Windows Mail

How to Reinstate Windows Mail in Windows 7​

   Warning

Microsoft no longer supports Windows Mail, aka WinMail. It's recommended you use another well known supported email client. This Tutorial is for Advanced users who importantly have the Technical Ability to make the changes, have backups of everything including your OS, and to be your own tech support for WinMail going forward. If you decide to complete this tutorial you accept the fact that you are using WinMail as-is. It might be necessary to uninstall other email clients to resolve any WinMail conflicts in some environments. Understand it's likely that new OS updates from Microsoft will break WinMail's operation, and to fix make it necessary to rerun the tutorial again to reinstate it. With those things in mind, this tutorial was written so that you can rerun it without affecting WinMail user data.
Please see this Errata (Bug List) post before you install, to be aware of the current information about known issues using WinMail within Windows 7, these issues are programmatic and in most cases cannot be resolved by this tutorial, and will never be fixed.

Having said all of that disclaimer, if you have the technical ability, and can put up with the annoying minor byproduct bugs, then like so many of us still enjoy using WinMail on Windows 7 ...ymmv!

   Tip

As of January, 2025, the instructions given here supersede all other instructions given in forthcoming older posts. Realize some of the posts that follow are over 16 years old, and many of the link pointers within have become mislinked over time, many of the files or information within them is outdated, incomplete, or superseded with more accurate information - and so be careful. However you can always be sure that the latest info from all research is incorporated into this tutorial post, and its downloads are the latest available. This post is continuously kept up-to-date, and so..
...Always refer to this Tutorial post for the very latest updated information

This is the 4th iteration of the Windows 7, WinMail tutorial.

The process of this tutorial Will Not work to reinstate WinMail on Windows 8/10 !
Windows 8/10 users please go Here

Start here

1. Download tutorial package TutReWinMail.zip
   
   Download
   
   
2. Extract the TutReWinMail.zip into your user Downloads folder
   • Note: Be sure once extracted this is the address of the ''TutReWinMail'' folder:
   • C:\Users\username\Downloads\TutReWinMail... ... (if it's not there please put it there)
3. Navigate to your user Downloads\TutReWinMail folder to be sure the above is correct.
   • (..if you need more verbose install instructions to follow, download this WinMail Local Tutorial.zip)
   • Advanced Users can proceed below:

     ---

     (..log in for Full Access, being able to get support, remove ads, like, and even to post, etc..)

Advanced Users: ..use this easy excellent overview of the steps in the local tutorial:

• Open an Administrator Command Prompt. (screenshot showing in Administrator mode)
• copy/paste this line into the command prompt: cd %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\TutReWinMail\
• Your command prompt must now be showing you are at That Same Folder Address ..which contains the tutorial files that the batch file in the next step executes programs and copies files specifically from that folder address - if it's not there the batch file will fail since it cannot find what it needs!
• Next type in either winmail32 or win64mail <matching OS bit, to interactively process These Next Steps
• If you've finished to the bottom as shown in last screenshot, restart your machine (sets registry)
• Create a shortcut from WinMail.exe to your Desktop
• Open WinMail - it may prompt you one (or both) of These Two Notices ..click yes, and okay.
• They now should be already set, but you can manually check/set at any time These Default Settings
• That's pretty much all there is to it, and from here you setup the rest of the Windows Mail client (aka: WinMail) as normal within its various tab menus for Accounts, Options, Layout, etc, etc, to suit your individual needs.
• Lastly, but should be the First thing you do, is to Create A WinMail Backup (new version) ..Go to this next link and when you get there scroll down to the heading: Backup/Restore Procedures for further instructions.

   Information

See How to open an elevated Administrator Command Prompt
Important: The exact text provided by the tutorial must be entered into the Administrator Command Prompt.
Hint: to avoid typos, copy/paste the entire line containing the command into the Command Prompt window.
Also see: How to Enable Copy to Clipboard from the Windows 7 Command Prompt

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Every effort has been made to make this a step-by-step process, however, it is beyond the scope of a single tutorial to provide information on every command or concept. Search the Main Tutorial Section if you need greater detail on a concept or command presented in this tutorial.

