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and many of the link pointers within have become mislinked over time, many of the files or information within them is outdated, incomplete, or superseded with more accurate information - and so be careful.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

---

• 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

 

[tuckinrimins10]

okay so now I am getting the MSOE.DLL error. What shall I do? I searched this thread but didnt see anything direct.. (im sure there is)

 

[poppa bear]

okay so now I am getting the MSOE.DLL error. What shall I do? I searched this thread but didnt see anything direct.. (im sure there is)

OK did you run the WinMailEdit.reg download file before importing and trying to open WinMail.exe as a shortcut?

In any case, delete both the msoe.dll file & WinMail.exe files from the imported Windows Mail folder. Reboot your PC.

Run the WinMailEdit.reg download file again. Then again copy and paste the 32bit Vista Windows Mail files msoe.dll file & WinMail.exe into the imported Windows Mail folder in the 32bit program files. Send the WinMail.exe to desktop as shortcut. See if this helps? You will still need to run the remove attirbutes command.

Cheers PB

 

[tuckinrimins10]

Hmm, I did that still the same error with the .dll

I am not sure at this point. I remember this being so easy with a folder grim sent me via pm.

 

[tuckinrimins10]

btw poppa bear, Thanks for all your help..

 

[poppa bear]

Hmm, I did that still the same error with the .dll

I am not sure at this point. I remember this being so easy with a folder grim sent me via pm.

Yeah, unfortunately I've pretty much run out of options. There's no question the msoe.dll is the key.

The only other possibility might be if you're running another email client? I had to remove WinMailLive before I could get Windows Mail to operate.

I think the only way around it will be to get the 64bit Vista Windows Mail files, but sorry can't help with that one.

Maybe give it one last go by deleting everything, running a registry clean, and starting from scratch with a clean slate, doing it exactly as per instructions in the amended guide, except that you will import all Vista Windows Mail files?

 

[tuckinrimins10]

If grim no longer has the 64bit Vista Windows Mail files I wll start fresh again.

Thanks for all your help man!!

 

[poppa bear]

If grim no longer has the 64bit Vista Windows Mail files I wll start fresh again.

Thanks for all your help man!!

No worries. Just sorry couldn't get it working.

When I was doing trials on this, first time round I tried to open the WinMail.exe before running the WinMailEdit.reg file, and it wouldn't work. From memory I think it was only the WinMail.exe I had to recopy from Vista to fix it.

If you've still got a copy of the original Windows Mail, it might be worth a shot by getting rid of all the 32bit Windows Mail files; putting back the original 64bit Windows Mail folder in the 64bit program files, and just pasting the 32bit Vista Windows Mail "msoe.dll" file to replace the original 64bit one. It's a long shot, but who knows, if you feel like going to all the effort, eh?

Hope you get it sorted. Cheers PB

 

[pete39]

Join this file sharing site to find the WM64bit files.
https://www.dropbox.com/login?cont=https%3A//www.dropbox.com/gs

 

[tuckinrimins10]

No idea how to search dropbox.. tried though

 

[pete39]

Windows Mail files

No idea how to search dropbox.. tried though

Register with Dropbox and then login.
At the top of the first page are some tabs, click the files tab.
In the list of files you will see Windows Mail, click on that and you see will the two Windows Mail types.
Install Dropbox first, it's on the same page bottom left.

Hope this works.
Pete

 

[kaj]

Win Mail 64 bit files download

No idea how to search dropbox.. tried though

Register with Dropbox and then login.
At the top of the first page are some tabs, click the files tab.
In the list of files you will see Windows Mail, click on that and you see will the two Windows Mail types.
Install Dropbox first, it's on the same page bottom left.

Hope this works.
Pete

I use Dropbox myself; I have an account and the software installed but the process you describe won't work for me. Logging in just takes me to my own account.
I have uploaded my Win Mail 64 bit files here, including two reg files for making things work, mentioned elsewhere in this thread. Let's try that!
Free File Hosting Made Simple - MediaFire

Edit: just tried the link, seems to work; you have to dl the files one by one. good luck!

 

[poppa bear]

To Kaj re:

Edit: just tried the link, seems to work; you have to dl the files one by one. good luck!

In the modified method mentioned in post No 317 two pages back, you only need to import one file "msoe.dll" from Vista Windows Mail folder.

This post has got everything you will need. Also in it is an attached registry edit file: "WinMailEdit.reg". When this is run it allows .eml email files to be opened on the desktop; disables the WinMail startup splash screen; and removes an x86 registry key that causes conflicts when running updates or system file checks. It also shows how to remove WinMail attributes which can also cause conflicts.

Last but not least, it has a method of enabling Win Calendar in Windows Mail.

Cheers PB

 

[kaj]

To Kaj re:

Edit: just tried the link, seems to work; you have to dl the files one by one. good luck!

In the modified method mentioned in post No 317 two pages back, you only need to import one file "msoe.dll" from Vista Windows Mail folder.

This post has got everything you will need. Also in it is an attached registry edit file: "WinMailEdit.reg". When this is run it allows .eml email files to be opened on the desktop; disables the WinMail startup splash screen; and removes an x86 registry key that causes conflicts when running updates or system file checks. It also shows how to remove WinMail attributes which can also cause conflicts.

Last but not least, it has a method of enabling Win Calendar in Windows Mail.

