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How to export Proton Mail to an .mbox file

5 min read · Updated 2026-05-30

Proton Mail is end-to-end encrypted, so your mail can't be read over plain IMAP the way Gmail or Yahoo can. Proton's answer is the official Export Tool — a desktop app that decrypts your mailbox locally and writes it to standard .mbox files. It keeps Proton's privacy promise intact, which pairs naturally with sub-hunt.com's in-browser scanning.

Because Proton encrypts messages so that only you can read them, exporting has to happen on your own device after decryption. The Proton Mail Export Tool does exactly that: you sign in, it pulls and decrypts your mail locally, and it saves the result as .mbox. Nothing is sent anywhere in plaintext — and once you have the file, sub-hunt continues that privacy story by parsing it in your browser.

Export with the Proton Mail Export Tool

  1. Download the Proton Mail Export Tool. From Proton's official site, get the Export Tool for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux). It's Proton's own application, separate from the webmail.
  2. Sign in with your Proton account. Open the tool and log in. If you use two-factor authentication, enter the code when prompted. The tool decrypts your mail locally using your credentials.
  3. Choose a destination folder. Point the tool at a folder on your computer — your Desktop is fine. This is where the exported archive will be written.
  4. Start the export. Begin the export and let it run. Depending on mailbox size it can take a while, since every message is decrypted on your machine as it's written out.
  5. Locate the .mbox and scan it. When it finishes, the destination folder contains your mail in .mbox format. Drop the file onto sub-hunt to find your subscriptions.

Good to know

  • A free Proton plan may limit exports; paid plans export the full mailbox. Check the tool's notes if some mail seems to be missing.
  • The export runs entirely on your device — Proton's encryption means there's no plaintext copy on any server to download.
  • Exporting reads and copies your mail; it never deletes anything from your Proton account.
  • Proton Mail Bridge (for paid plans) also exposes a local IMAP endpoint, so Thunderbird-plus-export is an alternative route if you already use Bridge.

Frequently asked questions

  • Why can't I just connect Proton Mail over IMAP?
    Proton's end-to-end encryption means standard IMAP can't read your messages directly. Decryption has to happen on your device — which is what the Export Tool (and Proton Mail Bridge) do locally.
  • Is the Export Tool free?
    The tool itself is provided by Proton. Export scope can depend on your plan — some free accounts have limits, while paid plans export everything. Proton's documentation lists the current terms.
  • Does exporting weaken Proton's privacy?
    No. The decryption happens locally on your computer, and the .mbox stays on your device. sub-hunt then scans it in your browser without uploading it, so the chain stays private end to end.
  • Can I use Proton Mail Bridge instead?
    Yes, on a paid plan. Bridge runs a local IMAP server you can connect Thunderbird to, then export to .mbox the same way as any IMAP account.

Ready to scan your inbox?

Once you have your .mbox file, drop it into sub-hunt.com. Everything is parsed in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

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