How to Open EML File on Windows, Mac, Phone or Online
An EML file is a single email saved in the standard internet format, with its sender, recipients, date, text and attachments. Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird open it with a double-click, and any text editor shows its raw contents. Without a mail app, on a phone or a Chromebook, the free viewer below displays the email in your browser, lets you download each attachment and print it to PDF, with remote images blocked and nothing uploaded.
Choose what you need
Open EML File Online: Read the Email & Save Attachments (Free)
Drop an .eml file below. The viewer shows the sender, recipients, date and subject, displays the HTML or text message with its inline images, lists every attachment for download (including forwarded emails), and lets you print the email or save it as PDF.
Good to know: remote images and scripts are blocked, so opening an email here never tells the sender you read it. Text in any declared character set is decoded correctly.
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What is an EML file?
An EML file is one email message stored as plain text in the Internet Message Format (RFC 5322), with MIME sections for the HTML body and attachments. It's exactly what mail servers send to each other, so almost every mail app can read it. You get EML files when you drag an email out of Apple Mail, Thunderbird or new Outlook, when you "download message" in webmail, or when an email arrives forwarded as an attachment.
Because attachments are stored as Base64 text inside the file, a text editor shows them as long blocks of letters; the viewer above decodes them back into the original files.
| Full name | Email message (Internet Message Format / MIME) |
|---|---|
| Standards | RFC 5322 (headers), RFC 2045–2049 (MIME) |
| Contains | Headers, text and HTML body, attachments, inline images |
| Related | .msg (Outlook format), .mbox (many emails), .emlx (Apple Mail) |
How to open an EML file: quick answer
| Device / app | How |
|---|---|
| Outlook (classic or new) on Windows | Double-click the file |
| Outlook on the web | Drag the file onto the reading pane |
| Mac (Apple Mail) | Double-click the file |
| Thunderbird | File > Open > Saved Message |
| iPhone, Android, Chromebook | The viewer at the top of this page |
Open EML files on Windows
If Outlook is installed, double-clicking an .eml opens it in Outlook. Microsoft documents three ways for new Outlook: double-click, drag the file onto the reading pane, or right-click > Open with > Outlook (new). Without Outlook, Thunderbird (free) opens it from File > Open > Saved Message, or use the viewer above.
Opening an .eml in Notepad also works, but you'll see the raw message: headers, HTML code and Base64-encoded attachments.
Open EML files on Mac, iPhone and Android
- Mac: double-click the file to open it in Apple Mail. To keep it, drag it into a mailbox in Mail's sidebar.
- iPhone and iPad: an .eml attached to an email usually opens in Mail; a downloaded one in the Files app may only show raw text. Use the viewer above in Safari to see it properly.
- Android: Gmail and most file managers don't render .eml files. Open the viewer above in Chrome and choose the file.
Get the attachments out of an EML file
- Drop the .eml into the viewer above.
- Under Attachments, click each file to save it. Images that appear inside the message are shown in place.
- Forwarded emails inside the message appear as attachments ending in .eml; open them the same way.
Be careful with attachments from unexpected emails: don't open executable files, scripts or documents asking you to enable macros.
Convert EML to PDF
Open the email in the viewer above and click Print / Save as PDF, then choose Save as PDF (Chrome, Edge, Mac) or Microsoft Print to PDF (Windows) as the printer. In Apple Mail or Outlook you can use File > Print or File > Export as PDF (Apple Mail) the same way.
EML problems and fixes
The file opens as code in a browser or Notepad
That's the raw message. Open it with a mail app or the viewer above, which decodes the HTML and attachments.
Strange characters in the subject or text
The message uses a character set the app guessed wrong. The viewer decodes the encodings declared in the email (UTF-8, ISO-8859, Windows code pages and encoded headers).
An attachment called winmail.dat
The sender's Outlook used Microsoft's TNEF format. Its contents are readable in Outlook or with a winmail.dat viewer; ask the sender to send in HTML or plain text format.
It's actually an MSG file
Outlook's own format looks different inside. The viewer recognizes MSG files too; see our MSG guide.
Sources and technical references
- RFC 5322: Internet Message Format — IETF
- RFC 2045: MIME Part One — IETF
- Open .eml, .msg and .oft files in new Outlook and Outlook on the web — Microsoft Support
- Thunderbird email client — MZLA Technologies
Frequently asked questions
How do I open an EML file without Outlook?
Drop it into the free viewer on this page. It shows the sender, recipients, date and message in your browser, lists the attachments for download and lets you print the email to PDF. Thunderbird, a free mail app, also opens EML files from File > Open > Saved Message.
How do I open an EML file on Windows 11?
If Outlook is installed, double-click the file. With new Outlook you can also drag it onto the reading pane or right-click > Open with > Outlook (new). Without Outlook, use Thunderbird or the browser viewer on this page.
How do I open an EML file on a Mac?
Double-click it: Apple Mail opens EML files natively. To keep the message, drag it into a mailbox in Mail's sidebar. You can also view it in Safari or Chrome with the viewer on this page.
How do I open an EML file on iPhone or Android?
Phones often show EML files as raw text. Open this page in Safari or Chrome, tap the drop area and choose the file from Files or Downloads. The email, its images and its attachments appear in the browser.
How do I convert EML to PDF?
Open the EML in the viewer on this page and click Print / Save as PDF, then pick Save as PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer. In Apple Mail use File > Export as PDF; in Outlook use File > Print.
What is the difference between EML and MSG?
EML is the standard text format for email that nearly every mail app reads. MSG is Outlook's own binary format for a single item. Both hold the same information; the viewer on this page opens both.
Can Gmail open EML files?
Gmail doesn't preview EML attachments in the browser. Download the file and open it with the viewer on this page, or with Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird. To put it back in Gmail, drag it into a Gmail folder in an IMAP mail app.
Is it safe to open an EML file?
Viewing it here is safe: remote images and scripts are blocked and the file isn't uploaded. Attachments can still contain malware, so don't open programs, scripts or macro-enabled documents from senders you don't trust.
Last updated .