.eml Email message
Text & source code
| MIME type | message/rfc822 |
|---|---|
| Description | Email message |
| Category | Text & source code |
| Signature (magic bytes) | 23 21 20 72 6E 65 77 73 (#! rnews)43 6F 6E 74 65 6E 74 2D 54 79 70 65 3A (Content-Type:)46 6F 72 77 61 72 64 20 74 6F (Forward to) |
| Based on | text/plain |
Frequently asked questions
What is a .eml file?
A .eml file is a “Email message” (MIME type message/rfc822).
How do I open a .eml file?
With any text editor – Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, or gedit and vim on Linux. The file contains readable text, possibly source code or configuration.
How can you tell a genuine .eml file?
By the bytes at the start of the file, the signature (magic bytes): 23 21 20 72 6E 65 77 73 (#! rnews), 43 6F 6E 74 65 6E 74 2D 54 79 70 65 3A (Content-Type:) and 46 6F 72 77 61 72 64 20 74 6F (Forward to). On Linux and macOS, file --mime-type example.eml checks the real type regardless of the extension.
Which format is .eml based on?
Technically a .eml file is a subtype of “Plain text document” (text/plain), so programs for that base format can often read it too.
Which MIME type belongs to .eml?
The MIME type is message/rfc822. In the Apache web server: AddType message/rfc822 .eml; in nginx: types { message/rfc822 eml; }.