Member Avatar for obear

How do you save your Mac Outlook Express 5.05 email and import it into the OSX version? Same question for the Favorites in Mac IE 5.1.7.

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A short, practical plan to move Outlook Express (Mac OS 9) mail + IE favorites into Mac OS X — expands on and without repeating file paths.

Outlook Express for Mac (OS 9) can’t be run natively on Intel Macs (the Classic OS9 layer only exists on some PowerPC setups), so plan to extract data from the old machine and import it into Mail/Contacts/Browser on the new Mac. (codedocs.org)

Recommended order (fastest / least risky first):

  • Use Apple’s Migration Assistant when possible — it copies mail, accounts, contacts and browser data from another Mac or a Time Machine/backup. If you have network/FireWire/target-disk access to the old Mac, this is the easiest path. See Apple’s Migration Assistant guide for details. Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant. (support.apple.com)

  • If Migration Assistant isn’t an option, do an IMAP “shuffle” or export/import:

    1. IMAP shuffle: add a temporary IMAP account (Gmail or your IMAP server) to Outlook Express on the old Mac, create matching folders on the IMAP account, drag the local mail into those IMAP folders (they upload to the server). On the new Mac add that same IMAP account and move mail down into local Mail mailboxes. For large/many folders, dedicated sync tools (imapsync) or Thunderbird can automate this. (onezeronull.com)

    2. mbox route: export or convert OE mail to mbox and use Mail’s File → Import Mailboxes (choose mbox) to bring messages into Mail.app. Import or export mailboxes in Mail on Mac. (support.apple.com)

Bookmarks and contacts:

  • Export favorites/bookmarks from the old browser as HTML and import into Safari/Firefox (Safari can export/import browsing data). Export Safari data / Import browsing data. (support.apple.com)
  • Export contacts as vCard from the old Address Book and import into the Contacts app on the new Mac (or import the vCard into iCloud). Apple documents cover vCard import/export. (support.apple.com)

Final tips: make a full backup first (print or archive critical folders as suggested), test the process on a small folder, and don’t buy Parallels/Windows just to read OE for Mac — migration routes above avoid that expense.

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Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello,

I assume you are upgrading from Mac OS 9 to OS X. Before you do that, i would suggest a paper printout just in case something goes foul.

I have not done the Mac Outlook Express conversion. I am a dutiful Eudora fan, and that upgraded flawlessly.

For IE Favorites, you will need to go into the Mac OS System folder, find the Preferences folder, and then go and get the favorites.html file. Copy that guy over to the OS X (user) folder, and tunnel down into Library --> Preferences --> Explorer, and copy the favorites.html file there.

You may wish to test this on another system if you have a friend who has a similar setup.

Good Luck,

Christian

Member Avatar for janells

Hi - I am resuming this old thread because I can't find an answer anywhere - how do you export your outlook express folders and contacts onto OSX - from an OS9 Imac G3 to an OSX IMac Intel core2 Duo? I am about to buy the latter but am wary of losing lots of stuff!

Member Avatar for John A

These 2 links should provide all the information you'll need:

Have fun.

commented: very useful +1
Member Avatar for janells

These 2 links should provide all the information you'll need:

Have fun.

Thanks very much, 'Joe'. That's very useful. My distributor told me I'd have to buy Vista and Parallels in order to view outlook express on Mac OSX on a new Intel Mac, in order to copy OE contacts and folders across from my old PowerPC Mac to the new Mac, so given what you've referred me to, I presume that's not the case! If you think it is, do let me know.

NB: I had looked in the Apple files and found other articles relating to this, though they weren't as direct as the one you found.
Much obliged!
Jane

:) :)

Member Avatar for John A

My distributor told me I'd have to buy Vista and Parallels in order to view outlook express on Mac OSX on a new Intel Mac, in order to copy OE contacts and folders across from my old PowerPC Mac to the new Mac

Your distributor probably thought that you were referring to the Outlook Express on Windows. It wouldn't be possible to run Outlook Express for Mac OS 9 on Windows Vista anyway...

so given what you've referred me to, I presume that's not the case!

That's the only way I know of doing it (even though I've never actually had to do that). Installing Windows certainly isn't going to work.

Member Avatar for janells

Thanks - you've just saved me £160 plus VAT!! I can't understand how MacWarehouse salespeople can come up with this, given I've told them it was a Mac application.
Their 'techies' have always been good for probs with my IMac G3...
Best wishes, Jane

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