days · 14-day refund
Pro
For offices that save emails every week.
US$14.90 /month
billed every month
Cancel any time · 14-day refund
US$99 /year
≈ US$8.25/month, billed yearly
Cancel any time · 14-day refund
Recommended
Legal
For law firms that send numbered evidence.
US$24.90 /month
billed every month
Cancel any time · 14-day refund
US$199 /year
≈ US$16.58/month, billed yearly
Cancel any time · 14-day refund
The free version stays free. See pricing.
Why an MBOX File Is Hard to Open
An .mbox file is a whole mailbox in one file: every email of a folder written one after another as plain text. Each email starts with a line beginning "From " followed by the sender and a date, which is how programs tell where one message ends and the next begins.
That makes it a good archive format and an awkward one to read. A text editor shows thousands of lines of headers and encoded attachments. Mail apps can import it, but only after you set up an account or a local folder. Most MBOX to PDF converters in search results are desktop programs you have to download, and many of them are paid.
From ann@example.com Mon Oct 13 09:14:22 2026
From: "Ann Lee" <ann@example.com>
To: team@example.org
Subject: Q3 numbers
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2026 09:14:22 +0000
Hi all, the figures are attached.
From bob@example.org Mon Oct 13 10:02:51 2026
From: "Bob Park" <bob@example.org>
To: ann@example.com
Subject: Re: Q3 numbers
...Where Your MBOX File Comes From
The tool takes .mbox files from any program that writes the standard format. These are the usual sources:
| Source | What you get | What to drop here |
|---|---|---|
| Google Takeout (Gmail) | A ZIP with one or more .mbox files | The ZIP itself or the .mbox inside it |
| Apple Mail: Mailbox › Export Mailbox | A folder named like "Inbox.mbox" with a file called "mbox" inside | The whole "Inbox.mbox" folder |
| Thunderbird | Each mail folder is a file without extension, such as "Inbox", in the profile folder; add-ons can export .mbox | The "Inbox" file or the exported .mbox |
| Other mail programs and servers | An .mbox file | The .mbox file |
| Outlook | PST files, not mbox | Save single emails as .msg instead; see MSG to PDF |
Google Takeout: the ZIP is opened in your browser, so you do not need to unzip it first. Other files in it are skipped.
Apple Mail: on a Mac the exported "Inbox.mbox" looks like a single file, but it is a folder. Drag it onto the box as it is.
Thunderbird: files without an extension are recognised when they start like a mailbox. Leave out the ".msf" index files; they are not emails.
How to Convert an MBOX File to PDF
- Drop the .mbox file onto the box above, or click Choose .mbox or .eml files. A ZIP or a folder that contains .mbox files works too.
- Wait for the line under the box to say, for example, "Loaded 312 emails from Inbox.mbox." Large archives show how far reading has got.
- Check the emails. Each one shows its header (From, To, Cc, Date and Subject), the body, inline images and its attachments.
- Click Download PDF on any email to save it as its own PDF, free.
- With a Case Pass, Pro or Legal plan you can save all of them in one click as a ZIP of PDFs, or as one PDF sorted by date with a contents page and page numbers; PDF and image attachments are added as pages after their email. The merge EML files into one PDF page explains the merged file.
What Converting MBOX to PDF Is Useful For
- Keeping an old mailbox readable. A closed account or an old Thunderbird profile becomes PDFs that open on any device, years from now, without a mail app.
- Handing over a folder of mail. A lawyer, accountant or HR team gets one date-sorted PDF instead of an .mbox file they cannot open.
- Finding one email again. The PDF text can be searched and copied, so a phrase from a two-year-old email turns up with Ctrl+F or Cmd+F.
- Collecting attachments. A Case Pass, Pro or Legal plan saves every attachment of the archive in one ZIP.
Limits of This MBOX to PDF Converter
- 2,000 emails or 750 MB at a time. The emails are held in your browser's memory. If an archive is bigger, the first 2,000 emails are loaded and the tool says that the rest was not read. A full Gmail "All mail" export is often larger; export single labels from Google Takeout instead.
- One email over 50 MB is skipped and named in a message, so the rest of the archive still loads.
- Encrypted emails (S/MIME) cannot be opened. They need the recipient's private key.
- Designed newsletters may shift. The PDF shows what your browser draws, so most emails look as they do in a mail app, but layouts made for one mail program can differ.
- Arabic, Hebrew and Thai text appears on the page picture but is left out of the searchable text. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Greek and Russian are searchable.
- Phones are slow with big archives. Use a computer for archives of hundreds of megabytes.
MBOX to PDF Here vs Desktop Converters and Mail Apps
| Method | Install needed | Mail leaves your device | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| This page | No, any current browser | No, it is read in your browser | Free one PDF at a time; bulk and merge paid |
| Desktop MBOX converters | Yes, a program for your system | No | Often paid |
| Import into a mail app, then print each email | Yes, plus a mail account or local folder | No | Free, one email at a time |
| Upload-based online converters | No | Yes, the file goes to their server | Varies |
A desktop converter makes sense if you convert mailboxes every week. For a one-off archive, a tab in the browser is quicker, and nothing has to be uploaded. To see for yourself that this page uploads nothing, follow the network panel check on the home page.
If you have single emails instead of a mailbox, use the EML to PDF converter; for reading without saving a PDF, use the EML viewer.
FAQ
How do I convert MBOX to PDF for free?
Drop the .mbox file onto the box at the top of this page and click Download PDF on each email. That is free with no limit on emails. Saving all of them in one click, or as one merged PDF, is part of the paid version (Case Pass, Pro or Legal).
Is my mailbox uploaded?
No. The .mbox file is read and split in your browser. Pictures from the internet are not loaded by default; click Load images above the previews if you want them in the PDFs. The home page shows how to check it in your browser's network panel.
Can I convert a Gmail Takeout MBOX to PDF?
Yes. Drop the Takeout ZIP or the .mbox file inside it. Up to 2,000 emails or 750 MB open at once; for a larger mailbox, export single labels from Takeout.
How do I open an Apple Mail .mbox export?
Drag the exported folder (for example "Inbox.mbox") onto the box. The tool finds the "mbox" file inside and splits it into emails.
Can I merge a whole MBOX into one PDF?
Yes, with a Case Pass, Pro or Legal plan: the emails go into one PDF sorted by date, with a contents page, page numbers and PDF or image attachments after their email. See merge EML to PDF.
Does it work on a Mac or a Chromebook?
Yes. It runs in a current browser on Mac, Windows, Linux and Chromebook, with nothing to install. We test it in Chrome, and Edge works the same way. Firefox and Safari should work too; if something looks wrong there, email us.