.EML files are email messages that are text encoded files, formatted according to RFC-822, an open standard. There are several Windows software applications that will open .eml files. To save time and money, the capabilities of the .eml viewer you select should closely match your needs. For example, if you only have a few .eml messages to open, you could use a free online solution. If your need is for bulk email archiving, or converting many eml files into pdf files, you’ll want a viewer that is able to search and manage thousands of .eml files at once.
This article looks at four different products for opening .eml files. We’ve arranged these solutions based on their capabilities, from least to greatest. We hope one of them will match your specific needs. All of them offer free trial downloads, so you can make sure it’s the best .eml viewer for your needs.
MessageViewer Online
If you only have a few .eml files that you want to read, try MessageViewer Online, a free online .eml viewer. To use MessageViewer Online, you upload your .eml file. The email is converted into a web page and is then displayed in your web browser. Email file attachments can be downloaded by clicking on a link.
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| .EML file displayed with MessageViewer Online |
In addition to .eml files, MessageViewer online can also open .msg and winmail.dat files. The emails are deleted within moments after your session ends. This is a free service offered by the developer, Encryptomatic LLC, to demonstrate a commercial email parsing software component. No information is retained or collected from the email files.
An alternative to using MessageViewer Online would be to install a free email client that can open .eml files, such as Mozilla Thunderbird.
MessageViewer Lite
MessageViewer Lite is an affordable email viewer ($24.99) for Windows. It opens .eml, .msg and winmail.dat files. MessageViewer Lite was the inspiration for MessageViewer Online, and uses the same email rendering engine.
MessageViewer Lite is a favorite of system administrators who want to deploy a quality email viewing tool for their clients. It can be set as the Windows default file handler, so opening .eml or .msg files is as easy as clicking on them. Multiple viewing windows may be open simultaneously. Text can be copied from the email, and the .eml file can be printed. File attachments can be saved to a folder with drag and drop ease. If you need a simple .eml viewer that has no learning curve and that has been tested in enterprise environments (.msi installer file is available), then MessageViewer Lite should be on your short list.
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| MessageViewer Lite, affordable .eml viewer for Windows |
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| MessageViewer Lite File menu |
EML Viewer Lite
EML Viewer Lite ($29.99, also known as Pst Viewer Lite) has many more capabilities than MessageViewer Lite. It can browse and search a directory of thousands of .eml files. It also opens Outlook .pst, .msg and winmail.dat files.
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| EML Viewer Lite main screen |
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| EML Viewer Lite Mail Menu. |
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| EML Viewer Lite toolbar puts important functions front and center |
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| Convert an email to PDF, HTML, MHT and other formats |
Emails can be individually printed, or converted to different formats, including PDF, HTML, MHT, Text, PNG, GIF, BMP or TIFF.
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| EML Viewer Lite toolbar |
The EML Viewer Lite makes it easy to reply, forward or reply-all to .eml files using your Windows default email client. You can also individually add .eml files to an existing pdf file, creating a PDF suitcase of emails.
EML Viewer Lite gives you a lot of high-end email content management functionality at a very low price. An MSI installer is available for enterprise deployment, and a 15 day free trial is available from the product website.
EML Viewer Pro
EML Viewer Pro ($79.99) is the most capable eml file viewer on the market. It has all of the same features as the Lite version, and a lot more. EML Viewer Pro will open .eml files, as well as .pst, .ost, .msg, winmail.dat, and .mhtml files. Email messages can be converted individually or in bulk to many formats, including .pdf, mbox, eml, csv (Excel), text, and image formats such as jpg, gif, tiff, bmp and png.
The main difference between Pro and Lite is the export function. While Lite can export emails individually, Pro can convert or print them in batches of thousands of emails.
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| EML Viewer Pro application window |
EML Viewer Pro lets you setup custom export profiles that can accomplish multiple tasks in one operation, such as applying a specific naming scheme to the files it creates. It can export multiple emails into a single PDF file. There are several options for managing .eml file attachments while converting to PDF. For example, you tell EML Viewer Pro to try and convert the attachments into the PDF image, embed the attachments as files, extract the file attachments to a folder, or ignore them altogether.
EML Viewer Pro supports bulk printing of emails, and bulk conversion to PDF. A MSI file is available for enterprise deployment.
Pick your eml viewer
When choosing a viewer for opening .eml files, its important to get the one with the capabilities you require. Whether your needs are simple or very complex, one of these four eml viewers should help you accomplish your goal. Download a trial of the eml viewer that is closest to your needs and try it out free for fifteen days.
