01
How EML and MSG differ
| EML | MSG |
|---|
| Made by | Internet standard (RFC 5322 / MIME) | Microsoft Outlook |
| Inside the file | Plain text with encoded attachments | Binary compound file with Outlook (MAPI) properties |
| Opens in | Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, most mail apps | Outlook; other apps need a viewer |
| Readable in Notepad | Yes, headers and text | No |
| Outlook-only data | No | Yes, such as categories and flags |
| Created by | Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Windows Live Mail, servers | Dragging an email out of Outlook, or Save As in Outlook |
In short: EML travels well between programs. MSG keeps more Outlook detail and opens natively in Outlook.
03
Manual way: open in Outlook and save as MSG
- Double-click the EML file so it opens in classic Outlook.
- Choose File > Save As.
- Set Save as type to Outlook Message Format - Unicode (*.msg) and save.
Fine for a few files. For a folder of hundreds, it's hours of clicking.
04
Bulk convert EML to MSG
Magic Soft EML Converter converts whole folders of EML files to MSG without Outlook, keeping the headers, body formatting and attachments.
01Add EML files
Click Select Folder to load a folder tree of EML files.
02Preview
Check a few messages to make sure they're the ones you want.
03Choose MSG
Click Export, select MSG and pick a naming pattern.
04Export
Choose a destination and click Start Export. The folder structure is kept.
Going the other way, from MSG to EML or PDF? Use the MSG Converter.
Summary
EML is the portable standard; MSG is Outlook's own format with more Outlook detail. Save a few EMLs as MSG through Outlook, and batch convert when there are many. To get EML mail into Outlook as a mailbox instead of single files, see importing EML into Outlook.
