How does windows mail store messages
Windows Mail, which is a built-in email client in Windows Vista and Windows 7, stores messages in a database file called Windows Mail.dbx. This file is located in the following directory:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail
Where %USERPROFILE% is the directory where your user profile is stored.
The Windows Mail.dbx file is a proprietary database file that contains all the email messages, contacts, and settings for Windows Mail. It's a binary file that's not easily readable or editable by humans.
Here's a high-level overview of how Windows Mail stores messages:
- Message Store: Windows Mail uses a message store to store all the email messages. The message store is a database that contains all the messages, including the message headers, bodies, and attachments.
- Message Format: Windows Mail uses a proprietary message format to store messages. Each message is stored as a separate record in the message store, and each record contains the following information:
- Message ID (unique identifier for the message)
- Message headers (e.g., From, To, Subject, Date)
- Message body (text or HTML)
- Attachments (if any)
- Indexing: Windows Mail uses an indexing system to quickly locate messages in the message store. The indexing system creates a separate database file called
Windows Mail.idxthat contains a list of all the messages, along with their corresponding message IDs. - Message Retrieval: When you open Windows Mail, it uses the indexing system to quickly locate the messages you want to view. It then retrieves the corresponding message records from the message store and displays them in the email client.
It's worth noting that Windows Mail stores messages in a proprietary format, which means that it's not easily compatible with other email clients or email services. If you want to migrate your Windows Mail messages to another email client or service, you may need to use a third-party tool or converter to convert the messages to a compatible format.