Written by
Amanda Wong
Summary: This post explains what is an MSG file, whether you can open an MSG file on Mac by default, and how to open an MSG file on Mac in different ways.
Except for the common formats of document files, including DOC, HTML, XLS, PPT, and TXT, there are many other file extensions you may encounter at work such as MSG. You may receive an email in MSG format from your coworker, and only to find that you can not view MSG files on your Mac. So how to open an MSG file on Mac? We provide solutions in this post.
What is an MSG file?
A file with the MSG extension is a format used by Microsoft Outlook, an information manager, available as a part of the Microsoft Office suite. A shared email, reminder, contact, appointment, or any other type of data stored in Outlook is sent as an MSG file(Message file).
Can I open MSG files on Mac?
Although there is a Mac version of the Outlook software, Outlook for Mac ridiculously can not open an MSG file created by Outlook for Windows. The MSG format is unrecognizable by Mac, which is EML instead. However, there are still multiple ways you can use to access MSG files on Mac. Let's explore them one by one.
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How to open MSG files on Mac?
Whether you receive MSG files from others or want to access saved information in Outlook from your Mac, you can apply the following solutions to open and view MSG files on Mac.
Try to open MSG with TextEdit
Even though an MSG file isn't just a plain text file—it can also include calendars and images—you can use the Mac's integrated TextEdit to open MSG files. If you simply want to know what kind of content is inside an MSG file or know that you only need to read the text, this is a wonderful solution.
There are different ways to open files with TextEdit on Mac:
- Right-click the MSG file, choose Open With, and choose TextEdit.
- Launch TextEdit from the Launchpad, on the pop-up window, browse and select the MSG file, then click Open.
- Use iBoysoft MagicMenu to open the MSG file from the right-click menu, and choose Launch With > TextEdit.
iBoysoft MagicMenu is a right-click enhancer for Mac, you can customize the Finder context menu with it, and it enables you to create new files, open files with certain apps, quickly access files/folders, move/copy files on Mac, etc., all from the right-click menu. Download and try this versatile Mac tool!
Install Windows on Mac
Since a file with MSG extension is created by Outlook for Windows, why not install the program on your Mac computer so that you can directly open MSG files with Outlook for Windows? Of course, this is feasible. You need to install Windows on Mac.
You can use Bootcamp Assistant, the Intel Mac's built-in utility to create a Windows partition to run Windows programs such as Outlook for Windows, or install Windows virtual machine for both Intel Mac and Apple Silicon Mac, which can emulate the Windows environment and enable you to install Windows programs.
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Open MSG file on Outlook.com
The Outlook Web App(Outlook.com) is featured with an MSG viewer, therefore, you can forward the MSG file as an attachment to your Outlook account, and log in to your Outlook account in your browser to open the MSG files on Mac. If you don't have an Outlook account, you can create one in the first place.
Install an MSG viewer
An unrecognizable MSG file can be easily opened with an MSG viewer. It is designed to view MSG files created by PC's version of MS Outlook on your Mac computer. There are a lot of MSG viewers available in the Mac App Store. Some of them are free to use, some provide a trial version with limited functions. You can install such an MSG viewer on your Mac. Besides, there are some online MSG viewers, but it is a little risky to upload private emails online.
Access MSG file via converter
Given that the MSG file format is not supported by macOS, you can convert the MSG to compatible ones so that you can view the message contents on your Mac. Just like MSG viewer, there are some third-party MSG converters you can pick up such as Advik MSG to PDF Converter, SysTools MSG Converter, and Xtraxtor.
Change the file extension
This is a simple trick and maybe work to open MSG files on your Mac. You can change the MSG file extension into EML, the one used by your Mac mail application, or TXT, the format of the default macOS text editor, and then double-click the file to open it in the mail app. To change the file extension, you need to locate the MSG file in Finder, right-click it and choose Rename to change the file extension.
To sum up
Mac users can not directly open MSG files on Mac because the file extension is not supported by macOS. Although it is a little tricky for a Mac user to open MSG files, we introduce 5 different ways to open MSG files on Mac. After reading, you can choose the method you prefer to access MSG files on Mac without any hassle.