Good luck, and long live WinMail

   Note

Made possible by members:
Mark (aka Mr GRiM) - provided the original tutorial
Poppa Bear - continued Mark's work within the 2nd version
endeavor - provided continuous feedback, changes, invaluable testing instrumental to tutorial operations
EKManitis - propose the batch code that made operations easier
Slartybart - updated, tested, and consolidated all of the above into the 3rd version
endeavor - reviewed, updated, tested, and incorporated all of the above into this 4th version
...and also a special thanks to All the other members who presented discovery for this project

Related Tutorials

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• How to Backup/Restore Messages in Windows Mail (Vista version)
  
• Windows Calendar - Import into Windows 7
• Vista Windows Sidebar - Reinstate on Windows 7
• Windows Live Mail - Import Windows Mail Messages
• Windows Live Mail - Import Windows 7 and Vista Contacts

 

[Han Solo]

I have been experiencing win mail crashing every time I compact. Is there a way to fix this?

 

[Raymond2512]

install win mail again. See intructions to uninstall and reinstall.

 

[steelgtr]

What's the simplest fix after the SP1 bug?

thx

bob

 

[Han Solo]

Where can I find the instructions on uninstalling and reinstalling win mail?

 

[roncerr]

What's the simplest fix after the SP1 bug?

Don't know the simplest since I'm using WLM 2009 but there is a post about SP1 here: http://www.sevenforums.com/browsers-mail/147519-fix-windows-mail-after-sp1-update.html

 

[jvboat]

Boaties PC Repair

Whoever figured this out I love, I know a lot of people would not go to Windows 7 because of the email. Thanks.

 

[kewl1]

Whoever figured this out I love, I know a lot of people would not go to Windows 7 because of the email. Thanks.

One of the best things I have ever found on the internet. Hey I wonder if Windows 7 forums has other cool stuff besides email????

 

[Greg S]

Whoever figured this out I love, I know a lot of people would not go to Windows 7 because of the email. Thanks.

Most of them have moved on to WLM, me included. Once you get used to it, it's really better in my opinion. Especially the calendar feature.

 

[Ex_Brit]

Whoever figured this out I love, I know a lot of people would not go to Windows 7 because of the email. Thanks.

One of the best things I have ever found on the internet. Hey I wonder if Windows 7 forums has other cool stuff besides email????

Check the tutorials at the top of the page.

Whoever figured this out I love, I know a lot of people would not go to Windows 7 because of the email. Thanks.

Most of them have moved on to WLM, me included. Once you get used to it, it's really better in my opinion. Especially the calendar feature.

Te feature of WLM that I don't like are the multiple boxes, 1 set for each email address rather than 1 for all.

 

[billg226]

Reinstaing Windows Mail in Windows 7

Mark,
Just wanted you to know your instructions/tuturial works to this day. Just followed it word for word & it weorks flaelessly my my 32/64bit PC with Windows7 Professional on it.
Thanks a heap from a been using OE forevever nerd and one that hates Live Mail.
Bill

 

[alaamostafa15]

Emails on Desktop do not open

Dear Mr GRiM.
I would like to thank you very much for your valuable post about "How to Reinstate Windows Mail in Windows 7"
Following your instruction I could re install Windows Mail and send & receive emails. Now I can open and read emails from within Windows Mail.

However I found some bug and that is I used to drag and drop important emails on my Desktop to find them later easily or store them on another folder to get back to them when I need them.

Now when I do this and double click on any "file.eml" on my Desktop it does not open by Windows Mail as it did in Vista. But it energized Adobe Acrobat to lunch and of course acrobat fails to open it.

Then I right click and select "Open with" and brose to "winmail.exe" and select it and check "Always use this program..etc" but I got the same result Acrobat launches then fails to open the file.

After uninstalling Acrobat I tried to open it again but when I select " winmail.exe " I found that check box of "Always use this program..etc" is grayed out. And Windows offers some other programs to open the file.eml
Any advise will be highly appreciated
Best regards

 

[myzr7]

Dear Mr GRiM.
I would like to thank you very much for your valuable post about "How to Reinstate Windows Mail in Windows 7"
Following your instruction I could re install Windows Mail and send & receive emails. Now I can open and read emails from within Windows Mail.

However I found some bug and that is I used to drag and drop important emails on my Desktop to find them later easily or store them on another folder to get back to them when I need them.

Now when I do this and double click on any "file.eml" on my Desktop it does not open by Windows Mail as it did in Vista. But it energized Adobe Acrobat to lunch and of course acrobat fails to open it.

Then I right click and select "Open with" and brose to "winmail.exe" and select it and check "Always use this program..etc" but I got the same result Acrobat launches then fails to open the file.

After uninstalling Acrobat I tried to open it again but when I select " winmail.exe " I found that check box of "Always use this program..etc" is grayed out. And Windows offers some other programs to open the file.eml
Any advise will be highly appreciated
Best regards

Welcome to SevenForums
You need to set Windows Mail as your default for this action. Start/Default Programs, I think this has been covered somewhere in this discussion if I find it I will link you to it. Good luck to you with your problem.

