How to use the MSG viewer
- Give the tool the Outlook message: drop the .msg on the dashed box above, or browse for it with the button inside the box.
- Read the message. The subject, sender, recipients and date are shown first, then the text. Images hosted on the internet are blocked until you press “Load images”.
- Download the attachments you need one by one, or press “Save as PDF” to open the browser’s print dialog.
There is nothing to install and no account. The file is decoded by JavaScript in your browser.
What is an MSG file?
An MSG file is a single item saved from Microsoft Outlook, most often one email. Outlook creates it when someone drags a message from the mailbox into a folder or uses Save As.
Unlike most email files, it is not text. It is a binary container holding the message, its formatting, the attachments and a long list of Outlook-specific properties. Open it in a text editor and you see mostly unreadable characters.
Microsoft has published the format, but few mail programs other than Outlook read it. That is why the file feels locked when you are on a Mac, a phone or a PC without Outlook.
A .msg file can also hold a contact, a calendar entry or a task. This viewer is built for email messages.
MSG compared with EML
| Compared | MSG | EML |
|---|---|---|
| Created by | Outlook | Most mail programs and webmail services |
| Inside | Binary container of Outlook properties | Plain text in the standard email (MIME) format |
| Opens in | Mainly Outlook | Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail and others |
| Readable in a text editor | No | Yes, headers at least |
If your file ends in .eml, use the EML viewer.
How do I open an MSG file without Outlook?
Use a tool that reads the format directly, such as the viewer on this page. It decodes the file itself, so Outlook does not need to be installed.
On a Mac
Apple Mail does not open .msg files, and Outlook for Mac has not always supported them. The viewer works in a current browser on a Mac: drop the file in and the message appears.
On an iPhone or Android phone
Phone mail apps generally show a .msg attachment as a file they cannot display. Save the attachment to your phone first, then load it into this viewer from the phone’s own browser.
On a Windows PC
Double-clicking a .msg file only works when Outlook is installed and set up. If it is not, or you would sooner not start Outlook to read one message, drop the file here.
Is it safe to open an MSG file someone sent me?
Reading it here is a cautious way to look inside, because the viewer displays the content and does not run anything in the file. Remote images stay blocked until you choose to load them, so the sender is not told that you opened the message.
Attachments are a separate matter. A downloaded attachment is an ordinary file on your computer, so treat it with the same care as any attachment from that sender.
To keep a readable copy for your records, the MSG to PDF converter saves the message with its headers.