An illustration of emails on a laptop.
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An MBOX file contains an annal of emails. When you download your Gmail archive from Google Takeout, for case, y'all'll get an MBOX file containing all your emails. Here's how to view its contents.

Download Mozilla Thunderbird

Our favorite app for opening an MBOX file is the open up-source Mozilla Thunderbird awarding. We performed the steps here with Mozilla Thunderbird version 78, which was the electric current version as of January 15, 2021.

To get started, download Mozilla Thunderbird and install it. It's available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Launch Thunderbird and Set Up an Account

If you lot're not already using Mozilla Thunderbird, you'll see a "Set Up Your Existing Email Address" dialog box the first time you open it. Click "Cancel" to continue.

Thunderbird wants to become your default email application. Feel free to uncheck "Always perform this check when starting Thunderbird" and click "Skip Integration" to dismiss this.

Mozilla Thunderbird is a fiddling weird, and it needs y'all to set up a local "account" earlier you tin continue with this process and provide your MBOX file.

To create an empty local account, click "Feeds" under Choose What to Gear up. You tin also click bill of fare > New > Feed Account.

Click the "Next" button and click "Finish" to create the account.

Point Thunderbird at Your MBOX File

You tin can now have Thunderbird open and display the contents of your MBOX file.

To get started, click carte > Account Settings.

On the Account Settings screen, click "Local Folders."

Nether Bulletin Storage, click the "Browse" push to the correct of Local Directory.

Browse to the folder containing your MBOX file and click "Select Folder." For example, if your MBOX file is located in C:\Users\[Name]\Downloads\Takeout\Mail, browse to that "Mail" binder and click "Select Folder."

Thunderbird will tell you it needs to restart. Click "Restart."

Browse the Contents of Your MBOX File

You tin can at present view the contents of your MBOX file in Thunderbird. You'll see the proper name of the MBOX file under "Local Folders" in Thunderbird. Click information technology and you tin browse the contents of the MBOX file like yous would browse some other email inbox.

Bonus: Remove the Feeds Account

By the way, you tin can now remove that empty "Blogs & News Feeds" account you created earlier.

To practice so, click menu > Account Settings. Select "Blogs & News Feeds." At the bottom of the window, click the "Business relationship Actions" box and click "Remove Accounts."

Click "Remove" and so click "OK" to confirm your change.

Now you can open up Thunderbird whenever you want to view the contents of your MBOX file. Remember that Thunderbird is pointed at your MBOX file wherever it is on your computer. So, if you move the MBOX file to another folder, you'll need to go back into Thunderbird's account settings and betoken information technology at the new location of the MBOX file.