How do I get my Outlook Express emails into Outlook or Thunderbird?

Save the messages you want as .eml files here. Thunderbird imports .eml files, a folder of them at a time, with its free ImportExportTools NG add-on; Outlook and Apple Mail open them one at a time.

I opened Folders.dbx and there are no messages. Why?

Folders.dbx only lists the folders. Each folder's messages are in its own file beside it: Inbox.dbx, Sent Items.dbx and so on. Open those one at a time.

Can it open Outlook Express 4 files (.mbx and .idx)?

No. Outlook Express 4 used a different format, .mbx with a separate .idx index, and this page reads only the .dbx files of versions 5 and 6.

Does it get back deleted messages?

It shows the messages the folder still lists. Messages emptied from Deleted Items may leave pieces in the file, but those are not recovered here.

Are my emails uploaded?

No. The .dbx file is read by this browser tab on your own device; nothing is sent anywhere.

Stays on your computer How this works

Free online DBX viewer: read Outlook Express mail folders

Open an Outlook Express .dbx file from an old Windows XP computer or backup, read every email in it, and save messages and attachments. The file is opened in your browser and is not uploaded.

Drop a .dbx file here, or click to choose oneIt is opened by your browser, on this computer. Nothing is uploaded.

About the DBX viewer

Outlook Express was the email program built into Windows 98, 2000 and XP. Versions 5 and 6 kept each mail folder in its own .dbx file: Inbox.dbx, Sent Items.dbx, Deleted Items.dbx and one for every folder you made, inside a hidden "Outlook Express" folder in the user's profile. Windows Vista replaced it with Windows Mail, which cannot open .dbx files, and no version of Windows since can either. Years of email from an old PC or a backup disc sit in those files with nothing to read them, and most of the programs that offer to are paid converters.

This page reads a .dbx folder file directly: it walks the folder's index to find every message, puts each one back together from the pieces Outlook Express stored it in, and shows it with the same reader as the MBOX viewer. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and once you have used it, it keeps working offline.

What you can do

See every message in an Outlook Express folder, newest first or oldest first, with sender, subject and date
Search the subjects, senders and recipients
Read any message with its formatting, with remote images blocked until you choose to load them
Save attachments, and save any message as an .eml file that Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail open

How to open a .dbx file

Find the .dbx files. On Windows XP they are in C:\Documents and Settings\your name\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\a long code\Microsoft\Outlook Express; on an old drive or backup, search it for *.dbx.
Drop one folder file, such as Inbox.dbx, on the box above, or click the box and choose it.
Click a message to read it. Previous and Next move through them; save what you want to keep.

Questions

How do I get my Outlook Express emails into Outlook or Thunderbird?: Save the messages you want as .eml files here. Thunderbird imports .eml files, a folder of them at a time, with its free ImportExportTools NG add-on; Outlook and Apple Mail open them one at a time.
I opened Folders.dbx and there are no messages. Why?: Folders.dbx only lists the folders. Each folder's messages are in its own file beside it: Inbox.dbx, Sent Items.dbx and so on. Open those one at a time.
Can it open Outlook Express 4 files (.mbx and .idx)?: No. Outlook Express 4 used a different format, .mbx with a separate .idx index, and this page reads only the .dbx files of versions 5 and 6.
Does it get back deleted messages?: It shows the messages the folder still lists. Messages emptied from Deleted Items may leave pieces in the file, but those are not recovered here.
Are my emails uploaded?: No. The .dbx file is read by this browser tab on your own device; nothing is sent anywhere.

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