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. Zimbra exports your mailbox as a free .tgz of .eml files, but PST is Outlook’s own format, so only Outlook or a converter can write it. To export Zimbra to PST, export the .tgz, then bring it into Outlook by IMAP or by dragging the .eml files and save a PST, or let a tool write the PST directly without Outlook.
On this page
Two halves, one easy and one sticky
This job splits neatly in two, and it helps to see that up front. Getting your mail out of Zimbra is the easy half, the Zimbra web client exports a whole mailbox as a .tgz archive for free, no add-ons, no cost. Getting it into a PST is the sticky half, because PST is Outlook’s own format and only Outlook, or a converter built for the job, can actually write one. Thunderbird and Apple Mail cannot. So the real decision here is not how to leave Zimbra, it is how you bridge that export across to a PST, and there are two honest ways to do it.
Leaving Zimbra is free, writing the PST is the part that needs Outlook or a tool.
“The export side is a solved problem, the Zimbra web client hands you a .tgz of your whole mailbox for nothing. Where people get stuck is the PST, because a PST is an Outlook container and nothing outside Outlook writes one without help. So you either let Outlook do it, add the account by IMAP or drag the exported messages in and export to a PST, or you use a converter that reads the .tgz and writes the PST itself. I lean on the direct converter when there is no Outlook on the machine or the mailbox is large, and on Outlook when it is already there and the mailbox is small.” Shubham Dixit, Email Migration reviewer (draft, pending approval)
Step one, export the Zimbra mailbox
Either route starts the same way, with the free export. Sign in to the Zimbra Web Client in your browser, open Preferences, then Import / Export. Under Export, leave the type as Account to take the whole mailbox, or pick a single folder, and click Export. Zimbra builds a .tgz file and downloads it, that archive holds your messages as .eml files in the same folder layout. On Windows, extract the .tgz with a free unzipper like 7-Zip to get at the .eml files. One honest correction to older guides, this is done in the web client, not the old Zimbra Desktop app, which was retired a long time ago.
The free route to PST, through Outlook
If you already have Outlook on Windows, you can reach a PST without paying for anything. There are two ways in. If the Zimbra account is still live, add it to Outlook as an IMAP account, let the folders sync down, and skip straight to the export. If you are working from the archive, drag the extracted .eml files into an Outlook folder, since Outlook opens .eml natively. Either way, once the mail sits in Outlook, go to File, then Open and Export, then Import / Export, choose Export to a file, pick Outlook Data File (.pst), select the folder, and save. It is free, though dragging thousands of messages by hand gets slow, which is where the next route comes in.
With Outlook on hand, the mail goes in, then out again as a PST.
The direct route, no Outlook
When there is no Outlook on the machine, or the mailbox is large enough that dragging it by hand is a chore, a converter does the whole thing in one pass. The PCDOTS Zimbra Converter reads the exported .tgz and writes a PST directly, no Outlook required, keeping the folder layout and the attachments inside each message. You load the .tgz, pick PST from the export menu, and save, with options to include headers or tidy empty folders on the way out. It runs on Windows, and the free version converts the first ten items so you can confirm it reads your export before you buy. Reach for it when the free Outlook route is more manual than the size of the job deserves.
The tool route, a .tgz read straight into a PST with the folders intact.
Here are the tool steps with the screens.
Step 1. Install and run the software on Windows, then open the menu.
Step 2. Choose Email Servers, then Zimbra, and add your .tgz.
Step 3. Open Export and choose PST.
Step 4. Pick a destination and save the PST.
Related reading, our guide to extract attachments from Zimbra. To check the export before converting, the free EML viewer opens the .eml files, and the free PST viewer opens the finished PST without Outlook.
A note for server admins
If you run the Zimbra server yourself, you have a command line option that skips the web client. The zmmailbox tool can pull a mailbox out over REST, for example fetching the account as a .tgz, which is handy for scripting a batch of accounts or grabbing one you cannot log into. It is admin territory and needs shell access to the server, so it is not the path for a single user, but it lands you at the same .tgz the routes above start from.
The methods compared
Pick by whether Outlook is on hand and how big the mailbox is.
| Route | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook, IMAP or drag | Outlook on hand, small mailbox | Free, manual for many messages |
| Zimbra Converter tool | No Outlook, large mailbox | Windows, writes PST direct |
| zmmailbox export | Server admins, batches | Command line, gets the .tgz |
Frequently asked questions
How do I export my Zimbra mailbox?
In the Zimbra Web Client, open Preferences, then Import / Export, and click Export. Zimbra downloads a .tgz archive holding your mail as .eml files.
Can I export Zimbra to PST without Outlook?
Yes, but not with a free client, because only Outlook writes PST natively. Use a converter that reads the .tgz and writes the PST directly instead.
Is there a free way if I have Outlook?
Yes. Add the live Zimbra account to Outlook by IMAP, or drag the extracted .eml files into an Outlook folder, then use File, Open and Export, Export to a .pst.
Do I still need the old Zimbra Desktop app?
No. Zimbra Desktop was discontinued. The export now lives in the Zimbra Web Client under Preferences, Import / Export.
Will folders and attachments survive the move?
Yes. The .tgz keeps the folder structure and the attachments, and both the Outlook route and a proper converter preserve them into the PST.
Can I export just one folder instead of everything?
Yes. In the export screen, choose a specific folder rather than the whole account, and only that folder goes into the .tgz.
Once it is a PST
Worth remembering where this leaves you. The moment the mail is a PST, it stops being a Zimbra problem and becomes ordinary Outlook data, you can open it in any version of Outlook on Windows, attach it as a second data file, or fold it into an existing profile. From there the same file travels wherever you need it next, an archive on a drive, a handoff to Microsoft 365, or a long-term backup. So export the .tgz, pick the bridge that fits your setup, and that PST is yours to keep and move on your own terms.
