Written by Jennifer Walsh. Reviewed for technical accuracy by Shubham Dixit, Independent Expert in Email Forensics and Data File Conversion.
Shubham is an independent external reviewer and not an employee of PCDOTS.
Quick answer. Google Takeout gives your mail as a single flat .mbox holding every message, while EML is one file per message, so converting Google Takeout to EML means splitting that .mbox into individual .eml files. Thunderbird’s free ImportExportTools NG add-on or a short Python script does this, or a tool splits the whole mailbox in one pass.
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One big file, or many small ones
The reason this conversion exists is a simple shape difference. Google Takeout hands you your mail as a single flat .mbox, one big file with every message stacked inside it. An EML is the opposite, one file per message, the format almost every email client and text viewer opens on its own. So converting Google Takeout to EML is really a split, you are breaking that one .mbox into hundreds of individual .eml files. Once you picture it that way, the methods below are all just different ways to do the same split, and the good ones keep every attachment intact.
Converting to EML splits the one .mbox into many separate messages.
“The whole task is a container change, an .mbox is a bundle and an .eml is a single letter, so you are unbundling one into many. Every method here does that same split, the difference is only the driver. Thunderbird’s ImportExportTools NG does it through a menu, and it is one add-on, not a pile of them, so I would not let anyone scare you off it. A few lines of Python do the same in a loop if you like scripts. A converter is worth it when the mailbox is large and you want the whole thing split in one pass with attachments preserved. Pick by taste, the result is identical.” Shubham Dixit, Data File Conversion reviewer (draft, pending approval)
Get the .mbox out of the archive
Quick first step, because Takeout wraps the .mbox in an archive. You will have a .zip or a .tgz, and it does not matter which, the same .mbox sits inside both. A .zip opens with a double-click anywhere. A .tgz opens natively on Mac and Linux, and on Windows you just need a free unzipper like 7-Zip. Extract it, find the .mbox, and you are ready to split it.
The free way, Thunderbird’s add-on
The friendliest free route runs through Thunderbird and a single add-on, no cost and no code. Install ImportExportTools NG from the Add-ons and Themes screen, then right-click Local Folders, choose ImportExportTools NG, then Import mbox file, and pick your extracted .mbox. When the mail appears, select the messages, right-click, and choose Export all messages in the folder, then EML format. Each message saves as its own .eml, attachments and all. It is one add-on and a couple of clicks, not the ordeal some guides make it sound.
Import the .mbox, then export the folder to one .eml per message.
The free way, a short script
If you like a script, or you want to automate it, Python splits the .mbox into .eml files directly with the built-in mailbox module. It reads each message and writes it out untouched as a .eml, so headers and attachments carry over exactly.
import mailbox, os
os.makedirs('eml_out', exist_ok=True)
for i, message in enumerate(mailbox.mbox('All mail.mbox'), 1):
with open('eml_out/message_%05d.eml' % i, 'wb') as out:
out.write(message.as_bytes())Point it at your .mbox and run it. You get a folder of numbered .eml files, one per message, ready to open in any client. It is free and nothing leaves your computer.
A tool for the whole mailbox
When the mailbox is large, or you would rather not set anything up, a converter splits the whole archive in one pass. The PCDOTS Google Takeout Converter reads the Takeout archive directly and exports every message as a .eml on Windows, keeping attachments, and it can narrow the run by sender, recipient or subject if you only want part of the mailbox. There is a free version so you can confirm it reads your export before you buy. Use it for the batch convenience, the free routes above give the same .eml for smaller jobs.
The tool route, the whole .mbox split to .eml files in one run.
Here are the tool steps with the screens.
Step 1. Install and run the software on Windows, then open the menu.
Step 2. Choose Google Takeout files from the Open menu.
Step 3. Browse and load your Takeout archive.
Step 4. Open Export, choose EML, then save.
Related reading, our guides to convert Google Takeout to text and import Google Takeout to Thunderbird. To check the split messages afterward, the free EML viewer opens .eml files without any client.
The methods compared
All three produce the same .eml files, so pick by how you like to work.
| Method | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| ImportExportTools NG | Clicking, not coding | Free, one add-on |
| Python script | Automating it, free | Keeps headers and attachments |
| Takeout Converter tool | A big mailbox, filters | Windows, one pass |
Frequently asked questions
Why does Takeout not just give me EML files?
Because Takeout exports mail as a single .mbox, which bundles every message into one file. EML is one file per message, so you split the .mbox to get them.
What is the free way to convert Takeout to EML?
Import the .mbox into Thunderbird with ImportExportTools NG, then Export all messages in EML format. Or run a short Python script over the .mbox.
Do I need several Thunderbird add-ons?
No, just one. ImportExportTools NG handles both importing the .mbox and exporting to EML on its own.
Will attachments be kept in the EML files?
Yes. Each .eml is a full copy of the message, so attachments, formatting and headers all carry over.
Should I pick tgz or zip in Takeout?
Either. The same .mbox is inside both. A .zip opens anywhere, and a .tgz opens on Mac and Linux or with 7-Zip on Windows.
Can I convert only some of the messages?
Yes. In Thunderbird select just the messages you want before exporting, or use the tool’s sender, recipient and subject filters to narrow the run.
So what will you do with them?
Once the split is done you have a tidy folder of individual messages, and where they go next is really the point of converting in the first place. Maybe they slot into another client that reads .eml, maybe a few get attached to tickets or filed as records, maybe the whole set becomes a per-message archive on a drive. Whichever it is, unpack the archive, run the split with the free add-on, a short script, or a tool if the mailbox is large, and you will have your Takeout mail as clean .eml files. So which of those is this conversion really for you?
