How to Extract Attachments from MBOX Files in Bulk – 2025 Guide

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  • Updated on
    September 30th, 2025
  • Read Time
    4 minutes
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Summary: Companies often have extensive email archives, which become difficult to manage. To systematically categorize them, they opted to extract attachments from MBOX archive files. The question is, they do not know where to begin? In today’s post, we’ll outline an easy, step-by-step approach using both a manual and an automated tool, MBOX Converter Tool. After completing this blog, managing email archive and accessing attachments will be quick and straightforward. Let’s get started with the blog now.

Why Extract Attachments from MBOX File?

  • By extracting attachments from the email, users can manage valuable files independently.
  • Large MBOX files can affect the performance of your email client. Hence, storing attachments separately helps reduce mailbox size, improving performance.
  • For a faster and more organized backup, it is recommended to separate attachments from emails.
  • Rather than forwarding the entire email thread, it is easy to share the documents, images, etc required.
  • The legal teams often need attachments separately from emails.

How to Extract Attachments from MBOX?

The following section will discuss two ways to extract your attachments from MBOX files. Follow the steps below accordingly and carefully.

Manually Save Attachments from MBOX File Using Thunderbird

The Mozilla Thunderbird extracts the attachments from an MBOX file using an add-on ImportExportTools NG. 

The following are the steps to begin the process:

  1. Open Mozilla Thunderbird on your PC.
  2. Now, log in with your account credentials.
  3. After that, head to Tools > Add-ons and Themes, search and install ImportExportTools NG.
  4. Then, right-click on Local Folders > ImportExportTools NG > Import MBOX File.
  5. Next, select the MBOX file from which you want to extract attachments.
  6. Now, open any email in the MBOX folder and right-click on the attachment.
  7. Choose the Save as option to save the attachment. 

Limitations: Manually saving each attachment from hundreds of emails will be a time-consuming process. This method is not a reliable option for extracting attachments in bulk. 

Bulk Extract Attachments from MBOX in Bulk Using a Professional Tool

The MBOX Converter is a powerful tool designed to securely extract attachments from emails. Also, it enables users to safely retrieve attachments from an MBOX file without any data loss. The tool also provides a built-in preview option to check the attachments before saving them. Moreover, the software’s advanced algorithms preserve data integrity throughout the entire process. 

Below are the simple steps to save MBOX email attachments:

  1. First, download and run the converter tool on your system.
  2. Then, add the desired MBOX file from which the attachment needs to be extracted.
  3. After that, preview the selected file to review the emails and attachments.
  4. Now, choose the desired File Format.
  5. From the available filters, choose Save Attachments Separately.
  6. At last, click Convert to complete the extraction process. 

Conclusion

Good email management is essential for organization and efficiency. The best strategy is to extract attachments from MBOX files. Doing this will keep the attachments separate and easier to access. The user can approach this manually, use built-in features of your email client, or opt for an advanced tool, MBOX Converter. The goal is to choose the method should suit one’s workflow. Once the inbox is decluttered and attachments are sorted, one can save time, free up storage, and never lose track of important files again.

You May Also Read: Convert MBOX to PDF

Frequently Asked Questions

Q – Can large MBOX files cause issues during attachment extraction?

Ans- Yes. Very large MBOX files (several GBs) may slow down extraction, cause errors, or even crash some tools. Splitting the MBOX into smaller files can help.

Q- Is it possible to extract attachments from a corrupted MBOX file?

Ans- It’s difficult but possible. Some recovery tools can repair MBOX files first, after which you can extract attachments. However, recovery success depends on the level of corruption.

About The Author

Sachin Prajapati is an experienced technical content writer with a passion for simplifying complex topics. Specializing in email and cloud migration solutions, he crafts informative and reader-friendly content that empowers users to understand and manage their digital tools more effectively. His insights have been featured on several respected tech platforms, earning the trust of a wide audience.

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