Importing mbox issue

If you go back to mlevitt's post he explains his fix to make a Windows mbox work on a Mac. If you create the mbox on the Mac there is nothing to fix.

Some background: The problem is that the output .mbox file has the wrong line endings and the mail import can't handle it. Windows normally ends lines with a carriage return and linefeed while a unix system (Mac is unix under the covers) uses only a linefeed.

What happens if you try to import the .mbox files you created with Outlook 2016 for Mac using File > Import Mailboxes.... select "Files in mbox format. I would do one file to test.

I created .mbox file in Outlook 2016 and was able to import into Mail with no problems.

mlevitt,

Helpful, Professional, Easy to Follow, all the accolades.

I performed a transfer of files using your terminal commands and indeed reveled in the glory! That took care of the mailboxes/folders from my old xp days.

Today, tried to repeat the glory and finish the job with some Outlook for Mac 2016 folders I had set up. When I ran the terminal command however, the following is what I got. End result was that mac mail 9.3 crashed and no import occurred.

Can you possibly decipher this? I'm once again lost.

Unrecognized character \xC2; marked by <-- HERE after s|\r|\n|g<-- HERE near column 10 at -e line 1.

Thxs diane. No problem creating the mbox files. When I import, mail crashes. Last night, when running the terminal command that mlevitt recommended, all mbox files imported successfully. today, running that same terminal command showed the following:

unrecognized character \xC2; marked by <-- HERE after s|\r|\n|g<-- HERE near column 10 at -e line 1.

Something in my mbox files must be different. They aren't large or at a glance any different from what I had success with last night. I can't decipher the line above to point me to a solution.

Once your emails are imported into Outlook 2016 for Mac then when you create a mbox it's a Mac created mbox.

Always keep your windows files on a backup disk. I have seen imported message that were really old not format correctly. his is an example: (note MsoNormal is the culprit)

You don't need to run the terminal commands on mbox files created in Outlook 2016 for Mac. It's only the Windows created mbox files that need fixing.

Did you create by dragging folder to Desktop?

Thank you so much for your solution!

For other users running into the same problem I would like to add that my preinstalled version of perl (v5.18.2) in Mac OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan had problems converting large .mbox files (around 1 GB worked, 2 GB not).

For that large files I got errors similar to "Substitution loop at -e line 1, <> line 1." and the original .mbox file had 0 KB afterwards. So the step 2 of your instruction is a really good advice.

I've found two possible solutions solving the problem by searching the web. The first one is to split big files into chunks and join them again after conversion. I went for the second solution. That is to install perl version 5.22 or later that doesn't show this bug anymore.

I've been using your command from step 4 in a slightly modified variation that should keep the original file with the prefix "orig_":

perl -pi'orig_*' -e 's|\r|\n|g' *.mbox

Nevertheless, I got mixed results when the mentioned error occurs and sometimes lost the original file, sometimes not. Your step 2, to backup the original file before, was a really helpful precaution again, even with that modified instruction.

I salute your brilliance, mlevitt, but I have a quibble: attachments to emails I've converted are still attached to their messages, but there is no indication in the paperclip column of the mailbox that shows which emails have attachments. Got another trick up your sleeve?

Thanks!

Life is good. Not sure how I had trouble importing mbox files yesterday until I did run the terminal command.

Today, terminal command not working.

Your explanation makes valid sense, however, and I am not savvy at all with terminal use.

However, just after my last post, I ran the command again and this time had no issues. I then imported the mbox files into mac mail like it was my birthday.

Problem is solved and perhaps I needed your calm guidance to make it happen.

Applying that to my issue, perhaps since I had success using the terminal command yesterday it may be because those e-mails originally came from a windows machine. Don't know, but perhaps that's the case.

As far as the terminal command apparently working today, the two operatives are 'me' and 'apparently.'

Try booting into the Safe Mode snd see if you can do it there.

Safe Mode - About El Capitan

Safe Mode Startup – El Capitan.

OLM Converter Pro – Outlook 2011 (MAC) to Apple Programs and Others

Emailchemy – Mail Conversion

I Have the exact problem - trying to do the same with my files.

Identical issue - late 2012 iMac 27inch.

Gave up on Apple fixing this problem; purchased "PST Easy Convert" from Mac App store for $5 and it worked great! I highly recommend it.

Ideally, I should not have to do this, but lately, Apple seems to busy to fix things like this.

Sad.