Why convert MSG to DOC?
An .msg file stores one Outlook email - sender, recipients, subject, body, and attachments - in Microsoft's Compound File Binary (OLE) format. A .doc file stores formatted prose in a different OLE-based binary layout designed for word-processor content. The formats serve completely different purposes and share no useful field-to-field mapping; renaming .msg to .doc produces binary noise that Word cannot open.
How to convert MSG to DOC
Microsoft Outlook APP
Open the .msg in Outlook, select and copy the body text, then paste into a new Word document and save as .doc or .docx.
Mozilla Thunderbird FREE
Import the .msg using the ImportExportTools NG add-on and convert it to .eml as a portable, universally readable alternative.
About these formats
.MSG
Outlook Message (Microsoft Outlook saved email)
An MSG file is one email - with subject, sender, recipients, body, and any attachments - saved from Microsoft Outlook in Outlook's proprietary binary format. On Windows, double-click it in…
Open .MSG details →
.DOC
Microsoft Word 97-2003 Document
A DOC file is a Microsoft Word document saved in the old 1997-2003 binary format. You can open it for free with LibreOffice Writer, Google Docs, or Word for the web - no Microsoft Office…
Open .DOC details →Quality & what to watch
- Renaming
.msgto.docproduces unreadable binary noise - Word cannot parse the Compound File Binary email container. - Any online tool claiming MSG-to-DOC conversion typically produces a PDF or plain text, not a real
.docfile. - For legal or archival purposes, PDF is the standard choice - open the
.msgin Outlook and print using Microsoft Print to PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Can Microsoft Word open an MSG file?
Is there a converter that turns MSG into DOC?
I need the email in a document for a legal submission - what should I do?
.msg in Outlook and print to PDF using Microsoft Print to PDF; PDF is the accepted standard for legal records and formal archiving.
