Why do attachments show inside MSG files but disappear after saving them as EML?

[annawelson]

Some of my Outlook MSG emails have PDF, DOCX, and image attachments. After conversion, the EML files open, but a few attachments are missing or not visible in the email client. I want to know what causes this issue and how to avoid it.​

 

[vorix28193]

This problem usually happens when the MSG file is not saved as EML with its complete MIME structure. In MSG files, attachments are stored inside the Outlook message data. During a poor export, the email body may come out but attached PDF, DOCX, images or ZIP files may not be written correctly into the EML file.

Main reasons can be:
• MSG file has embedded or hidden attachments
• The attachment name contains special characters
• The file was exported from an old Outlook version
• Manual saving skipped attachment data
• The EML client does not display inline attachments clearly
• The MSG file itself has damaged attachment links

Could you please open the original MSG file and check whether the attachment downloads properly? Then test the converted EML in Thunderbird or another EML supported client.

For users handling many MSG emails with attachments, Softaken MSG to EML Converter is made for this kind of export where message body, header details and attachments need to stay together in the final EML file. Use the demo first with attachment-heavy emails before converting the full folder