Forgot to mention, I'm on the current release of 45.2.0.

I'd import them into Local Folders, which don't need an account.

Having cleaned up your link,

https://commons.lbl.gov/display/~jwelcher@lbl.gov/Reading+an+mbox+file+with+Thunderbird

I don't understand why they push the fake account. I think you could just copy your mbox file into Local Folders in the profile.

How do you suggest I import directly to the local folders? That's exactly what I want to do, but cannot find a way.

If you don't have an account setup, ImportExportTools will not allow you to import an mbox file.

It's a long time since I've done anything like this, but my recollection is that if you start Thunderbird and decline all the invitations to add an account, it will create an empty profile complete with Local Folders. You could then close Thunderbird and just copy your mbox file into the Local Folders directory.

I also recall that on the few occasions where I have needed to rescue an orphaned mbox, ImportExportTools would import it ONLY into Local Folders.

But to test all that. I'd have to run up a clean install of Thunderbird and copy in a working mbox file, but right now it's late and I need to get to bed. I'll look at this tomorrow.

That was my understanding too from previous setups, but when I installed thunderbird and declined to setup an account, it did not create local folders. The left pane is completely blank. I can't drag and drop the mbox file onto thunderbird anywhere, and there is no option I can find to import it outside of using ImportExportTools.

I remember this issue last time and it was solved by setting up a dummy email account, which then create the local folders. Unfortunately this new version won't let me set up an account unless it logs in successfully.

Interesting. I'll look into that. Thank you.

You are perfectly correct - no Local Folders until a regular account is set up.

I chose to "use my existing account", I chose the manual config option, set up a fake address on example.com, tweaked for a basic imap/143, smtp/25 set-up with no security or authorisation, then used Advanced to jump straight to the Account Settings pane and job done. I think pop/110 would have worked just as well.

I closed Thunderbird, located Mail and then Local Folders in my new profile using my file manager and just dropped an mbox file into it. Restarted Thunderbird and my messages were all there.

Ah ha! I had written a whole report on how I couldn't click through to advanced, but then found out you must turn off all authentication for both incoming and outgoing server for the button to be available! That was the key part I was missing, I had left the field on automatic or various encryption options.

I was able to create the dummy account and now have a local folder to import my mbox file to. Thanks for your help!