Open an .eml file to read the email exactly as it was sent: the formatted HTML message, the plain-text version, every header and the raw MIME source. Attachments can be saved one by one or as a ZIP, and the file never leaves your device.
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This email has no attachments.
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How to use the EML File Viewer
Open the file: drop an .eml file on the box or click to choose it. A sample email is shown until you do.
Read the message on the Message tab. Use Plain text to see the text version, or Load remote images if you trust the sender.
Save attachments from the Attachments tab, individually or with Download all (ZIP).
Check the headers for the sender, recipients, Message-ID, authentication results and delivery path.
Export the email as an HTML file to archive or print it, or copy the text, headers or raw source.
What is inside an .eml file
An EML file is plain text. It starts with header lines such as From: and Subject:, followed by an empty line and the body. Modern emails use MIME to nest several parts: a typical message is multipart/mixed (body plus attachments), whose first part is multipart/alternative (a plain-text and an HTML version of the same message), sometimes wrapped in multipart/related to carry inline images. This viewer walks that tree, picks the best version to display and lists everything else as attachments.
Header
What it tells you
From, Reply-To
The displayed sender and where replies go. Both can be set freely by the sender, so they are not proof of identity.
To, Cc
Visible recipients. Bcc recipients normally do not appear in received copies.
Date
When the sender's program created the message, with its time zone offset (for example +0200).
Message-ID
A unique identifier; replies refer to it in In-Reply-To and References to build threads.
Received
One line per mail server that handled the message, newest on top. Read bottom-up to trace the route.
Authentication-Results
The receiving server's verdict on SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks.
Content-Type
The MIME type of the body, the character set and, for multipart messages, the boundary string between parts.
Content-Transfer-Encoding
How a part was made safe for transport: base64, quoted-printable, 7bit or 8bit.
Encodings you may see in the raw source
Encoded words such as =?UTF-8?B?UTPigJM=?= or =?UTF-8?Q?Mar=C3=ADa?= carry non-English characters in headers (RFC 2047). B means base64, Q a quoted-printable variant where _ is a space.
Quoted-printable bodies keep plain letters readable and write other bytes as =XX; a = at the end of a line joins it to the next line.
Base64 blocks of 76-character lines are used for attachments and images; they make files about 37% larger in the email (4 characters for every 3 bytes, plus line breaks).
RFC 2231 parameters like filename*=UTF-8''r%C3%A9sum%C3%A9.csv encode long or international attachment names.
How to save an email as .eml
Mail program
Steps
Gmail (web)
Open the message, click the three-dot menu › Download message.
Outlook (new / web)
Three-dot menu › Save as or Download, which saves an .eml file.
Thunderbird
File › Save As › File, or drag the message to a folder.
Apple Mail
File › Save As and choose Raw Message Source, or drag the message to Finder.
Need to trace where a message came from? Paste its headers into the Email Header Analyzer to see each relay hop and delay.
Frequently asked questions
What is an .eml file?
An .eml file is a single email saved in the standard Internet message format (RFC 5322 with MIME). It contains the headers (From, To, Subject, Date and the delivery trail), the message body in plain text and usually HTML, and any attachments encoded as text. Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Windows Mail and many webmail exports use it.
How do I open an EML file without Outlook?
Drop it onto this page. The email is decoded in your browser, so you can read it, see the attachments and save them on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook or a phone without installing a mail program.
Is it safe to open a suspicious email here?
The HTML is shown in a sandboxed frame that cannot run scripts or submit forms, and remote content is blocked, so opening the file does not tell the sender you read it. Attachments are only saved when you press Download; treat unexpected attachments with care and scan them before opening, just as you would in a mail program.
Is my email uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and decoded by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server; the only optional network activity is loading remote images if you press Load remote images, or the ZIP library when you download all attachments at once.
Why are some images missing?
Many newsletters load images from the sender's server. Those remote images are blocked by default to protect your privacy and avoid tracking pixels; press Load remote images to show them. Images embedded in the file itself (cid: inline images) always display.
Can it open Outlook .msg files?
No. .msg is Microsoft's own binary format, not MIME text. The viewer recognizes .msg files and tells you so. Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows can save a message as .eml from the message's … menu; then open that file here.
How can I convert an EML file to PDF?
Open the email, press Download as HTML, open the saved HTML file in your browser and print it to PDF (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, then choose Save as PDF). The header block with From, To, Date and Subject is included at the top.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.