numcal. / OLD FILES / WINMAIL.DAT

winmail.dat,
unwrapped.

The attachment was supposed to be a PDF, and instead you got winmail.dat. Your files are still in there — drop it here and get them back.

Drop your file here (.dat)
or click to browse — up to 25 MB
RESCUE AS

Field notes

What even is winmail.dat?

When Outlook or Exchange sends mail in its “Rich Text” format, it wraps the message and all its attachments in a Microsoft-only container (TNEF) that nothing else can open. Recipients outside the Outlook world see one useless winmail.dat instead of the files that were sent. This tool opens the container and hands you what’s inside.

What do I get back?

Every attachment, with its original filename, plus the message body where one is embedded. One file inside → you get that file directly; several → a ZIP. If the extraction finds nothing, the .dat was likely damaged in transit — ask the sender to resend as a normal attachment.

How do I stop getting these?

It’s the sender’s setting, not yours. Ask them to switch Outlook’s mail format from “Rich Text” to HTML or Plain Text (File → Options → Mail → Compose messages). Exchange admins can also disable TNEF for outside addresses. Until then, this page will be here.

What happens to my file?

It’s written to a private temporary folder for the few seconds the conversion engine needs, then deleted — nothing is retained, logged or shared. No account, no email, no “files kept for 24 hours” fine print. These are often someone’s letters, family records or old business files; we treat them accordingly.