How to import Pine (mbox) folders into Mail?

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Level 2

175 points

How to import Pine (mbox) folders into Mail?

I have several Pine mailbox folders on a remote Linux system that I'd like to copy to my G4 and make accessible via the Mac Mail application. I believe the Pine folders are in mbox format. I tried downloading one today (called "all-2007") and using the File -> Import Mailboxes menu selection within Mail (trying every possible import format the menu offered), but the file is always grayed-out. Does the file perhaps just need some appropriate file extension added to its name? Or something else....?

I also looked at this link, but it didn't help:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mail/2.0/en/ml807.html

Thanks for any and all help with this.

-Bill

Message was edited by: Bill L

MDD G4 dual 1.25GHz, 1.75GB ram, Mac OS X (10.4.11), AppleTV, 3G nano

Posted on Nov 21, 2008 10:43 AM

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Answer 1

Mulder

Level 6

8,990 points

Nov 21, 2008 11:04 AM in response to Bill L

Try this, instead:

1. Create a new folder on your Desktop and name it Pine Mail.
2. Inside that folder, create another folder, named Pine Messages.
3. Place the Pine .mbox file inside that inner folder.
4, Use Mail's Import Mailboxes… feature, choose "Other" from the list of options it gives you, then navigate and choose the Pine Mail folder; don't go any deeper in the folder hierarchy. Mail should find the .mbox file inside and present a list of mbox files to import, with that one already checked. Choose "Continue" to finish the import process. If successful, Mail will show all the imported messages in a folder named Imported, from which you can then move them to wherever you like.

Mulder

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Answer 2

Bill L Author

Level 2

175 points

Nov 21, 2008 11:10 AM in response to Mulder

Worked! Thanks!

Have a great Thanksgiving.

-Bill

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Answer 3

TheBeak

Level 1

4 points

Jan 13, 2009 12:06 PM in response to Bill L

I tried this exactly as you suggested, and it didn't work. The mailboxes are from Pine 4.61 running on Solaris. Mail is v3.5 on Leopard.

The dialogue is slightly different to what you describe, with an explicit option for mbox. Then no check boxes come up, and the folder is there in Mail but there's nothing in it.

Any ideas?!

I could try going via Thunderbird but it seems a bit wrong...

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Jan 13, 2009 1:46 PM in response to TheBeak

Hi TheBeak, and a warm welcome to the forums! 🙂

Even though this is the Tger/10.4.x forum, you might try this...

Import emlx to mbox, See if this helps...

http://www.cosmicsoft.net/emlxconvert.html

Not sure if it runs in Leo or not.

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