 

[alaamostafa15]

I could solve the problem

Dear myzr7
Many thanks for your reply, I could solve the problem following your advise, it is very easy and straight forward.
Best regards

 

[Sylver123]

Microsoft should just release a damn installer setup file that will completely enable windows 7 built in Windows Mail.

They could do it easily and it probably would only take them a couple of minutes or so to make the patch and create the installer and then they could release the damn thing but they just won't.

 

[alaamostafa15]

How to sort emails by date received

How to sort emails by date received
I have many emails stored in deferent folders. The default folder option is sort by “Date modified”. I would like to arrange them to be sorted by date received. So I have to go to each folder, right click inside the folder and select “Sort by” è More. Then I scroll down and select “Date received”
Is there is some way so I can set folder option globally to show “Column of Date receive” for all folders so I don’t have to go to each folder and set it separately one in a time.

The second problem is some of the emails do not show its received date and column of “Date received” shown empty while “Date Modified” shows the related date. These emails which show no date received have changed its name to be something like {0C3C0C9F-0000024B.eml} but they can be opened perfectly. Does that indicate corruption? And is there some way to revert them back to correct names?
Many thanks in advance

 

[akwexavante]

Contacting Microsoft

Hi,

As a system builder, building an average of 8 computers a week amoungst other things i find that by far the majority of people do not want WLM or Mozila thunderbird.

I would reduce my sales to roughly 2 maybe 3 a week if i was unable to hack in Windows Mail.

If they can't have Windows Mail with Win7 they want WinXP.

If everybody reading this thread would contact Microsoft asking for Windows Mail back i'm sure they would give in.

To contact Microsoft by email: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus/emailcontact.aspx?scid=sw;en;1513&ws=MoreInfo

If everybody does it they should get thousands of requests.

I have tried WLM and i hate it, i've tried Mozila Thunderbird, it's OK but prefer WinMail.

MICROSOFT: GIVE US WINDOWS MAIL BACK PLEASE!

 

[tangentjohn]

Contacting Microsoft

Here is the letter I posted to Microsoft useing the address you provided.

Thanks for the address, and I encourage EVERYBODY to exert their influence to correct this absurd decison to cripple Windows Mail in Windows 7. You are welcome to copy and paste my letter, modify it as you wish or compose your own. PLEASE, just comment!!

Microsoft, PLEASE, give us windows mail back. As I'm sure you know many MANY individual uses and system builders are being forced to hack Windows 7 to restore Windows Mail. I want it for myself' and friends want me to perform the hack on their computers once they discover it is possible.
Often people who are afraid of the possible vulnerabilities created by a hack simply decide not to upgrade from XP or Vista when they discover Windows Mail is not included in Windows 7.
I don't understand, and no one has presented any reasonable explanation for the crippling of Windows Mail in Windows 7. Perhaps you could explain it to me and to the Windows community at large. Generally we HATE Windows Live Mail, which leaves us with the Hack or with making do with Thunderbird' which can be set up to emulate Windows mail fairly well.
Please, won't you create a patch, Microsoft supported or not, which will restore Windows mail and all its functions in one easy install? It would be deeply appreciated by your Windows 7 community.

 

[poppa bear]

Here is the letter I posted to Microsoft useing the address you provided.

Thanks for the address, and I encourage EVERYBODY to exert their influence to correct this absurd decison to cripple Windows Mail in Windows 7. You are welcome to copy and paste my letter, modify it as you wish or compose your own. PLEASE, just comment!!

Thanks John. I have sent an exact copy of your email and stated that I had read it in Windows 7 Forums and it expressed my sentiments exactly.

This may be a small thing for some, but not for me. Six months ago, I asked Microsoft why the latest version of WinLiveMail did not include the ability to format the background of an email with picture, color or sound. They said that at that point of time they had no knowledge whether it would or would not be added in future.

 

[Sylver123]

I have also sent microsoft an email using the above URL asking them if they would restore Windows Mail in Windows 7

I also let them know that I am a member of Seven Forums.

 

[win7go]

windows mail error

Hi all
Firstly I hope no one would mind me posting this here as I also posted in another seven-sub-forum and have been suggested to post it here.
I have installed windows mail according this manual. All seeems to work fine and I have done this about three times for my partner's school supplied machine.
This time round she gets an error which comes up randomly when she's wanting to download her pop mail.It can happen within the logged in time that she gets the error and other tries go successfully.The error page is empty.
Has anyone of you come accross this?
Any suggestions?