How to open a .MSG file online
No mail account and no extra software to install.
Pick your .MSG file
Drag it in or click to choose it. It opens here in a moment.
Read it safely
The message opens in a locked-down view: scripts never run, and remote images often used for tracking stay blocked until you allow them.
Check and save
Download attachments, read the full headers, and see every server the message passed through, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC results.
About .MSG files
What a .MSG file is, and what's inside it.
An MSG file is one email (subject, sender, recipients, body, and any attachments) saved from Microsoft Outlook in Outlook's proprietary binary format. On Windows, double-click it in Outlook, or use the free OpenMSG app if you do not have Outlook. On Mac or iPhone, the Klammer app opens it. The main concern is that MSG can carry the same malicious attachments and phishing links as any email.
Programs that open .MSG files
| Full name | Outlook Message (Microsoft Outlook saved email) |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| First released | Late 1990s with Microsoft Outlook; format documented publicly by Microsoft as [MS-OXMSG] |
| Category | |
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-outlook |
| Signature | D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 OLE2 / Compound File Binary signature |
Related viewers
Open the attachments you find.
Is it safe to open a suspicious .MSG file here?
Safer than in a mail client: the message runs in an isolated frame with scripts disabled, remote images and trackers are blocked until you allow them, and attachments are never opened automatically.
How can I tell if an e-mail is fake?
Look at the Message info panel. We show the SPF, DKIM and DMARC results recorded by the receiving server, warn you when the Reply-To address differs from the sender, and list every server the message passed through.
Can I open a Gmail or Thunderbird mailbox (.mbox)?
Yes. Drop the .mbox file and you'll get a searchable list of every message. Click one to read it.
Why does my MSG file show plain text only?
Some Outlook messages store their formatting only as compressed RTF. We show the text today; full RTF formatting is coming soon.
Can I open .pst or .ost files?
Not yet. Outlook data files are on our roadmap. Meanwhile you can export single messages from Outlook as .msg and open them here.
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