Outlook MSG files are commonly used to store individual email messages, including metadata, body content, and attachments. However, working with MSG files directly can be challenging when you need to integrate or process email data in other systems.
In this guide, we will build a Python-based web application that allows users to:
✔ Upload Outlook MSG files
✔ Convert them into structured XML format
✔ Download the XML file
✔ With a clean HTML interface
✅ Why Convert MSG to XML?
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Data Interoperability: XML is widely supported for system integrations.
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Structured Format: Easily extract sender, recipients, body, and attachments in a standard schema.
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Automation: Helps migrate email content into other tools like CRMs, ERP systems, or custom applications.
✅ Tools and Libraries Used
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Python 3.x
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Flask – lightweight web framework
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extract-msg – library to read
.msgfiles -
HTML + CSS – for a simple and responsive UI
✅ Step 1: Build the Backend (Flask)
Here’s the complete app.py code:
from flask import Flask, render_template, request, send_file
import os
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
import extract_msg
app = Flask(__name__)
UPLOAD_FOLDER = 'uploads'
os.makedirs(UPLOAD_FOLDER, exist_ok=True)
@app.route('/', methods=['GET', 'POST'])
def index():
if request.method == 'POST':
if 'file' not in request.files:
return "No file part"
file = request.files['file']
if file.filename == '':
return "No selected file"
if file:
file_path = os.path.join(UPLOAD_FOLDER, file.filename)
file.save(file_path)
# Convert MSG to XML
xml_path = convert_msg_to_xml(file_path)
return send_file(xml_path, as_attachment=True)
return render_template('index.html')
def convert_msg_to_xml(msg_path):
msg = extract_msg.Message(msg_path)
root = ET.Element("Email")
ET.SubElement(root, "Subject").text = msg.subject or ''
ET.SubElement(root, "Sender").text = msg.sender or ''
ET.SubElement(root, "Date").text = str(msg.date) if msg.date else ''
ET.SubElement(root, "Body").text = msg.body or ''
# Recipients
recipients = ET.SubElement(root, "Recipients")
for r in msg.recipients:
try:
recipient_text = f"{r.name} <{r.email}>"
except:
recipient_text = str(r)
ET.SubElement(recipients, "Recipient").text = recipient_text
# Attachments metadata
attachments = ET.SubElement(root, "Attachments")
for att in msg.attachments:
att_elem = ET.SubElement(attachments, "Attachment")
ET.SubElement(att_elem, "Filename").text = att.longFilename or att.shortFilename or ''
ET.SubElement(att_elem, "Size").text = str(len(att.data)) if att.data else '0'
tree = ET.ElementTree(root)
xml_filename = os.path.splitext(os.path.basename(msg_path))[0] + ".xml"
xml_path = os.path.join(UPLOAD_FOLDER, xml_filename)
tree.write(xml_path, encoding="utf-8", xml_declaration=True)
return xml_path
if __name__ == '__main__':
app.run(debug=True)
✅ Step 2: Create the HTML UI
Save this as templates/index.html:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>MSG to XML Converter</title>
<style>
body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background: #f4f6f9; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; height: 100vh; }
.container { background: #fff; padding: 30px; border-radius: 12px; box-shadow: 0 4px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); text-align: center; width: 400px; }
h1 { color: #333; margin-bottom: 20px; }
input[type="file"] { display: block; margin: 20px auto; }
button { background: #007BFF; color: white; border: none; padding: 10px 20px; border-radius: 8px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; }
button:hover { background: #0056b3; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="container">
<h1>MSG to XML Converter</h1>
<form method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<input type="file" name="file" accept=".msg" required>
<button type="submit">Convert & Download XML</button>
</form>
</div>
</body>
</html>
👉 http://127.0.0.1:5000
✅ Output Example
The generated XML file will look like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Email>
<Subject>Test Email</Subject>
<Sender>sender@example.com</Sender>
<Date>2025-07-23 12:30:00</Date>
<Body>Hello, this is a test email.</Body>
<Recipients>
<Recipient>John Doe <john@example.com></Recipient>
</Recipients>
<Attachments>
<Attachment>
<Filename>document.pdf</Filename>
<Size>12345</Size>
</Attachment>
</Attachments>
</Email>
✅ Next Enhancements
You can add more features:
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Include attachments in Base64 inside XML
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HTML preview before downloading
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Support multiple file upload and batch conversion
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Add a progress bar with drag & drop upload
✔ Final Thoughts
This lightweight Flask app is a simple and efficient way to transform Outlook MSG files into XML, making email data more accessible for integration and analysis.
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