Import .eml files into Mail

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Level 1

9 points

Import .eml files into Mail

I am trying to import a large number of .eml files into a mailbox.

However, every imported file(message) creates its own folder(mailbox).

An earlier discussion suggests that the way round this is to append .mbox to the name of the folder containing the .eml files (eg import.mbox). However, this no longer appears to work under Ventura.

I would be grateful for any suggestions.

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Mar 25, 2023 1:58 PM

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Answer 1

Andrewt11 Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 27, 2023 4:49 AM in response to Omar_A1

Hello Omar

Many thanks for your helpful response.

We used the importer from Mail and created a folder in Import using the Apple Mail option to create the local mailbox as you suggest. We also tried adding the .mbox extension to the import folder as suggested by other users. However, each message was always transferred to a separate folder under Import. The import file came from a web hosting organisation that had summarily archived 10 years of emails due to a recently imposed quota being exceeded!

In the end we gave up and resorted to using an app, MacUncle EML Converter Tool. We downloaded the demo version and contacted their Tech Support who responded immediately (early Sunday morning!) and were very helpful. We subsequently paid for the full version and imported 88,000 messages each up to 30Mb! One problem was that the messages to be imported were originally on iCloud and the message body was sometimes missing due to sync issues. Moving the import file to local storage resolved the issue.

Thanks again for getting back to me.

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Answer 2

Omar_A1

Community Specialist

Mar 26, 2023 5:44 PM in response to Andrewt11

Hello Andrewt11,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.

Are you able to move the files into a single folder using the sidebar We were able to find these steps:

"Import mailboxes

In the Mail app on your Mac, choose File > Import Mailboxes.
Select a source in the list, read the information that appears below the list, then click Continue.

If you’re importing a mailbox exported from Mail or a folder in the ~/Library/Mail/ folder on another Mac, select Apple Mail. To get to the Mail folder on a Mac, click the desktop to make sure you’re in the Finder, press and hold the Option key, choose Go > Library, then select the Mail folder.
If you’re importing messages from a Windows or UNIX computer, select “Files in mbox format,” then locate the folder containing the files.

3.Reorganize the imported messages, if you like.

The messages are in a new mailbox called Import in the Mail sidebar. You can drag folders and messages from the Import mailbox to new or existing mailboxes, then delete the Import mailbox."

More details can be found here: Import or export mailboxes in Mail on Mac

If the issue persists, can you provide a few more details? Where are the files originally from? Also, what is your exact macOS version?

Cheers!

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Import .eml files into Mail

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