Outlook mail format

Outlook uses a specific format to store and display email messages. Here's an overview of the main components of an Outlook email message format:

Header

From: The sender's email address
To: The recipient's email address
Subject: The subject line of the email
Date: The date and time the email was sent
Message-ID: A unique identifier for the email message
References: A list of message IDs that this email is a reply to

Body

Text: The plain text version of the email message
HTML: The HTML version of the email message, which includes formatting and images
Attachments: A list of files attached to the email message

Format

Outlook uses a proprietary format called .msg to store email messages. The .msg file contains the following components:

Header: The header information, including the sender, recipient, subject, and date
Body: The body of the email message, including the text and HTML versions
Attachments: A list of files attached to the email message
Properties: Additional metadata about the email message, such as the sender's name and email address

Example

Here's an example of what an Outlook email message might look like in its raw format:

From: John Doe <[email protected]>
To: Jane Smith <[email protected]>
Subject: Test Email
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2022 14:30:00 +0000
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>

Text:
Hello Jane,

This is a test email.

Best,
John

HTML:
<html>
  <body>
    <p>Hello Jane,</p>
    <p>This is a test email.</p>
    <p>Best,</p>
    <p>John</p>
  </body>
</html>

Attachments:
- attachment1.txt
- attachment2.pdf

Properties:
- Sender: John Doe
- Sender Email: [email protected]
- Recipient: Jane Smith
- Recipient Email: [email protected]

Note that this is a simplified example, and actual Outlook email messages may contain additional components and metadata.

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Outlook mail format