Online EML Viewer
A free, online tool to easily open view the contents of an EML file.
This tool is provided free of charge by SendView, a slick competitor tracking platform for email marketers.
EML Viewer FAQs
Q: How does the EML viewer work?
A: This tool works by parsing out the compenents of a .eml file like the headers and various version of the email like plain text or HTML and showing them in a tidier, more organized format than the original file would appear if you opened it in a Notepad or text editor. EML files can be opened by many programs, but the contents are hard to decipher unless you know what you're looking for.
Q: What is an EML file?
A: If you click "download" in your Outlook, Gmail, or other inbox, the file that is downloaded will end in .eml and will contain all the information that was sent to your inbox. Usually you'll only see just the HTML or plain text version of the email, but this viewer will allow you to see everything else that was send behind the scenes as well.
Q: Do I have to download anything to open my EML file or is this an online tool?
A: Nope, this tool is an online tool. You can open, view, and read the contents of your EML file right from your browser.
Q: What does "raw" and "decoded" mean?
A: The contens of email are often encoded in formats like base64 or quoted-printable. This tool will attempt to decode the contents of the EML file based on that formatting and is shown as "decoded" in the tool. The "raw", original version is also shown with the original encoding in case you were looking for that.
Q: What is all this other stuff sent with my email?
A: Emails are sent with all sorts of information that your inbox might need to determine if it's spam, display the contents, show who the email was sent to, etc. All of this information and more is stored in a .eml file. For example, you may only see the HTML version of a marketing email in your Gmail account, but the sender likely also included a plain text version as well. That's stored with the email even if you don't ever see it.
Q: Can I open and read any EML file online with this tool?
A: Pretty much. We're alwasy surprised by the formatting of the occasional EML file, so if something looks fishy just send us an email. We'll see if we can update the tool to account for those changes. That said, our tool will still open your EML file and allow you to read any contents we can parse out. So even if there is an error in your file that prevents your inbox from using it, that information should still be visible using this EML viewer tool.
Q: What are the headers in an EML file?
A: When an email is sent from one server to another, there are parts that we see - the HTML body, text contents, etc. - and then there are instructions and additional information that are delivered with the email that aren't visible but help ensure the email is delivered correctly. For example, domain settings like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are delivered in the email headers which help inboxes like Gmail know that you own the domain you are sending the email from which helps an email message not be flagged as spam. The headers will also include details like the date and time the email was sent, which server and app sent the email, and who the email was sent from and to.
Q: Can I edit my EML file?
A: No, this tool is just for viewing the contents of the EML file. You can edit your EML file using a text or code editor, but not using our online EML viewer tool.
Q: Do I need an EML file opener to view these files?
A: Nope, this tool helps decode some of the contents so it's easier to view, but you can open any EML file with a simple text editor like Notepad. If you're on a PC, just right click the file and select "Open with..." and select Notepad. Voila! No EML file opener necessary!
Q: Why is this EML tool free?
A: Our main product, SendView, isn't free and pays the bills. But that means we have the flexibility to build other, simpler tools like this one that email marketers (and other folks) find useful without having the pressure to make money from them.