File extension MSG
| File type | Saved Email Message |
| Developer | Microsoft |
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What is a MSG file?
The extension .MSG belongs to files of the type, Outlook Mail Message files. The technique used to store the data in a MSG file is very similar to the one used with other Microsoft file formats like Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc. The same “DocType” technique is applied here for storing the data.
The message that is stored in the MSG file can be created within the Outlook software by Microsft. The file structure is designed in way to allow multiple storage fields and metadata information about the email such as the sender, receiver, date, Carbon Copy, subject etc along with the email message body.
Program(s) that can open the .MSG file
Windows
Mac OS
iOS
More information about MSG file
MSG is a file generated by Microsoft Outlook mail client. MSG files are used for storing important data, such as email messages, attachments, meetings, contacts, tasks, calendars, and others. Information such as headers, messages, hiperlinks, and attachements are stored in ASCII plain text.
MSG file specification
MSG file structure is based on CFB (Compound File Binary) format, which uses simplified file system with dedicated memory and data streams. All elements of given message are stored as memory objects, and object attributes (recipient, sender, attachments, etc.) as stream objects. MSG files are supported by other mail clients given they use MAPI (Message Application Program Interface) interface.
Manually creating MSG file
MSG files can be created manually by ‘dragging and dropping’ messages, meetings, etc. from MS Outlook window into Windows Explorer folder. MSG file will be named after title of the message. Reverse process is also possible.
MSG file structure
Inner structure of MSG file is divided into three parts:
- email message header – header details or information about sender, recipient, message subject, etc.;
- email signature – end of the message;
- body of message – main part of the message (text, hiperlink, and other elements).
How to open MSG files
If you cannot open the MSG file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports MSG among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the MSG file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the MSG format files
The inability to open and operate the MSG file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Saved Email Message file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a MSG file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the MSG file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the MSG from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the MSG format
- The MSG file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the MSG file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a MSG file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the MSG file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the MSG file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the MSG file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
This extension
can be converted to:
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.MSG) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected MSG file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the MSG file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. MSG) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.