cc from mbox files

How to Extract CC from MBOX Files? Full Guide

Summary: Are you the one who is dealing with various emails and want to extract CC from MBOX files. Then, you will get your solution in the right way. However, people find it difficult when they have to take out an email address from each mail manually. This guide will majorly focus on this aspect and provide the best way of doing bulk email extraction. 

Role of CC Recipients in MBOX File

The CC header in email indicates that the recipients are to receive a copy of the message. In an MBOX file, CC recipients are stored in message header along with other email properties.

When working on thousands of emails, users don’t want to be processing CC addresses one by one.

Also Read: Extract Email Addresses From Gmail

Why Extract CC Addresses from MBOX?

Before moving ahead with the method steps, let’s know the reason why users want to get CC from email:

  • To make a full address book based on my previous emails
  • For checking emails in regular interval to meet policy needs
  • Analyze patterns for communication and legal work
  • We collect CC from emails-related activities
  • This is done to copy or check contacts when switching to multiple email clients
  • To remove CC recipients from To and BCC fields for record keeping purposes

Extract CC From MBOX Files – Free Extraction Steps

Most email clients do not provide built-in features to directly extract CC addresses. But, it depends upon the email clients you are using.

#1. Extract CC Field From MBOX Through Thunderbird Client

You can use Mozilla Thunderbird to access MBOX files and check its headers.

  1. Firstly, launch Thunderbird and install the add-on extension before importing the MBOX file
  2. Next, choose any email from the mailbox
  3. To see the full headers of each message, turn on view > headers > all.
  4. You need to locate the CC field manually.
  5. Copy the CC address, and paste it to a document form
  6. Follow the same steps for every mail you want..

Limitations:

  • Time taking process for large mailboxes
  • No bulk extraction feature
  • High risk of missing addresses
  • Not for professional or legal use

#2. Text Editors to Analyze MBOX Files

Because MBOX stores the format in plain text, some users can try extracting out CC fields using this method:

  1. Open MBOX file in any editor of your choice such as Notepad++
  2. Look for lines starting with Cc
  3. Next, copy the mail address from it manually
  4. At last, arrange the extracted data

Drawbacks:

  • Strong technical needs 
  • Not preferred for large MBOX files
  • High chance of data inconsistency
  • output format is in non-structured style

Why Manual Methods are not the Preferred Choice?

Manual processes are generally recommended when you deal with a small number of MBOX files. However, they will eventually fail while implementing:

  • No bulk extraction support
  • Takes more time than 
  • Human errors and duplicate entries
  • Not possible to export in other formats 
  • There is no way that you can extract any selected fields

Here is when you might need the help of a professional solution.

Extract CC from MBOX File – Automated Approach

Trying the manual option will not work for large MBOX files. So, for this we have a dedicated software known as SysTools MBOX Email Address Extractor. The tool can extract email addresses from MBOX files such as To, Cc, Bcc, Headers, & Body too. The important part is that after the extraction it will not affect the original fields.

Key Features:

  • Email fields like To, From, Cc, Bcc, Headers, & Body can be extracted separately as per your requirement.
  • Works for single & multiple MBOX files
  • Maintains 100% data accuracy
  • Exports in CSV or TXT format
  • Automatically removes duplicate email addresses
  • Supports various popular email clients
  • Interactive dashboard which fits for every user

Final Words

We have shown you various ways to extract CC from MBOX file. You can easily take out any email addresses from any of the email fields using our professional software. As, manual does not give you accuracy and time taking process dealing with large files. If you work with MBOX files on a regular basis or you want to analyze email data professionally, then it is the safest option to go with.