Winmail Reader

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on October 19, 2012

Winmail Reader is a useful and simple tool for anyone who sends or receives messages from the older Microsoft Outlook 97 and 2000 applications (winmail.dat). With Winmail Reader, the user can read, convert, and save file attachments that come from Outlook, Outlook Express, and Microsoft Exchange applications as well as Thunderbird and Lotus Notes e-mail clients. It is a freeware application that works on the later versions of the Windows operating system including XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

The layout of Winmail Reader will be familiar to any Windows user, and there aren't many options, so most people will be able to jump right in without any assistance. The main display window is divided into two panes, with the one on the left listing attachment names and the right pane displaying the item that is highlighted on the left. We liked that you could drag and drop items to the interface, making it a little faster to view them. The five basic options are neatly laid out at the top of the left-hand pane, letting you quickly open or save your items. Winmail Reader also allows you to easily convert files to other formats.

The download and installation process for Winmail Reader is quick and painless. It boots up fast and runs stable under all of the latest editions of the Windows operating system. It is free, user-friendly, and is available in a number of languages. The learning curve is zero for anyone who is familiar with Windows. This is a good choice for anyone who deals with winmail.dat attachments.