# readpst actually converts PST to MBOX. For MBOX->PST, you need: # 1. Split MBOX into individual .eml files # 2. Use import to Outlook (not pure script) mb2md -s source.mbox -d output_maildir/ Then use Outlook's "Open & Export" -> Import from another program -> Outlook Data File.
for msg in mbox: pst_msg = PSTMessage() pst_msg.subject = msg['subject'] pst_msg.body = msg.get_payload() # ATTACHMENTS, DATES, FOLDERS are hugely complex. pst.add_message(pst_msg)
Google Takeout MBOX files use "MBOXRD" format (escaped From lines). Many free scripts assume classical MBOX and break. 3. The Conversion Methods: From Scripts to Enterprise Method 1: Python + libpst / pypst (DIY, Free) Best for: Automation, small MBOX files (<500MB), developers. convert mbox to pst
Use a tool that validates MIME parsing. Test with a known email containing .pdf , .jpg , and .eml attachments. Pitfall 2: Date/Time Corruption Why: MBOX lacks a standard timestamp field. Tools often rely on the From line’s timestamp (which is delivery time, not sent time). Outlook shows wrong sent dates.
Only for ASCII-only, no-attachment, single-folder use. Method 2: Thunderbird + ImportExportTools NG + Outlook (Hybrid) Best for: Technical users, one-time migration, preserving folders. # readpst actually converts PST to MBOX
pst.close()
On the surface, it sounds simple. In reality, it’s a minefield of character encoding issues, folder structure loss, and attachment corruption. In this post, I’ll dissect the MBOX and PST formats, walk through every conversion method from free scripts to enterprise tools, and give you the battle-tested best practices to avoid data loss. Before converting, you must understand why direct conversion is non-trivial. MBOX (The Line-Delimited Veteran) MBOX is not a single specification but a family of formats (mboxrd, mboxcl, mboxcl2, etc.). The core idea: multiple emails concatenated into one plain text file . Use import to Outlook (not pure script) mb2md -s source
aid4mail /convert /source="C:\takeout\*.mbox" /dest="C:\output.pst" /mboxStructure=filenameAsFolder /skipDuplicates /pstCompress Pitfall 1: Broken Attachments Why: MBOX stores attachments as base64 chunks inside the body. PST expects attachments as separate objects. If the MIME boundary parser fails, attachments become inline text.