Index content of Outlook *.msg or *.eml files

[David.P]

Hello forum,

If Everything is used to index, for example, the content of Outlook *.msg or *.eml files, will only the text of the emails be processed and saved, or will attachments also be read, and their content be saved to the index?

If the attachments are documents such as Word documents, this would make sense. However, this would probably first require conversion of the attachments from MIME format to the original format, and only then allow indexing of their contents -- which Everything probably does not accomplish.

Also, it would not make sense to content-index attachments with non-text-based content such as images or ZIP archives with such content.

How does Everything proceed in such cases?

[tuska]

Outlook

[David.P]

Thanks & phew, that's a lot of information over there.

So it seems that Everything reads the Windows search index with respect to the content of MSG files, and that there is an iFilter built into Everything for EML files.

Attachments contained inside the EML or MSG files are not read, not indexed, and not saved.

That about right?

[horst.epp]

Thanks & phew, that's a lot of information over there.

So it seems that Everything reads the Windows search index with respect to the content of MSG files, and that there is an iFilter built into Everything for EML files.

Attachments contained inside the EML or MSG files are not read, not indexed, and not saved.

That about right?

There are IFilters for .eml and .msg files.
So Everything doesn't need the Windows index for this file formats.
Attachment handling is as you said.

[David.P]

Awesome, thank you Horst.

[David.P]

[...] Attachments contained inside the EML or MSG files are not read, not indexed, and not saved. [...] That about right?

[...] Attachment handling is as you said.

Wait a moment! I just tried that by having Everything index MSG files, and then by searching for a term that was not in any email itself, but definitely only in a certain attachment.

Sure enough, Everything found all mails that contained a Word attachment with the search term in question

Edit: Everything also finds all MSG emails that contain PDF attachments with a "Content:" search term.

[horst.epp]

[...] Attachments contained inside the EML or MSG files are not read, not indexed, and not saved. [...] That about right?

[...] Attachment handling is as you said.

Wait a moment! I just tried that by having Everything index MSG files, and then by searching for a term that was not in any email itself, but definitely only in a certain attachment.

Sure enough, Everything found all mails that contained a Word attachment with the search term in question

That may be a function of your msg iFilter, I guess from a Office or Outlook installation.
I don't have Outlook and only a public free iFilter installed.
So be happy if its realy works for you
but it can also be the case that you have stored such attachments in the file system
and they are indexed from this places.

[David.P]

Yes, I have Outlook installed. Then maybe that's where this comes from.

You're correct that some of the attachments are also stored in the file system. However, Everything actually finds the emails having the attachments in question, and not the copies of the attachments that are stored in the file system.

[tuska]

I use an older version of Outlook:
Microsoft® Outlook® 2013 (15.0.5399.1000) MSO (15.0.5431.1000) 32-Bit - Part of Microsoft Office Professional 2013

In Everything 1.5.0.1305a (x64) I cannot find any file contents (content:) of Outlook attachments (e.g. .pdf .txt).
I can only find file contents if the attachments are saved separately.

Just out of interest: Which Outlook version do you use?

PS:
When using the Windows search in Everything (si:), I also do not find any file contents of Outlook attachments.

____________________________________________________________________________
Windows 10 Pro (x64) Version 21H2 (OS build 19044.1586) | 'Everything' 1.5.0.1305a (x64)
Microsoft® Outlook® 2013 (15.0.5399.1000) MSO (15.0.5431.1000) 32-Bit - Part of Microsoft Office Professional 2013

[David.P]

That's interesting.
I run the latest version of Outlook 365.

[tuska]

I run the latest version of Outlook 365.

Thanks for the info!

[David.P]

That may be a function of your msg iFilter, I guess from a Office or Outlook installation.
I don't have Outlook and only a public free iFilter installed.
So be happy if its really works for you

I just came across this, maybe it helps someone to index MSG (and other) formats:
What is an IFilter? And how or where can I get a suitable one to search msg files in full text?

[David.P]

Short follow-up question: is there a way to have Everything index *.msg file metadata like e.g. email sender and recipient?

[void]

I have put .msg support on my TODO list.

For now, you'll need a third party property handler to index this information with Everything.

[David.P]

Thank you! Looking forward to this feature.