Convert Opera Mail to Outlook: Easy Guide for Non-Tech Users

Why Opera Mail Can’t Just Be Opened in Outlook

Outlook keeps its data in PST files, while Opera Mail keeps messages in mbox-style files. This is the root of the problem. Opera’s own community explains that the mail store holds messages in per-account folders, sorted by date, with each file being an mbox file that carries an .mbs extension. Each account’s messages sit in an accountN folder, and the .mbs files are mbox files with a different extension.

Outlook has no built-in way to read that format. A direct “File > Open” on an .mbs file will not work, so the data has to be converted first. That’s what people mean by Opera Mail to Outlook PST conversion.

Step One: Find or Export Your Opera Mail Data

You have two ways to get your messages ready.

Option A:  Export from inside Opera Mail.  Right-click a mailbox or view, choose Export, and save the file.  The exported files carry the .mbs extension, and Thunderbird uses the same mbox-style approach to store mail.  Repeat this for every folder you care about.

Option B:  Copy the store folder.  Opera Mail’s help menu shows where your data lives.  On Windows, typing %appdata%\opera opens the profile directory, where you can search for files ending in .mbs.  Copy the whole mail folder somewhere safe before you do anything else.  This is your backup.

One real limitation of Option A: exporting folder by folder does not carry over your subfolder layout. One user noted that the procedure doesn’t maintain the sub-folder structure, so someone with four levels of folders would need to export each one individually. If you have a deep folder tree, this is the main reason to consider a dedicated tool later.

Tips Before You Start When You Convert Opera Mail to Outlook

• Back up first: Copy your Opera mail folder before you touch anything. Opera’s own forum users warn that messages no longer on the server are gone if you lose the local store.
• Check message counts: Note how many emails each folder has, then compare after import.
• Don’t forget contacts: Opera contacts are exported separately through the settings menu under import and export. Convert them to CSV, which Outlook can import.
• Test with one folder: Convert a small folder first so you know what to expect.
• Keep the original files until you are sure everything arrived.

Method 01: Manual Way to Switch from Opera Mail to Outlook (Free, but Slow)

If you have a modest mailbox and some patience, the free workaround goes like this:

1. Export your Opera Mail folders as mbox files, as described above.
2. Install Mozilla Thunderbird and add an import add-on such as ImportExportTools NG. The add-on is the tool recommended for bringing .mbs files into Thunderbird.
3. Import the files into Thunderbird’s Local Folders.
4. Set up a Gmail account in Thunderbird using IMAP and drag your folders into it.
5. Add the same Gmail account to Outlook, then use Outlook’s Import/Export to save everything as a PST file.

This is the chain of steps people typically describe: configure a Gmail IMAP account in Thunderbird, move the MBOX emails into it, open that account in Outlook, and finally export to a PST with Outlook’s Import/Export feature.

It works, but it needs three applications, an online account, and a lot of waiting. The same source points out the downsides: risk of data loss, formatting problems, and it isn’t practical for large MBOX files or many accounts. For a few hundred emails, fine. Convert Opera Mail to Outlook PST for a business mailbox, think twice.

Method 02: Professional Way to Convert Opera Mail to Outlook

Final Thoughts

Convert Opera Mail to Outlook is mostly a formatting problem. Your emails are intact on your drive, but in a format Outlook can’t read. The free manual method works for small mailboxes if you’re patient. For large mailboxes, deep folder trees, or business data, a dedicated converter saves time and lowers the risk of missing messages. Whichever way you go, back up first and verify the results.

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