Tip 772: Open *.eml in Outlook

A popular request is the ability to open Outlook Express  &  Live Mail’s *.eml files in Outlook.  If you have Outlook 2010, it supports opening *.eml files. If you use Outlook 2007, you can open them if you have either a hotfix or SP2 installed.

After installing the hotfix or SP2, you’ll need to edit the registry to enable it.

1. Open the registry editor – press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog then type regedit and press Enter.
2. Browse to the following registry subkey:
3. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Microsoft Internet Mail Message\shell\open\command
4. Right-click on (Default) then click Modify.
5. Type (or copy and paste)
   "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office12\OUTLOOK.EXE" /eml "%1"
   then click OK and exit the registry editor.

For more information and links to the hotfix, see
Files that have the .eml file name extension do not open in Outlook 2007
//support2.microsoft.com/kb/956693

Published August 17, 2010. Last updated on June 17, 2011.

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