matijs.net — Software

MSGConvert FAQ

Here are answers to some of the questions I've been asked over the years.

Do you know how to create .MSG files?

Use Outlook ;-). Other than that: No, I don't. Possibly, Outlook exports an API you can use.

On the other hand, if you just want to create messages so Outlook will read them, you can just put them on a mail server and have Outlook get them from there.

Can you give me information about the .MSG format?

Sorry, no. All I know is that these files are OLE files. Have a look at the documentation for the ruby-msg project though. Its function is similar to MSGConvert, but it's written in Ruby.

How can I mass-convert my Outlook mail?

MSGConvert is not well suited for that, since you would first have to save each single message to a file.

You can have Outlook store your messages on an IMAP server, and then use another mail client to read them again, or you can use Mozilla for converting from Outlook to mbox format (in particlaur, to Entourage). See also the MS Outlook to Unix Mailbox Conversion mini HOWTO.

You could also save your Outlook folders as .PST files, and try to convert that (see the next question). I don't recommend this, however.

Do you know how to convert <whatever> into <something else>?

The short answer is: No, I don't.

The long answer is: MSGConvert only handles .MSG files, and it turns them into mbox files. It doesn't do any other conversions. Specifically, it will never be able to do the reverse conversion (from mbox to .MSG). My knowledge of the .MSG format is limited, and such a function would be useless to me.

However, I know of some other conversions to mbox format:

• Outlook folder files (.PST files): You may want to take a look at ol2mbox. Last time I tried this, it didn't work very well. YMMV. If you have Outlook available, I recommend loading them with that and using one of the solutions in the previous question.
• .EML files: These are produced by (at least) Outlook Express 5, and they are already in multipart MIME format.

I have .MSG files that contain <whatever>. Will your program convert it?

If it's not an Outlook file, no, and it never will. If it is, then perhaps. Basically, MSGConvert will give you the body text as plain text, the HTML version if available, and any regular attachments. Someone asked me about Audio Notes. I don't know what those are, but perhaps someone can send me a .MSG file containing one.

Do you know how to do <whatever> with Outlook?

If it's something non-trivial, I don't know it, so you're better off looking at the help file. I only use it for e-mail at work, albeit reluctantly.