If you are a normal email user or a forensic investigator, you might be aware of the MBOX email file format. Users might have doubts regarding the issues related to MBOX files such as saving the attachments without losing them, saving and storing the emails, making them secure with encryption etc. The solution to this query is to convert MBOX to PDF online. Let us first take a look at the details about the MBOX files and PDF files individually.
What are the MBOX Files?
MBOX is a widely used file format which is supported by various email clients. MBOX is primarily supported by the Mozilla Thunderbird, Eudora, Entourage, Mac Mail, Outlook Express, and more. It is a common file format which is commonly known as Mail Box to store the data items of MBOX files in folders. It helps in organizing a bunch of emails in one simple text format.
What is PDF File format?
Adobe developed the PDF as the document format. It is a secure file format which provides a password protection facility to users where no one can edit or modify the PDF files. It maintains the integrity of the data formatting including images, hyperlinks, fonts, graphs, texts, etc. It is independent of any email platform.
Reasons why users switch from MBOX to PDF File format?
Some of the main reasons for people to convert MBOX to PDF online are:
- PDF files Platform independent, thus can be opened and viewed on any system.
- Converting the MBOX file to PDF file, eliminates the need for any email client. This eliminates the dependency of user on Email clients.
- PDF is widely used in the field of forensics and used for legal reports. Medical practitioners, investigators, lawyers choose PDF as a primary choice to save data.
- The PDF files can be printed and can be accessed anywhere at any time.
- It is easier to produce PDF Files in the Court of Law in case of any cyber crimes. Often emails are important evidence in many cases, especially with the occurrences of so many cyber-crimes.
- Emails are often evidence in Crimes and forensic department encounter MBOX Files. So, It is easier for them to convert MBOX to PDF online.
- PDF files can be encrypted or made password protected, thereby enhancing the security of the files.
Methods to Convert MBOX to PDF Online:
Solution 1. The manual method involves two steps that you can follow:
- First,Import the desired MBOX file to Thunderbird
- Finally, Export Thunderbird Emails to PDF format
Let us discuss each step in a detailed manner.
Step 1: Import MBOX File to Thunderbird
For this, there are two methods,
Method 1:
Step 1: Start by Opening Thunderbird
Step 2: Now, find the Tools option and select Import Export Tools
Step 3: In this step, choose Import MBOX file from the various options present
Method 2
Step 1: Copy the MBOX file you need and paste it on the default location of Thunderbird
Step 2: Now,Restart the Thunderbird application
Step 3: Finally,You will see the MBOX file in your Thunderbird account
Step 2: Export Thunderbird Emails to PDF file format
To export the MBOX file into PDF file, follow the given set of instructions:
Step 1: Start by Opening Mozilla Thunderbird
Step 2: Now find the Tools option and then, select Import Export Tools option
Step 3: Now select Export all messages in the folder and then choose PDF file format
In the end, a warning message will appear on the screen showing that the attachments will not be saved. Click on OK to continue with the conversion process.
Drawbacks of the manual method to convert MBOX to PDF online are:
Some of the drawbacks of the manual method are:
- If not implemented properly, valuable data can be lost
- Time-consuming
- The user trying out the manual method should have the technical expertise
- This method does not allow the transfer of attachments along with the emails.
With respect to the drawbacks mentioned above, it is advisable to use the next method for easy MBOX to PDF conversion.
Solution 2. By using MBOX Exporter Tool
To easily convert MBOX to PDF file format, you can use the MBOX Exporter Tool by SysInfo Tools. Some of the main features of this tool are:
- Capable of converting MBOX to PDF,PST,EML, EMLX,MSG, TXT etc
- Converts MBOX files to Gmail, Yahoo, IMAP and Thunderbird.
- Allows batch conversion while maintaining the hierarchy of the original folder
- Embedded data range feature to filter unwanted files and removes the duplicate emails
- Has user- friendly GUI and is compatible with all the Windows versions
To Sum Up
When you try to convert MBOX to PDF online, you can follow the manual method explained above. But, as you have seen, this method is time-consuming and requires technical expertise. So, I would suggest you use the MBOX Exporter tool. It can be easily downloaded and used by anyone.
