How to export emails using the Proton Mail Export Tool
The Proton Mail Export Tool is available for everyone. It helps you export decrypted emails from your Proton Mail account to your device. You can then view the messages or import them into another email account or email client. This article will guide you through the process of using this tool.
Download the Proton Mail Export Tool
Minimum system requirements:
- Windows 10
- macOS 10.15 (Intel) or macOS 11.0 (M1)
- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
What the tool will export
The tool will export all your emails and their metadata. They will respectively be saved as EML and JSON files. EML messages can then be imported into email clients such as Thunderbird or Outlook.
Preparation
Before running the Proton Mail Export Tool, please ensure that:
- Your system meets the minimal system requirements (see above).
- You have sufficient disk space to take in the volume of emails stored in your Proton inbox.
- You have a stable internet connection and enough time to complete the export — the export can take from a few minutes up to a few hours on larger inboxes and on slow connections.
How to export your emails
1. Download and extract the Export Tool
Click the relevant download button above for your operating system. Once the download is complete, extract the contents of the .zip archive to a folder of your choice.
2. Launch the Export Tool
Open the folder where you extracted the tool. Locate the “proton-mail-export-cli” file and double-click it to launch the export tool.
3. Log in to your Proton Mail account
A terminal window will open, prompting you to enter your Proton Mail username. Type in your username and hit <enter>.
You’ll now be prompted to enter your password. Do so, and hit <enter>. Please note that your password won’t be visible as you type it.
If you’ve enabled 2-factor authentication or use a mailbox password, you’ll be asked to enter your 2FA code or password.
4. Select an export location
The tool will ask if you want to use the default export location, which creates a new folder with your Proton Mail username in the folder where the tool was downloaded. Type yes, and hit <enter> to proceed with the default location.
If you prefer to specify a different export location, enter no, and you’ll be prompted to enter your preferred path for the exported data.
5. Start the export
The export process will now start. A progress bar will display the status of the export, and you’ll see an Export finished message in the terminal window when it’s complete
You can now close the terminal window. Your messages have been downloaded to the folder you selected in step 4.
Frequently asked questions
No, you can’t. Please ensure you have a stable internet connection and enough time to complete the export. The export can take from a few minutes up to a few hours on larger inboxes and on slow connections.
The Proton Mail Export Tool only lets you export your Proton Mail emails.
You can use our Easy Switch tool to import emails from Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or other providers. Emails are encrypted the moment they arrive in your Proton Mail inbox.