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Mac Forum / Applications / Mac Applications / May 2005What is "winmail.dat"?
I occasionally get attachments sent from Windows machines that arrive as winmail.dat files. The Mac can't open them. Does anybody know what causes this, and what can be done about it? Thanks =- Jim > I occasionally get attachments sent from Windows machines that arrive as > winmail.dat files. The Mac can't open them. Does anybody know what causes > this, and what can be done about it? It's extra data sent by Outlook for some types of messages (I think Windows-specific formatting). What can be done about it? Nothing really needs to be done about it, those files are basically harmless.  SignatureJerry Kindall, Seattle, WA <http://www.jerrykindall.com/> Send only plain text messages under 32K to the Reply-To address. This mailbox is filtered aggressively to thwart spam and viruses. > It's extra data sent by Outlook for some types of messages (I think > Windows-specific formatting). What can be done about it? Nothing > really needs to be done about it, those files are basically harmless. Shouldn't that be "mostly harmless" ? ;-) SignatureI recommend Macs to my friends, and Windows machines to those whom I don't mind billing by the hour >>It's extra data sent by Outlook for some types of messages (I think >>Windows-specific formatting). What can be done about it? Nothing >>really needs to be done about it, those files are basically harmless. > > Shouldn't that be "mostly harmless" ? ;-) Yup, they sometimes contain files that are intended that you read, except you can't get to them (e.g., Excel or Word files). Depending on the contents of those files, not being able to read them MIGHT be harmful to your health (unless, of course, they contain Vogonian prose :-) SignatureJeff Wiseman to reply, just remove ALLTHESPAM > I occasionally get attachments sent from Windows machines that arrive as > winmail.dat files. The Mac can't open them. Does anybody know what causes > this, and what can be done about it? You get this attachment because the senders Exchange-server is misconfigured. ref: <URL:http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q138053> - requires MS Passport/ MSN user You can open them with TNEF's enough - <URL:http://www.joshjacob.com/macdev/tnef/> SignatureMorten Dreier http://morten.dreier.no/ > I occasionally get attachments sent from Windows machines that arrive as > winmail.dat files. The Mac can't open them. Does anybody know what causes > this, and what can be done about it? Yes. You are receiving email from a person using Microsoft Outlook who is clueless about email. Microsoft Outlook offers three ways to send an email: 1. Plain text; 2. HTML; or 3. Rich text. The "rich text" option sends the email in a proprietary Microsoft format called TNEF, which is readable only on a Microsoft email program--non-Microsoft email programs see the email as a "winmail.dat" attachment. You have two choices: 1. Download the winmail.dat file and use the program "TNEF's Enough" on them; you can get this program from versiontracker.com; or 2. Tell the person sending you the email to send emails in plain text, not rich text. SignatureArt, photography, shareware, polyamory, literature, kink: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html On 5/11/05 7:40 AM, in article tacitr-1FDA06.10402611052005@news-server1.tampabay.rr.com, "Tacit" <tacitr@aol.com> wrote: >> I occasionally get attachments sent from Windows machines that arrive as >> winmail.dat files. The Mac can't open them. Does anybody know what causes [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > 2. Tell the person sending you the email to send emails in plain text, > not rich text. Thanks for the help. I'm actually using Entourage, a MS program, for e-mail. I guess they can't read their own format! > I occasionally get attachments sent from Windows machines that arrive as > winmail.dat files. The Mac can't open them. Does anybody know what causes > this, and what can be done about it? > Thanks =- Jim Usually a signature file or a virtual business card. Its harmless to Macs and simply annoying. >> I occasionally get attachments sent from Windows machines that arrive as >> winmail.dat files. The Mac can't open them. Does anybody know what causes >> this, and what can be done about it? > > Usually a signature file or a virtual business card. Its harmless to > Macs and simply annoying. The biz card files are, or should be, .vcf attachments, which can be used by Entourage and Mail, and thus would not be seen as a .dat file. Don't know about other Mac e-mail apps. |
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