How to open an MSG file
You can open an MSG file with Microsoft Outlook or inspect it directly in a compatible web browser.
FormatPeek Editorial TeamPresented by Claire Bennett, editorial personaPublished September 10, 2026 · Updated September 10, 2026
Private by designYour file is opened locally in this browser. It is never uploaded to our server and disappears when you close this page.
Open an MSG file in this browser
- Drop the MSG file into the box above.
- Review the sender, recipients, subject, date and message body.
- Download individual attachments if needed.
The file is parsed on your device and is not uploaded to FormatPeek’s server.
Open it with Microsoft Outlook
On a computer with classic Outlook installed, double-click the file or use Open with and select Outlook. New Outlook and non-Windows editions may handle MSG files differently.
If the file will not open
Confirm that the extension is really .msg, obtain a fresh copy if it is damaged, and avoid renaming another file type to MSG. Large or encrypted messages may require Outlook.
Learn about the MSG format and Mac options.