help: Locally Archiving 30 years of Mac Email

[jesse_the_k]

I like having a written record of what happened, to supplement my memory.

I switched form Eudora to Mac Mail in the last millennium. I've had at least a dozen email addresses. I've faithfully downloaded everything to my local Mac (IMAP, not POP--I may be old fashioned but I'm not a masochist). I'm more cavalier with my iOS Mail since I know the master version will be on my Mac.

I have 7 gigabytes of *.mbox and sipped *.mboxes.

I know that Mail will be happier if I have fewer "active" messages. Can I somehow export and then delete emails from Mail without losing them?

My search has found no massively helpful article. I want "Take Control of Archiving Your Email" to exist. Can you point me to a step-by-step, handholding resource that will slim down current Mail while still permitting me to read that email I sent to my doctor in 1999?

Comments

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

I'm wondering if the answer is .json

I still have to figure out how to use .json but it was suggested as a potential for a different and yet not That Different situation.

[jesse_the_k]

*shudders*

I'm gonna scale Mount Grep before I even think of .JSON