Someone sends you an email saved as .msg, or you find a folder of them in an old backup, and nothing on your computer opens them. MSG is Microsoft Outlook's own file format, so without Outlook the file usually just shows a blank icon.

This guide shows how to open an MSG file without Outlook, convert it to PDF, and turn many MSG files into one PDF.

What Is an MSG File?

An MSG file is a single Outlook item saved to disk, most often an email. You get one when you drag a message out of Outlook onto the desktop, or save it with File > Save As > Outlook Message Format. It contains:

  • the sender, recipients, date and subject;
  • the message body, often stored as compressed RTF with the original HTML inside;
  • inline images;
  • attachments, including other emails attached to the message.

Unlike EML, which most mail apps understand, MSG is a Microsoft-specific format. Apple Mail, Gmail and most phone mail apps can't open it.

Open an MSG File Online, Without Outlook

Fileverter's converter reads MSG files directly in your browser. It works on a Mac, Windows PC, Linux, Chromebook or phone, and the email is never uploaded.

1. Open the converter

Go to the free MSG to PDF converter.

2. Select one or more MSG files

Drop .msg files onto the page or select them. You can add up to 300 at once, and .eml files can be mixed in too. Each email appears in the preview with a header showing the sender, recipients, date and attachments.

3. Check the preview

The converter extracts the original HTML that Outlook stored inside the message, so layouts, colors, tables and links look the way they did in Outlook. Images loaded from the internet are blocked by default, because loading them can tell the sender the email was opened. Select Load remote images if you need them.

4. Choose the page settings

Pick A4 or Letter, portrait or landscape, and normal or no margins. Turn off the email header if you only want the message body.

5. Save as PDF

Select Save as PDF and choose Save as PDF as the destination in your browser's print dialog. The text stays selectable and searchable. Select Download image PDF to skip the print dialog; that PDF downloads directly, but its text can't be selected.

Open MSG Files on a Mac

Outlook files are a common problem on a Mac, because Apple Mail can't read them. The online converter is the simplest route: drop the file in Safari, Chrome or Firefox and the email appears. From there you can read it, save it as PDF or download its attachments.

Convert Many MSG Files Into One PDF

Exported Outlook folders, legal discovery and HR investigations can involve hundreds of MSG files. Opening and printing each one in Outlook takes a long time.

When you add several emails, the converter:

  1. sorts them by date, oldest first (or newest first, or your own order);
  2. starts each email on a new page with its own header;
  3. saves everything in a single PDF.

To give every page a unique reference number, run the PDF through the Bates stamp tool afterwards.

Get the Attachments Out

Attachments are listed in each email's header, and the converter can download them all at once as a ZIP file, grouped by email. Emails attached inside an MSG file are saved as their own .msg files, which you can drop back into the converter to read.

If You Do Have Outlook

On Windows with Outlook installed, double-click the MSG file to open it, choose File > Print, and select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer. That works well for one email at a time. The online converter is faster for batches, and it doesn't need Outlook at all.

Why Does an Email Look Different?

Most emails convert closely. Differences can appear when:

  • remote images are blocked or no longer exist on the sender's server;
  • the email was written in plain RTF rather than HTML, which shows as plain text;
  • the MSG file is a calendar invite, contact or task, whose special fields aren't shown;
  • the file was saved by a very old version of Outlook, in which case some text may not display correctly.

Privacy

Outlook emails often hold business, legal or personal information. Fileverter reads and converts them on your device and never sends them to Fileverter's servers. Scripts are removed, remote images stay blocked unless you allow them, and the PDF stays on your device unless you share it.

Ready to open your file? Go to the MSG to PDF converter and drop it in.