What an EML file is and why you have one

An EML file is a single email message saved as a text file. It contains the email's subject line, sender, recipient, date, and body text — sometimes with attachments — all stored in a format that any email program can read. You typically end up with an EML file when you export or download an email from your inbox, or when someone sends you one as an attachment.

Unlike opening a PDF or a Word document, opening an EML file is not always obvious because your computer does not automatically know which program should handle it. The file extension .eml is not as common as .docx or .jpg, so Windows, Mac, and Linux treat it differently depending on what email software you have installed.

Key Takeaways

  • An EML file is a saved email message that can be opened by any email program, including Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Gmail.
  • On Windows, right-click the EML file, choose "Open with", and select your email program from the list.
  • On Mac, double-click the EML file and it will usually open in Apple Mail automatically, or you can drag it into Mail manually.
  • If no email program is installed, you can open an EML file in a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit to read the raw message content.
  • Importing EML files into Gmail requires uploading them through a third-party tool or forwarding them to your Gmail address.

Opening an EML file on Windows

The simplest method on Windows is to right-click the EML file and choose "Open with". A menu will appear showing programs installed on your computer. If you have Outlook, Thunderbird, or Windows Mail installed, select it from the list. The email will open in that program and display the full message with formatting intact.

If you do not see an email program in the "Open with" menu, click "Choose another app" or "More apps" at the bottom. This will show you additional programs. If you still do not see one, you may need to install an email client first — Thunderbird is free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

If you want to set a default program so all EML files open in the same application automatically, right-click an EML file, select "Open with", choose your email program, and check the box that says "Always use this app to open .eml files" before clicking OK.

Opening an EML file on Mac

On Mac, double-clicking an EML file usually opens it in Apple Mail automatically. The email will display with all its content, including any attachments. If it does not open, or if you prefer a different email program, right-click the file and select "Open With", then choose your email application from the list.

You can also drag and drop an EML file directly into Apple Mail. Open Mail, then drag the EML file from Finder into your Mail window or into a specific folder in your mailbox. Mail will import the message into that folder.

If you have Gmail set up in Apple Mail and want to save an email there, opening the EML file in Mail and then moving it to your Gmail folder will sync it to your Gmail account on the web.

Opening an EML file in Gmail

Gmail does not have a built-in way to import EML files directly. The most straightforward workaround is to forward the email to your Gmail address. Open the EML file in any email program, click "Forward", and send it to your Gmail account. The message will arrive in your Gmail inbox as a normal email.

If you have many EML files to import, you can use a third-party tool like Thunderbird to open all of them, then use Gmail's import feature to bring them in. Thunderbird is free, works on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and can import EML files in bulk. Once they are in Thunderbird, you can set up your Gmail account in Thunderbird and move the messages to your Gmail folders, which will sync them to Gmail on the web.

Reading an EML file in a text editor

If you do not have an email program installed, you can open an EML file in any text editor — Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac, or gedit on Linux. Right-click the file, select "Open with", and choose your text editor. The file will display as plain text, showing the email headers (sender, recipient, subject, date) followed by the message body.

This method works for reading the content, but the formatting may look messy and attachments will appear as encoded text rather than as downloadable files. If the email has attachments you need, use an email program instead.

Installing an email program if you do not have one

Thunderbird is a free email client from Mozilla that opens EML files on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Download it from mozilla.org/thunderbird, install it, and then right-click any EML file and choose "Open with Thunderbird". You do not need to set up an email account to use Thunderbird just to open EML files — you can use it as a standalone viewer.

Outlook comes with Windows on some machines and is also sold as part of Microsoft 365. It opens EML files natively and is the default email program on many Windows computers.

Apple Mail is built into Mac and opens EML files automatically. You do not need to install anything.

Troubleshooting when an EML file will not open

If double-clicking an EML file does nothing, the file may be corrupted or the file extension may be wrong. Check that the filename ends in .eml and not something else like .eml.txt. If it says .eml.txt, rename it to remove the .txt part, then try opening it again.

If the file opens in a text editor instead of an email program, it means your computer does not have a default email program set. Right-click the file, choose "Open with", and select an email program from the list. If no email program appears, install Thunderbird or another email client first.

If an email program opens but the message displays as garbled text or shows encoding errors, the EML file may have been saved with the wrong character encoding. Try opening it in a different email program — Thunderbird often handles encoding issues better than others.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open an EML file on my phone?

Most phone email apps do not support EML files directly. The easiest method is to forward the email to your phone's email account from a computer. If you have the EML file on your phone, some Android apps like K-9 Mail can open them, but iPhone does not have a built-in way to handle EML files.

What if the EML file has attachments?

When you open an EML file in an email program, attachments appear as downloadable files within the message. Click on the attachment to save it to your computer. If you open the EML file in a text editor, attachments will show as encoded text and cannot be extracted easily — use an email program instead.

Is it safe to open an EML file from someone I do not know?

An EML file itself is just text and cannot run code or install software. However, it may contain links or attachments that are unsafe. Do not click links or download attachments from EML files unless you trust the sender. If you are unsure, open it in a text editor first to see what it contains before opening it in an email program.

Can I convert an EML file to PDF?

Open the EML file in an email program, then use the "Print" function and choose "Print to PDF" or "Save as PDF" from the print dialog. This will create a PDF version of the email that you can share or archive.