How to archive all emails in Apple Mail

I want to archive some old mails in Apple Mail. I am having some problem in using the same. It is very slow. Sometime it takes around few minutes to load the compose box. I think there are more than 5000 emails in the same. I want some option through which I can archive the last 4500 mails and keep 500 latest. I do not think I will be needing the old one, but still for record I want to keep it. Printing all of them one by one is again a time consuming process. So is there way to archive them and keep it aside.

Yes you can do that. It wont be tough I think. Apple mail offers you a option through which you can archive your email and then lock the same and keep it aside. Later on it will also improve your output and will let you have a decent mail performance. Just click on Mailbox and then click on New Mailbox. Add a name like Archive 2009.to.2012. Now here you just have to drag and drop your message in the new mail box and done. You have to export that and for later usage.

When there are thousands of emails in Apple Mail it is not easy to work on the same. I am having around 2000+ emails and I am not able to find a way to work on that. I am quiet sure there will be some option through which we can hide the old one. The process above is a complete manual method. You have to keep on drag and dropping the emails on the new mail box and that will be really annoying. Instead of doing this it is best to find a third party software that can work more effectively on this issue.