Fix: "This file cannot be previewed"
This error means Windows tried to show a preview of your .msg file in Explorer's preview pane, but no preview handler for that format is installed on your system. It is not a sign the file is broken — it just means your PC lacks the software needed to render it inline.
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Converting…
About .msg to PDF conversion
What actually causes 'This file cannot be previewed' for .msg files?
Windows preview pane delegates rendering to registered preview handlers. .msg is an Outlook-specific format, so preview only works if Outlook is installed and its preview handler is registered. Without Outlook, Windows has nothing to hand the file to, so it shows that error. The file itself is fine.
I don't have Outlook — how can I read the .msg file?
You can convert the .msg file to PDF here on OpenAny for free — no account needed, and the file is deleted within 60 seconds. The PDF will contain the email body, sender, recipient, and subject. Attachments embedded in the .msg will not be extracted, so if you need those you would need a dedicated tool like MSGViewer (free, open source) or the free Outlook web app if someone can forward you the original email.
Will converting .msg to PDF preserve all the email content?
Converting to PDF captures the message body, headers (From, To, Subject, Date), and inline images. It does not extract file attachments that are embedded inside the .msg — those stay locked in the original format. If you only need to read or share the email content, PDF conversion is a straightforward solution.