How to Open MSG File Without Outlook in Easy Steps?

Jackson Strong | September 19th, 2025 | Data Backup

If you have a MSG file and don’t know how to read it without Outlook, then this post will help you find the answer to your query here. This article will guide you on how to open MSG file without Outlook application. Here, we are going to introduce the best and most effective ways to read MSG files without Outlook on Windows OS. So stay with it to know the precise solutions.

MSG files are email message files created by Microsoft Outlook. They can contain email messages, attachments, calendar events, and more. There can be many reasons why users need to open MSG file without Outlook. In case a user shares MSG files with another who does not have Outlook, that time he needs to Outlook to open the files. However, many users do not want to install Outlook and are looking for a solution to open MSG file without Outlook. In this blog, we will explore the top 2 methods (tested and verified) to open MSG files.

So, let’s start discussing each method one by one.

How to Read MSG File Without Outlook Manually?

Here’s a detailed explanation of how to open a .msg file without Outlook using a text editor like Notepad++.

  1. First, find the MSG file you want to open.
  2. Right-click on it and choose Open With.
  3. Select Notepad++ from the options.
  4. The MSG file will open in Notepad.

What you’ll see is the raw data of the email, including headers, metadata, and the email body. The text might look jumbled with lots of code and characters.

Scroll down and find the email content within it.

Once you have reviewed the email content, simply close Notepad and follow the steps for other .msg files.

Limitations:

The email content may be surrounded by a lot of technical data that will make it difficult to read.

Notepad won’t show any attachments that were included in the MSG file.

This method is useful for quickly viewing the contents of MSG file without needing Outlook. However, it’s not ideal for regular use due to the irregularities in email content.

How to Open Multiple MSG Files Without Outlook Automatically?

Advik MSG Converter is an application that can let you open MSG file without Outlook. It offers more than 30+ different file formats that you can use to convert MSG to PDF and other file formats to read MSG file Without Outlook. The utility will complete the whole process in just three clicks; i.e., Load, select, and export. Apart from this the software also preserves email data elements such as sender and receiver details, email body, attachments, hyperlinks and other data intact throughout the process.

Download the Trial edition to evaluate the working performance of this tool for FREE!!

   

Steps to Open MSG File Without Outlook

  1. Run the software on your Windows PC.                                       open msg file without outlook
  2. Click Select Files or Folders to upload MSG Files.        open msg file without outlook
  3. Choose the required email folders from the preview.    view msg files without outlook
  4. Select any saving option from the list.                                      open msg file without outlook
  5. Browse the destination path and press the Convert button.view msg files without outlook

Done!! The process has been started now and you will be automatically redirected to the page where the results have been exported.

Watch How to Open MSG Files Without Outlook

Benefits of using an Automated Software

  • Open Multiple MSG Files: This tool helps you read a bunch of MSG files all at once. You can do this by using the ‘Select Folder’ button to load a whole folder filled with lots of MSG files and then export them all together.
  • Multiple File Formats: This tool lets you view MSG files in different formats that people often use. You can convert MSG to JPG, PDF, EML, MBOX, CSV, MHT, DOC, TXT, and more. You have lots of choices to access MSG file.
  • Export MSG emails with Attachments: This tool not only allows you to export and view MSG file but you can also extract attachments from MSG files separately without any issues.  It is the best feature of this application that helps to work better.
  • Different File-Naming Options: There is a feature called ‘Choose Naming Options’ in the software that appears when you pick a text-based file format. When you click on it, you can choose how to name your files based on things like sender, date, and subject. You can organize your output files the way you want.
  • Maintain Folder Hierarchy: When you export these MSG files, this tool makes sure they remain the same. The formatting and content structure won’t change. You can use the tool confidently as you know that your files will be just as you want them.
  • Import MSG to Webmail: With this tool, users can also read MSG files in various other email-based services such as you can import MSG to Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com, Zoho Mail, Yandex Mail, AOL Mail, Rackspace, GoDaddy, AWS Workmail, iCloud, Roundcube, etc.
  • Works on All Windows OS Versions: You can use this tool to open MSG files on any Windows OS version. It works on various Windows OS such as Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, etc.

Conclusion

Thus, this article delivered an ultimate solutions to open MSG file without Outlook. The procedure discussed in this blog is simple and easy to use. However, manually reading and accessing MSG files without Outlook isn’t recommended due to several issues. Alternatively, you can use the Advik software to easily open MSG files in multiple file formats. The automated software delivers 100% accurate results without any issues. The tool also offers other extraordinary features that make this tool unique among others. Try this utility to view MSG file without Outlook in just a few simple steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is an MSG file?

Ans. An MSG file is a file format used by Microsoft Outlook to store individual email messages, including the subject, body, sender information, and attachments.

Q2. Can I open an MSG file without having Outlook installed on my computer?

Ans. Yes, you can open an MSG file without Outlook by converting it to a readable file format.

These tools allow you to view the contents of MSG files, including attachments, without needing to install Outlook.

Q3. Is there any free way to read MSG files?

Ans. Yes, you can open .msg files without Outlook by using Notepad++ for free. However, there is a chance that you may not see the complete data as intended.

Q4. Can I open MSG file on my phone?

Ans. Yes, if you convert MSG files into formats like PDF or HTML, you can easily access them on any smartphone.