Open MSG File · Free MSG Viewer Without Outlook
A .msg file is how Outlook saves a single email. Receive one on a computer without Outlook, or on a Mac, and there is usually nothing to open it with. Drop it here and the sender, recipients, date, body and attachment list appear straight away. No install or account needed, and the file never leaves your device.
No upload
Drop your files here
Drop .eml, .msg, .pst, .ost, .mbox or .emlx files, a folder or a ZIP to browse them like a mailbox. Files open only inside this browser.
How to open an MSG file
- 1
Drop the .msg file
Drag the file in or choose it. Several at once works too.
- 2
Read the body and attachments
From, To and date sit above the body, with the attachment list underneath. You can also view the raw headers.
- 3
Save what you need
Download attachments one by one or all as a ZIP, and save the email as PDF or .eml.
About MSG files
.msg is a format only Outlook knows
Drag an email out of Outlook for Windows, or use "Save As", and you get a .msg file. It looks like one email, but inside it is a Microsoft container format that other mail programs generally cannot read.
Hence the familiar problems: "I got a .msg and I do not have Outlook", "double-clicking it on my Mac does nothing". This viewer unpacks the container itself, so Outlook is not involved.
| .eml | .msg | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Gmail, Thunderbird and most mail programs | Outlook for Windows |
| Inside | Standard text-based email format | Microsoft container format |
| In other programs | Usually opens | Usually does not |
| In this viewer | Opens | Opens |
A .msg on a Mac or phone
When someone drags an email out of Outlook and attaches it, the recipient gets a .msg. On a Mac or phone, tapping that attachment often does nothing at all.
Save the attachment to your device, open this page in a browser and choose the file. On an iPhone, save it to the Files app first.
Characters that come out right
A .msg records the code page of the computer that wrote it. The viewer reads it, so Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Cyrillic and other non-Latin mail shows the right characters.
Very old messages sometimes lack that information and come out garbled. In that case, pick an encoding yourself from the encoding menu.
The body stays in a sealed frame
An email body is HTML written by someone else. It is drawn only inside a separate frame with scripts and outside access cut off, and images loaded from outside (tracking pixels and the like) are blocked until you choose to load them.
Common questions
Can I open a .msg without Outlook?+
Yes. Drop it on this page and the browser reads the .msg directly. No Outlook and no other program required.
Does it work on a Mac?+
Yes. Open this page in Safari, Chrome or any modern browser and drop the file. iPhone and Android work the same way.
Is the email sent to a server?+
No. Reading and displaying the file both finish inside this browser.
Can I get the attachments out?+
Yes. Download them one at a time or all as a ZIP, grouped by file type if you like. PDF attachments can go straight to the PDF editor.
Can I save it as a PDF?+
Yes. "Save as PDF" downloads a PDF file with no print dialog. For converting many at once, see the "MSG to PDF" page.
Can I convert .msg to .eml?+
Yes. Open the email and export it as .eml, which Thunderbird, Apple Mail and most other mail programs can open.
What about .oft files?+
They open too. An Outlook template (.oft) is shown as a template rather than a sent email.
I need a whole mailbox (.pst).+
The "Open PST file" page opens an entire Outlook data file in the same viewer.