How to Open MSG Files Without Outlook? – Top 5 Easy Ways

Rollins Duke
Published: August 11th, 2025 • 7 Min Read

Looking for a way to open MSG file without Outlook? You’re in the right place! If you want to open your MSG data but don’t have access to Outlook, then this post is for you. This step-by-step, comprehensive guide provides the best solutions to easily open and access your MSG file data without an Outlook installation.

Users don’t access their Outlook account regularly. However, there are times when they urgently need to open their MSG file. To tackle such a scenario, find the information below and learn the best solution to effortlessly open MSG file without Outlook.

Microsoft Outlook is a popular and widely used email client service mainly used in organizational areas for communication. It generally uses different file formats to save data, in which MSG is one of them. An MSG file is not a text file that can be opened easily. It requires an MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface) application to access MSG file data.

Table of Content Hide

Reasons to Open MSG File Without Outlook?

To access MSG files without Outlook when users do not have Outlook installed on their devices.
MSG files are specifically for Outlook and Windows. To open them on a different platform, users may require alternative ways.
To access old or archived emails saved in MSG files without having Outlook set up.
When users want to quickly preview the content of an MSG file.
Outlook might not be working and showing errors while accessing MSG files.
Opening the bulk of MSG files can take a long time to open in Outlook.

Steps to Access MSG File Without Outlook Manually

Here are some of the some manual solutions that users can use to access their MSG file content in the absence of an Outlook application. Following are the top different ways to open MSG file without Outlook on both Mac and Windows:

1. Read MSG File Without Outlook Using Notepad

First, go to the MSG file location.
Next, rename the file from .msg to .txt and save it.
Thirdly, right-click on the file and select the Open with option.
Choose Notepad and easily open your MSG file without Windows Outlook.

2. View MSG File Without Outlook Using MS Word

Navigate to the MSG file location, and rename the file from .msg to .doc.
Save it and right-click to get the Open With option.
Choose Microsoft Word or Wordpad to access the files without requiring Outlook.

3. Open MSG Without Outlook Using Browser

Change the file extension from .msg to .html.
Select the Open With option and pick Chrome or Edge.

Note: Manual methods do not allow opening MSG files without Outlook in original formatting.

Limitations of the Above Manual Methods

Methods for opening the MSG files without Outlook such as Notepad, MS Word, and Browser are not certified and do not guarantee a safe process.
Traditional techniques usually involve the risk of stripping away folder formatting, metadata, attachments, jumbled texts, with mixed HTML and layouts.
Users cannot open bulk MSG files as the above mentioned methods do not support the bulk function.
Changing or switching the file extension manually can damage the internal structure of the data leading the file to lose its data or make it unreadable for users.
Since the online methods are not verified, users unconsciously give access to their crucial files with the intention of a conversion leading to the violation of data privacy regulation.

Free Tool to View MSG File Without Outlook Profile

Users can also for a guaranteed version to access MSG file without Outlook so by using none other than the Free MSG Viewer Software. With the help of this tool, users can batch-open MSG without Outlook configuration, which also quickly opens MSG files without MS Outlook along with attachments, subjects, signatures, attributes, and other data.

If the user’s Outlook is unable to open MSG files then this utility will help. This software tool ensures that the on-disk folder structure and other components are properly maintained. Additionally, it consists of no file size limitation for resolving users queries. However, this viewer does not support the import and export function if the user wants to migrate their MSG files

Download for Windows Download for Mac

How to Open MSG File Without Outlook?

Launch the software on your system and
Next, click on the option “Select a Folder” to select the required files
Next, choose the files you want to view from the list of MSG files in the panel.
The tool also provides advanced search options to browse for specific information under MSG files. Use the search options and easily view MSG files with attachments

An Advanced Alternative to Open Old MSG Files

Opening MSG files without needing Outlook can become and easy for users with the assistance of the MSG to PDF Converter. This application ensures that users receive the correct results according to their requirements. The converter tool lets users convert all types of MSG files i.e., Emails, Contacts, Calendars, Notes, etc. Users can flexibly choose selective folders to migrate numerous folders consisting of MSG files simultaneously.

Another benefit users can avail themselves of is export their MSG files, to convert them into PDF, DOC, HTML, MBOX, etc. For instance, after converting MSG files into PDF format users can easily open msg files without Outlook. Along with that, the software tool gives users the freedom to easily migrate their MSG files to other email clients such as Gmail, Yahoo, IMAP, Thunderbird, and many more.

Download Now Purchase Now

Steps to Access MSG Files Without Windows Outlook in Bulk

First, install and run the tool on your system.
After that, click on Select Files or Select Folders to load emails.
Pick the desired MSG files from the software GUI and hit Next
Afterwards, pick “Convert Attachments to PDF” as shown below and hit “Convert”.
After completion, you will see a message of task completion. Hit on Ok to confirm.
Finally, users can check the resultant data and can open MSG files without Outlook.

Advanced Features of the Software

User-Friendly Interface: This robust tool is especially designed in such a way that any user can use it. Both technical and non–technical users can utilize the features of the tool without needing to acquire any technical knowledge to open .msg file extension without Outlook.
Maintains MSG Email Properties: During the transfer process, the utility ensures to maintain and preserve MSG message properties such as email with attachments, email subject, email address, email content, email hyperlink, and the list goes on.
Bulk conversion of Message Files: One of the distinctive features the tool offers is that all MSG files can be accessed in bulk without having to configure Microsoft Outlook. Along with that, multiple MSG files can be transferred by users without any difficulty.
Open MSG files without Outlook with attachments: Another feature the MSG to PDF converter offers is that it does not require users to install any email client to access the email properties including email attachments and it is fully authenticated to handle all types of embedded attachments such as pdf, doc, rtf, txt, png, jpg, gif, ppt, etc.

To Conclude

In the above-mentioned write up we have discussed about “how to open MSG file without Outlook”. Since Manual methods takes up a lot of user’s time and efforts without guaranteeing 100% success, the software offered by BitRecover can easily solve the issue without any hassle. To explore more about the tool users can try out the demo version before buying it in order to reach a certain satisfaction level. The demo version further offers users to convert 25 files free of cost.