Extract text from Outlook messages (MSG)
To convert MSG messages to another format, you need Microsoft Outlook or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Outlook Email Message" file type, you need software like Microsoft Outlook or a similar tool.
A .MSG file is a proprietary Microsoft document used primarily by Microsoft Outlook to store a single email message, contact, task, or calendar appointment. Built on the Microsoft Compound Document format, it acts as a miniature file system storing the message text, metadata (sender, date, subject), and binary attachments inside a single container.
Officially, you open these files with Microsoft Outlook. Other email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird cannot natively read the format without add-ons or conversions. You can read more about the architecture on Wikipedia's MSG (file format) page.
The main disadvantage of the .MSG format is strict vendor lock-in. You cannot natively open it on macOS, iOS, Android, or in web browsers. It generally requires an expensive Microsoft Office subscription to handle reliably. Furthermore, attachments are embedded in a binary wrapper that makes them nearly impossible to extract using standard text editors.
For long-term archiving and universal sharing, convert .MSG to PDF. This locks the visual layout and ensures the email is readable on any device. To migrate to non-Microsoft email software, convert to EML, which is the open industry standard for emails. For quick viewing in a browser, convert to HTML. Drag and drop your file to analyze and convert it - free, online, and without installing software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MSG file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted EMAIL, MESSAGE, SMG, MSD, BIN, RPMSG, EML, MSF, MSC, OLE2, OFT, UTF8 and MSL files.
If you want to convert MSG file to PDF, EML, JPG, TXT, HTML, PST, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, PAGES or TEX, you can use Microsoft Outlook or similar software from the "Email and PIM Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, README, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE or RTF files to MSG, try Microsoft Outlook or another comparable tool in the "Email and PIM Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our MSG converter.