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MSG File Not Opening in Outlook – Problem Fixed

Anuraag Singh ~ Modified: March 24th, 2022 ~ Tech Query ~ 4 Minutes Reading

This article focuses on a few simple and practical manual methods for fixing the issue of MSG files not opening in Outlook 2016, 2019, or any previous version. Read this article to learn some fascinating facts.

You may be familiar with the OST and PST data files that come with Microsoft Outlook. You can create and read files in MS Outlook, notably MSG files, in the same way as they can. This MSG file is an email message format that is supported by Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange. With Outlook users, these files are perfect for archiving, trading, and keeping important emails. And the text might be basic text messages or ones with graphics and other elements.

Users, on the other hand, may encounter unexpected issues or hurdles while trying to open MSG files in Outlook, such as warnings like “Cannot open MSG files.” We’ll go through some of the most common obstacles that prevent individuals from accessing MSG files in this post. Simultaneously, we demonstrate how to handle or correct the problem “Unable to open.msg file in Outlook without trying.”

MSG Files Not Opening in Outlook 2016 and 2019 

If any of the following causes apply, users of Microsoft Outlook will be unable to open .msg files in Outlook 2016, 2019, 2013, or any other version:

  • If your Microsoft Outlook is configured incorrectly
  • Users may find it challenging to understand MSG files created using a hexadecimal editor
  • The user attempted to open the MSG file when it was opened in Outlook
  • The user will not be able to access or read the file if he or she does not have permission to do so
  • Use Outlook 2003 or earlier to open MSG files saved in the ANSI file format

How to Fix the Can’t Open.msg Files in Outlook Problem

There are two solutions for overcoming the issue of the .msg file not opening in Outlook not being accessible. One of the answers is as follows:

Solution 1: Open the MSG file that originated the new UNICODE file format message in an earlier version of Outlook.

Request that the sender resend the MSG email after converting it to ANSI format and forwarding it to you in order to gain access to the MSG file.

The Basic ways to Resolve the issue:

Drag & drop emails from Microsoft Outlook to the Explorer folder and change the following settings to convert the default UNICODE.msg file to ANSI.msg format.

Follow the instructions below to resolve the issue with the .msg file not opening in Outlook 2016, 2019, or any other version:

Microsoft Outlook 2003 and 2007 are Supported

Other >> Advanced Options >> Tools >> Options >> Tab Other >> Advanced Options >> Option: Use Unicode Message Format is disabled

Microsoft Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 are supported

Save Messages >> File >> Options >> Mail >> Section >> Option to disable: Use the UNICODE coding system

Note: Change the “Save As” type from UNICODE (*.msg) to (*.msg) when saving MSG files.

Solution 2: MSG file not Opening in Outlook 2019, 2016, or 2013

Users can convert one or an unlimited number of MSG files at once using the MSG to PST Tool. It also produces a PST file for each MSG file it exports. Furthermore, the tool can guarantee that all Meta properties, such as recipient, CC, BCC, creation date, sender data, and so forth, are preserved. The produced PST file contains everything.

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Step-by-step Method

  • Download and run the software in your operating system.
  • Upload your MSG file in the Software.
  • After that, click on the export button and select the PST option.
  • Now, select the destination location and click on the export button.
  • Finally, Exported the MSG file.

select PST

Conclusion

In this post, we’ll go through the best ways to fix the problem of MSG file not opening in Outlook 2016 and 2019 not being able to open. To resolve the Microsoft Outlook MSG file cannot open issue, both manual and automatic solutions are discussed.