Open MSG Files
MSG files are made to be opened in Outlook, but you don't need Outlook installed to view the contents of one. You can use any basic text editor to view the contents of an MSG file, or you can use a specialized reader program that will retain the original formatting. You can also convert MSG files to PDF, which can be opened on virtually any device.
Contents
Steps
Using a Text Editor
- Find the MSG file you want to open. MSG files are designed to be opened in Outlook, but you can use the text editor installed on your computer to view their contents. Navigate to the MSG file that you want to open.
- Right-click on the file and select "Open with." This will let you choose the program that opens the file.
- If you're using a Mac with a single button mouse, hold Ctrl and click the file.
- Select your text editor program. The text editor depends on the operating system you're using.
- Windows - Select "Notepad" from the list of programs. If Notepad isn't listed, select the "Choose another app/program" and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Notepad
- Mac - Select "TextEdit" from the list of programs. If TextEdit isn't listed, select "Other" and then find TextEdit in your Applications folder.
- Read the MSG file. You'll see a lot of garbled characters, but you should be able to find the header and body of the email message written in clear text.
Using an MSG Reader
- Download an MSG reader program. Since MSG files are Outlook files, they normally need Outlook to open them. Luckily, there are several free programs available that you can use to view these files. One of the best options is MSGViewer, a simple open-source program that works for Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can download the program for free from redeye.hoffer.cx/detail.php?id=13. No one profits from you downloading this program, and it contains no adware.
- Unzip the reader. MSGViewer comes in ZIP format, so you'll need to extract it before you can use it. Right-click on the ZIP file and select "Extract All" to create a new folder in the same location as the ZIP file.
- Start the reader program. After extracting MSGViewer, open the folder that was just created and run the "MSGViewer.jar" file. This will start MSGViewer.
- If you can't start MSGViewer, you may not have Java installed. Visit java.com/download to install the latest version. See Install Java for more details.
- Drag the MSG file into the MSGViewer window. This will immediately display the contents of the MSG file in the MSGViewer window, preserving the original formatting. Attachments will be displayed in the upper section of the window.
Converting the MSG File to PDF
- Visit a conversion website. If you need to view the contents of an MSG file but don't want to install or use a reader program, you can use online conversion websites to convert it to a PDF file. You can then open the PDF in any program that can read PDFs. Popular conversion websites include:
- Zamzar.com - zamzar.com/convert/msg-to-pdf/
- CoolUtils.com - coolutils.com/online/MSG-to-PDF
- Upload the MSG file. The process is a little different depending on the website you're using. Usually you'll need to browse for the file, but you may be able to drag and drop it.
- Select "PDF" as the output format. This will allow you to read the file on any computer that can open PDFs, which is virtually all of them. Any modern web browser can open PDF files.
- Convert and download the file. Depending on the service, you may be given a download link, or the link may be emailed to you. Regardless, the conversion process should only take a few moments.
- Open the downloaded PDF file. On most computers, you can just double-click the downloaded PDF file to open it in whatever the default reader program is. You may have to choose one of your web browsers if there is not a reader program installed.
