MBOX Viewer by Read Mbox
mbox to pdf · nothing is uploaded

Convert MBOX to PDF

Open the .mbox file at readmbox.com, filter to the messages you need, then click Export → PDF. You get a paginated archive with a cover sheet and each email on its own page, built on your computer without uploading anything.

Open your .mbox file
Free to read · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded

How to convert MBOX to PDF

  1. Open the file on the homepage, using desktop Chrome or Edge.
  2. Narrow it down. Search by sender or subject and set a date range. A PDF of a whole 20-year mailbox is rarely what anyone wants. A PDF of "everything from the landlord in 2024" usually is.
  3. Click Export → PDF. Choose this message, the current view or the whole mailbox.
  4. Save it. The PDF is built in your browser and saved to your downloads folder.

What the PDF looks like

  • Cover sheet with the source file name, the number of messages and the date it was made.
  • One message per page, starting with its date, sender, recipients and subject, followed by the message text.
  • Page numbers throughout, on letter-size pages.

It's built for the times you need a readable, printable record that anyone can open without a mail program: sending correspondence to a lawyer or accountant, keeping records, answering a subject access request, or simply printing an important thread.

Limits worth knowing

  • Up to 500 messages per PDF. For more, filter by date or sender and export in batches, for example one PDF per year.
  • The PDF shows the message text and headers. Attachments are not embedded. Save them separately as a ZIP.
  • If you need the exact original messages, with every header and attachment intact, export .eml files or a smaller .mbox alongside the PDF.

What's free

A PDF of a single message is free. PDFs of the current view or the whole mailbox are part of the one-time $29 unlock, with no subscription.

Video: convert MBOX to PDF

Convert MBOX to Excel, Google Sheets (CSV), PDF and EML on YouTube

Common questions

How do I convert an MBOX file to PDF?

Open the .mbox at readmbox.com, filter to the messages you want, click Export and choose PDF. Each message starts on its own page, with a cover sheet and page numbers.

How many emails can go in one PDF?

Up to 500 messages per PDF. For a larger mailbox, filter by date range or sender and export in batches.

Are attachments included in the PDF?

No. The PDF contains each message's headers and text. Use the attachments ZIP to save the files themselves, or export .eml files to keep messages and attachments together.

Is the PDF suitable for legal use?

It gives you a clean, paginated, printable record. It isn't a certified eDiscovery product: there is no redaction or chain-of-custody log, so keep the original MBOX file as your master copy.

Export email for a DSAR or lawyer

Find the relevant messages and hand them over as a CSV log, a PDF or original EML files.

Convert MBOX to Excel or CSV

One row per email: date, from, to, subject, attachments and optionally the message text.

Extract every attachment at once

Every attachment across thousands of emails in one ZIP, filtered by type if you like.

I just downloaded Google Takeout. Now what?

Which file holds your mail, why it's one giant .mbox, and how to open and search it.

Ready? Your file stays on your computer.

Open your .mbox file