Cheers PB

Thanks for pointing out that post Poppa Bear. I'll certainly bookmark it for future reference in case of a fresh install. My Win Mail has been working great for some time thanks to this thread. Was just anxious to help out the poster who needed the 64 bit files. I was in that situation myself as I was upgrading from Vista 32 bit so had no 64 bit files to copy. My point about the dropbox link is that it doesn't work; when you log in to dropbox you only get your own files. To share the file you need to email a link to the person.
My mediafire link however, does work, and if like me you hadn't got your Vista files wouldn't you need all of them? [I'm asking cos I don't know!]

 

[George04539]

Hey, PB

Poppa Bear,
Thanks for the effort you, GregS, and Ex_Brit have put in so far --spent all day reading through the saga. I hope your patience hasn't run out yet, because I'd appreciate some help wading through the Plan you have outlined in Post 317.

I'm running 64 bit Windows 7. I have deleted all remnants of the dreadful 'Live' suite.
When I try to run your WinMailEdit.zip link in Step 1, I get a message box, titled "Registry Editor", cryptically saying "Cannot import.
WinMailEdit.reg: Not all data was sucessfully written to the registry. Some keys are open by the system or othyer processes."

I ran the attrib command line in Step 2. Does that automatically take care of both versions of WinMail.exe (that is, I seem to have two(?), one in Program Files\ and one in Program File (x86)\Windows Mail).

The file viewing options you describe in Step 3 (Windows Mail ==> Tools ==> Folder Options ==> View Tab do not seem to be available to me within the Windows Mail window --I don't have any "Tools" option on the window (can I add that somehow??) I can accomplish the same thing through Contol Panel ==> Folder Options ==> View Tab; not a big deal.

I now have both the 64-bit and 32-bit (Vista) versions of msoe.dll, but I'm reluctant to blithely drag them into their respective folders because of your admonition "*Warning: It is critical to do this before carrying out steps (4) & (5)." in Step 1, since WinMailEdit.zip evidently did not run right.

Did I infer correctly that you have not actually tried this procedure on a 64-bit machine? Do you suppose all 64-bit stuff can be deleted and only the Program Files (x86) stuff be monkeyed with?? Or perhaps vice-versa with my 64-bit system?

Cheers,
George

 

[GIGN1987]

Hi there i setup an windows mail client in windows 7 with this help:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/5481-windows-mail-32.html#post533107

and i try tu setup the google acount but when i click download/send all messages no message is downloaded, whn i try tu load folders from google it reports the error like connection is out of network or something else and sometimes the program crashes, i setup it with this page:

Windows Mail - Gmail Help

any sugestions ?

 

[poppa bear]

To George04539 re:

When I try to run your WinMailEdit.zip link in Step 1, I get a message box, titled "Registry Editor", cryptically saying "Cannot import.
WinMailEdit.reg: Not all data was sucessfully written to the registry. Some keys are open by the system or othyer processes."

Unfortunately I haven't come across this error message before. It might possibly have something to do with WinMailLive. When you uninstalled WinMailLive, did you use the Control Panel/ Programs & Features option to remove it?

It sounds like some files from a previous application are still running. Try doing a registry clean with something like Glary Utilites, (totally freeware), and rebooting your PC. Then run WinMailEdit.reg again.

Even if it doesn't alter all the registry files, it may still allow sufficient to make it work. This regedit does the following functions: 1. Allows email .eml files to open on desktop. 2. Disables WinMail splash screen on startup. 3. Removes an x86 registry key to prevent conflicts. It's hard to know which one is not being edited.

In any case, once you've run a registry clean, and re-booted, finish the other steps and see if it will work.

Re:

I ran the attrib command line in Step 2. Does that automatically take care of both versions of WinMail.exe (that is, I seem to have two(?), one in Program Files\ and one in Program File (x86)\Windows Mail).

Yes, that takes care of both.

Hope this helps. Cheers PB

 

[poppa bear]

To kaj re:

My mediafire link however, does work, and if like me you hadn't got your Vista files wouldn't you need all of them? [I'm asking cos I don't know!]

No, you only need the one file, "msoe.dll" from the Vista Windows Mail folder, as per my post 317 a few pages back. That was the whole point of the modified method. You don't need to import the whole Vista Windows Mail folder. However, you still need access to the Vista Windows Mail folder to get that one file from inside the folder.

If you have a read of post 320 in this thread, it explains the reasons why the modified version was created and exactly what it does. In a nutshell it makes the whole process easier and less open to conflicts.

Cheers PB

 

[kaj]

Windows Mail 64bit msoe.dll

To kaj re:

My mediafire link however, does work, and if like me you hadn't got your Vista files wouldn't you need all of them? [I'm asking cos I don't know!]

No, you only need the one file, "msoe.dll" from the Vista Windows Mail folder, as per my post 317 a few pages back. That was the whole point of the modified method. You don't need to import the whole Vista Windows Mail folder. However, you still need access to the Vista Windows Mail folder to get that one file from inside the folder.

If you have a read of post 320 in this thread, it explains the reasons why the modified version was created and exactly what it does. In a nutshell it makes the whole process easier and less open to conflicts.

Cheers PB

Ok thanks for expalining. In that case, this link is just to the msoe .dll for Windows Mail 64 bit
msoe.dll

 

[poppa bear]

To kaj re

:Ok thanks for expalining. In that case, this link is just to the msoe .dll for Windows Mail 64 bit
msoe.dll

Thanks kaj. That's all that is needed from 64bit Vista Windows Mail folder to make WinMail work in 64bit Win7. The rest's in my post 317.

Cheers PB

 

[chrishellmax]

What is this take ownership program and how can it benefit me that has vista and windows on one system.
chris.