Apanindori

A few days ago, I had to migrate a client’s emails from a cPanel backup to Outlook, and I thought it would be a simple task. Boy, was I wrong!

I downloaded the email backup from cPanel, expecting a straightforward import option in Outlook, but I quickly realized that cPanel stores emails in .eml or .mbox format, while Outlook prefers .pst. After hours of trial and error, I tried:

1. Manually dragging .eml files into Outlook (worked, but too slow for bulk emails).
2. Using Thunderbird to open .mbox files, then exporting them to Outlook (a bit complicated but worked).
3. Looking for a reliable third-party converter—some worked, but many had limitations.

I finally got everything imported, but I’m sure there must be a better, more efficient way. Has anyone done this before? What’s the easiest way to open or convert cPanel email backups for use in Outlook?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

To open your cPanel mailbox backup in Outlook, follow these steps:

1. Download the backup from cPanel (Emails → Email Accounts → Check for backups).
2. Extract the .tar.gz file and locate the .mbox files.
3. Use a third-party tool like Aid4Mail or MBOX to PST Converter to convert .mbox to .pst format.
4. Open Outlook and go to File → Open & Export → Import/Export and choose Import from another program or file → Outlook Data File (.pst).
5. Select the converted .pst file and import your emails.

Now, you can access your cPanel emails in Outlook!