Have you ever seen a file named .eml and had no idea what it was? Someone may have sent it to you or you might have accidentally saved an email as one. Well, you've come to the right place! In this guide, we are going to explain what an EML file is, what it's used for, where they're stored and what you can do to open them even if you don't have an email program!
What is an EML File?
An EML file is just a single email saved as its own little file. Think of it as one letter from a large pile of mail that's been saved in its own little folder for safe keeping. This folder holds everything about the email including who sent it to you, who you sent it to, the subject line, the text of the email, the date, and any photos or files attached to the email.
The EML format is used by a wide variety of email programs like Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Windows Live Mail, Outlook Express, etc. Its format is open and standardized (basically means anyone can use it) which is why it's favoured by so many.
What is an EML File Used For?
There are various reasons one may need to use an EML file, some include:
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Saving a particular mail message for safe keeping
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Backups
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Sharing a single email with someone else
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Transferring emails between different email programs (Thunderbird to Outlook, etc)
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Legal and investigation purposes
Where is an EML File Stored?
There's no definite answer for this one since it can be stored anywhere the person saving it decides. Most of the time it's stored:
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On a specific place the user saves it such as their Desktop or Downloads folder.
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Inside a folder created by their email program when exporting emails.
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Older email programs such as Outlook Express and Windows Live Mail will sometimes save exported EML files in a folder hidden by default inside a system folder (AppData for Windows).
In short, an EML file is stored wherever you tell it to be stored. It's just a normal file like a Word Document or photo so it can be moved, renamed or deleted like any other file.
What's Inside an EML File?
If you want to know, an EML file is actually just a bunch of text that's easily readable by most programs, it contains:
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Headers which contain information about who sent it, who received it, the subject line, date, and other information
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The text of the email itself (HTML or plain text)
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Anything attached to the email that's been encoded inside the file
EML files are also good for storing backups of emails because even after years, the emails inside are still intact.
How to Open an EML File?
Alright, here's what you're probably here for - opening an EML file.
Method 1: Use an Email Program
If you already have an email program on your computer, you're in luck! Just double click the file and it'll open up inside of programs such as:
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Microsoft Outlook
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Mozilla Thunderbird
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Apple Mail
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Windows Mail
If opening the file by just clicking it doesn't work, you can right click it and click "Open With" and select your email program from the list.
Method 2: Open it Without an Email Program Installed
If you don't have an email program installed, you can rename the filetype from .eml to .mht and open it in Internet Explorer or Firefox. However, this method is a bit of a pain to use and doesn't display attachments correctly.
Method 3: An EML Viewer - The Easy and Safe Way
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to open EML files without having to install a bulky email program or having to rename files every time you want to open them, then an EML Viewer tool is probably the best option for you. It is an extremely straight forward program that allows you to safely open and view EML files without having to do any extra steps.
SysTools EML Viewer is a great example of a specialized EML Viewer tool. With it, you can:
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Open your EML (and EMLX) files for viewing
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See who sent it to who along with the date and any attachments
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Preview your emails in a variety of formats such as Normal View, HTML, and Hex View
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Open multiple EML files at the same time in a single folder
The free version is perfect for simple viewing and reading while the SysTools EML Viewer Pro allows you to export emails as PDF, print them out, or do advanced searches on large sets of EML files (great for investigations). If you work with EML files on a regular basis and need to convert them into other filetypes (PST, MSG, CSV, etc) then EML Viewer Pro+ is perfect for you.
You can also convert EML file format using EML to MSG, PST, MBOX, NSF, EMLX converter.
Final Thoughts
An EML file is really just a single email that's been saved as its own little file. You can open these files with programs you already have or you can use a specialized EML Viewer program to open them without installing anything. No matter which method you use, you can open almost any EML file quickly and easily
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