Open Outlook .msg files on Mac, Linux or Chromebook

Someone sent you a .msg file, or you have old Outlook messages saved from Windows, and your Mac, Linux PC or Chromebook does not know what to do with them. Apple Mail, Thunderbird and Linux mail programs do not read .msg. A browser can – with Letterlark.

Open Letterlark – free viewer

On a Mac

Open Letterlark in Safari, Chrome or Firefox.
Drag the .msg file from Finder onto the page.
To keep the message in Apple Mail, choose Export → EML files: Apple Mail opens .eml files. For a whole set of messages use Export → MBOX and then File → Import Mailboxes in Apple Mail.

On Linux

Open Letterlark in Firefox or Chromium.
Open the .msg files.
Use Export → EML files or Export → MBOX for Thunderbird, Evolution or other clients.

Command-line tools such as msgconvert also exist if you are comfortable with a terminal; Letterlark is the option that needs no installation.

On a Chromebook

Open Letterlark in Chrome, click Open files and pick the .msg from the Files app (Downloads, Google Drive or a USB stick). It keeps working without a connection once it has loaded, so you can use it offline later.

Hebrew, Arabic and other languages

Messages written in right-to-left languages are displayed right-to-left, and older non-Unicode messages are decoded with the code page Outlook used (for example windows-1255 for Hebrew or windows-1256 for Arabic).

Questions and answers

Why doesn’t Apple Mail open .msg files?

.msg is an Outlook-specific format. Apple Mail reads standard .eml and .mbox files, which is why converting to EML or MBOX is the simplest way to keep the message in Apple Mail.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Letterlark runs in the browser. You can also install it as an app from the browser menu if you like, but it is not required.

Last updated: 2026-10-26