You have most likely run across a number of various types of email files. Although most are easily identifiable from our own experiences with emailing, you may have come across quite a few file formats that you were unfamiliar with. Here, we will explain the various type of email files as well as the role they play in terms of PST to PDF conversion.
Types of Email File Formats
.MBOX files – These are ‘mailbox’ files (makes sense, right?). MBOX files are a container of email message similar to PST, but has one key difference. It is a single file that contains multiple mail messages in a linear text sequence and separated by a line. Imagine you were to open an MBOX file within a word documents-you would see the messages from top to bottom and each message would be separated by a clear marker. This is something you would be unable to do with a regular PST file. Many email clients use variations of MBOX files, such as Mac email, Eudora, and Mozilla.
.MSG files – These are the Microsoft proprietary format for saving files and the most common email types in terms of eDiscovery. Generally, only Microsoft Outlook can read and write MSG files natively, although there are tools for converting MSG files to EML files and vice versa. In eDiscovery, some parties may deliver MSG files instead of an entire PST and this may occur when the selecting and rejecting was done prior to delivering the evidence.
.EML files – These are the most commonly used types of email files. EML files contain raw message content. Imagine this as a stripped down .MSG file. This file consists of the body of the message, to, from, and can also contain attachments. Most email software can export and import these file types simply, because of how these messages are stored internally.
Of course, we can handle just about any type of email file, although certain file formats may prove to be a bit more challenging than others which may affect the time it would take to convert your files. However, we are always up to the challenge and will never hesitate to handle your projects, no matter how big or small.