msgReader

Open Outlook .msg and .eml email files in your browser or on your desktop. Read message bodies, view inline images, and work with attachments without connecting an email account.

Open the web app · Download the desktop app

Try it in your browser

1. Open msgReader.
2. Drop one or more .msg or .eml files into the window, or use the file picker.
3. Select a message to read it and open or save its attachments.

What it does

• Read HTML and plain-text emails, including embedded images.
• Open multiple messages, search their contents, and sort them by date.
• Pin messages and navigate with keyboard shortcuts.
• Preview supported attachments and save them as files.
• Use light, dark, or system appearance.

Message files are parsed locally in your browser or desktop app, without uploading them to a parsing service. HTML emails can still reference remote images that make network requests. The desktop app also checks for updates online.

Desktop downloads

Installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux are available on the latest release page.

Platform	Installer
macOS, Apple Silicon	.dmg with aarch64 in the name
macOS, Intel	.dmg with x64 in the name
Windows	.msi or -setup.exe
Linux	.AppImage, .deb, or .rpm

The desktop app supports opening .msg and .eml files from your file manager and checks for updates automatically. Features on the main branch can be newer than the latest desktop release.

If the operating system blocks installation

Unsigned desktop builds can trigger macOS Gatekeeper or Windows SmartScreen. On macOS, follow Apple's guidance for opening apps. On Windows, review the source of the downloaded installer before deciding whether to proceed. The web app is also available without installing anything.

Why I built it

A colleague regularly sent me emails saved as .msg files. I wanted to read them, including their HTML and inline images, but my Outlook setup would not open them despite an active subscription. I built a small browser tool for that workflow and later added a desktop version.

msgReader builds on existing libraries, including msgreader for Outlook files and DOMPurify for sanitizing HTML. The desktop app uses Tauri.

Report a problem or contribute

Use GitHub Issues for bug reports and feature requests. For a parsing or display problem, include your browser or desktop-app version, the file format, and what you expected to see. A small sample message with personal information removed helps reproduce the problem.

Local development

The web app uses JavaScript, Vite, and Tailwind CSS. Use Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+ with npm.

git clone https://github.com/Rasalas/msg-reader.git
cd msg-reader
npm ci
npm run dev

The development server runs at localhost:8080/msg-reader/.

Command	Purpose
npm run dev	Start the Vite development server
npm run build	Build the web app into dist/
npm run preview	Preview the production build locally
npm test	Run the Jest tests
npm run lint	Check JavaScript with ESLint
npm run format	Format JavaScript with Prettier
npm run tauri:dev	Run the desktop app in development mode
npm run tauri:build	Build desktop installers for the current platform

Desktop development also requires Rust and the Tauri prerequisites for your platform.

Source layout

• src/js/: message state, file parsing, search, export, and shared utilities.
• src/js/ui/: message list, content rendering, and attachment previews.
• src-tauri/: desktop integration, file handling, and updates.
• tests/: unit and integration tests.

License

MIT.