DbxConv 1.3 - Free Outlook Express to mbox Converter

DbxConv exports the messages in your Outlook Express to the universal mbox format, from which it is easy to import in most email programs. A crude command line tool that does require some manual searching and typing, DbxConv is still easy enough to use.

Outlook Express, it seems, is always there and ready to take your mail. It then stores the messages in folders that translate to arcane files on your disk. Some email programs can import existing mail from Outlook Express, but it is usually better not to count on it.

If an IMAP server with ample space is at hand, you can use it to move mail from one program to the other. Usually, this is a task whose arduousness increases exponentially with the number of messages and folders you have. A better way to get mail out of Outlook Express is badly needed.

How about a small tool, for example, that simply takes the mail in Outlook Express and saves it in a format that most email programs can understand? DbxConv is that tool, essentially.

Hand DbxConv a .dbx file (the arcane file format), and in a snap it will have saved it as an .mbx file. DbxConv is a command line tool, so if you know what to do, the job is done fast and without the burden of menus, toolbars and wizards.

You do have to set the state manually, though: create a new folder to hold the converted mailboxes, copy DbxConv to it, open your Outlook Express store folder, copy all .dbx files to the temporary folder and finally key in the right command.

The right command, usually just "DbxConv *.dbx", can also include a number of options. Some programs require special file extensions or mbox format tweaks, for example. It would be nice if DbxConv could suggest the right settings right away (Eudora does not like any).