Where are email files stored on Mac?

When diving into where email files are stored on a Mac, it generally breaks down by the email client you use. For Apple’s Mail app, the path is typically:

~/Library/Mail/Vx/

Here ‘x’ is the version number, which advances with updates to macOS and Mail. Each account gets its directory and inside, you’ll discover mbox files, which store actual emails. For non-Apple clients like Outlook or Thunderbird:

• Outlook: These files are tucked into ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook Profiles/Main Profile/
• Thunderbird: Look inside ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/.

Different apps organize their data uniquely, but on macOS, ~/Library is the starting point for locally stored email data. Always adapt by client specifics.

I remember being as curious as you and I can tell you it’s pretty straightforward. For the built-in Mail app on Mac, your emails are stored in the Mail folder found inside the Library folder in your home directory. Here’s how you locate it:

• Open Finder.
• Click ‘Go’ in the menu bar.
• Hold down the ‘Option’ key to reveal the ‘Library’ option and click on it.
• Navigate to the Mail folder.

Each account has a subfolder here, often named with random strings of characters. That’s where all your emails and attachments are held.

Hi there! I get the frustration; it took me a bit of digging too. If you’re using the default Mail app, you’d go here:

• Open Finder.
• Use ‘Cmd + Shift + G’ to open ‘Go to Folder.’
• Type ~/Library/Mail/.

This path takes you to where all the email files are organized by your mailbox and account. Different versions of Mail store them in ‘V’ folders (like V7, V8), each corresponding to a specific account.

For third-party apps, it slightly varies:

• Outlook: Stored in ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/
• Thunderbird: Its data sits in ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/.

I hope this helps!

To find where email files are stored on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. For Apple Mail:

   • Open Finder.
   • Press ‘Cmd + Shift + G’ to bring up the ‘Go to Folder’ dialog.
   • Enter ~/Library/Mail/ and press Enter.
   • You will see folders labeled ‘Vx’ (where ‘x’ is a number) representing different versions of the Mail app. Inside, you will find folders for each of your email accounts.
   • Within these folders, the mail data is stored.

2. For Microsoft Outlook:

   • Go to ~/Documents/Microsoft User Data/
   • Look for the folder named ‘Office 2011 Identities’ or ‘Office 2016 Identities’ depending on your Outlook version.

3. For Thunderbird:

   • Navigate to ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/
   • You will find your profile folder which contains all your email data.

Let’s narrow it down! Email file storage on Mac differs by application:

1. Apple Mail:

   • Finder > Go > ‘Go to Folder’ (Cmd + Shift + G)
   • Enter ~/Library/Mail/
   • Navigate through folders for specific accounts and versions.

2. Microsoft Outlook:

   • Microsoft’s profiles reside in ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/.

3. Mozilla Thunderbird:

   • Files are located at ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/.

In each case, Finder helps you access the Library folder (often hidden) and navigate to these paths. Simulation steps reflect Apple’s file management system and will remain consistent.