It may happen that you receive an e-mail in the MacOS Mail app with an appendix called Winmail.dat. In most cases, the e-mail is then sent by a Microsoft Outlook user who has added an attachment. This can be a Word or PDF file, for example.
Outlook will automatically convert it to a compressed winmail.dat file when sending an attachment. This automatically will be converted to the original file if the receiver also uses Outlook. However, the mail app under macOS cannot convert the winmail.dat files to the original format.
Nevertheless, there are a few ways available to convert the WinMail.dat files to the original format so that you can still view the content of the file. In this article you can read three methods how you can do that, two of which are available for free.
Warning: Be careful with WinMail.dat files!
If you have received a winmail.dat file from an unknown sender, always be alert. Hackers can use the file format to install viruses or spyware. So always check first if the e-mail comes from a reliable source. If this is not the case, remove the e-mail.
View the content of a winmail.
With the help of the Winmaildat.com website you can view the content of the winmail.dat file and possibly download the content. To be a compressed archive file, there may be several files in it.
Only use this method if the e-mail does not relate to privacy sensitive information. You have to upload the winmail.dat to an external server. Is it about privacy sensitive information than one of the other methods.
Content Winmail.dat View via Winmaildat.com:
- Drag the winmail.dat file from the received e-mail to the desktop of your Mac.
- Open the website Winmaildat.com in Safari or another web browser
- Drag the file from the desktop to the webpage in the ‘Drop files here’ section.
The Winmail.D that is uploaded to the website and the content of the file appears automatically. There may be different files in the archive file, which you can download individually by clicking on them.
winmail.dat open with the letter opener app
If you do not want to use an online service to view the content of a winmail.dat, you can use the letter opener app. You can download this app for free in the Mac App Store. The app gives you the option to view the contents of Winmail.dat file once a week. If you want to use the app more often, that is possible via an in-app purchase. However, most macOS users will receive a winmail.
You can view the contents of the WinMail.dat as follows in the letter opener app:
- Drag the winmail.dat file from the received e-mail to the desktop of your Mac.
- Open the letter opener app
- Drag the winmail.dat file in the letter opener window.
The content of the file now appears as a new e-mail window, you can view the full content. Please note, there may be different files in the archive file.
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Winmail.dat open files with the Betterzip app
Betterzip is an app with which you can compress and unpack files in different compression sizes (RAR, Tar, GZIP, ZIP and dozens of annere formats). However, the app also offers support for the winmail.
To view the contents of the. DAT File with Betterzip, proceed as follows:
- Install the Betterzip app
- Drag the winmail.dat file from the received e-mail to the desktop of your Mac.
- Open the Betterzip app
- Drag the file into the Betterzip window.
The content of the file appears in the Betterzip window, you can view the full content. There may be different files in the archive file.
Betterzip is also part of SetApp a subscription service for macOS and iOS.
