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and many of the link pointers within have become mislinked over time, many of the files or information within them is outdated, incomplete, or superseded with more accurate information - and so be careful.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

---

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

 

[poppa bear]

Instead of using the import AND export wizards, I was thinking of using only the WLM import wizard (choosing the Windows Mail format) to browse to an external hard drive containing Vista's Windows Mail folder. I imagine that would create a separate folder tree within WLM containing my saved emails from Vista. I would also create new empty sub-folders in various places within WLM and drag groups of emails from the imported tree structure over to the new places where they would be integrated into WLM. Finally I would delete the imported (now empty) tree structure. I believe that's how I originally moved my OE emails over to WinMail. Any comments?

Hey, smart thinkng roncerr! I used that method when importing messages from WinMail in Windows 7, but never thought to use it on WinMail in Vista.

I have XP, Vista and Windows 7 all on the same hard drive, which I think would be equivalent to having Vista on an external hard drive. So I tried it and it worked like a charm. However, I could not import from Windows Mail folder in program files. I had to browse to Local Folders as the target folder form which to import, using the following pathway:

Start --> User name --> AppData --> Local --> Microsoft --> Windows Mail --> Local Folders.

All the folders were imported to Imported Folder (1) in Storage Folders as shown in the following screenshot.

​

Cheers PB

 

[poppa bear]

Import Message Maze

To Greg S.

I think I finally figured out what is going on with the import glitches. There are basiclly two issues.

1. The type of file used in the messages to be moved.

Emails saved to desktop from the interface of WinLiveMail.exe or WinMail.exe are .eml files and are different to the type stored on the hard drive in Local Folders under AppData. The ones stored in Local Folders are linked files. The ones on desktop are stand alone. For this reason:

- .eml emails saved to desktop can be successfully drag/dropped into the interface of either WinLiveMail.exe or WinMail.exe.

- While they cannot be successfully moved into storage folders under AppData on the hard drive for WinLiveMail, they can be for WinMail. This means the file types are different in WLM & WM for storage on hard drive.


2. The different types of filing systems used to store mail in WLM and WM.

WinMail stores all messages on the hard drive in Local Folders. WinLiveMail stores them in individual accounts according to the recipient email address. These two filing systems do not mix/match.

If the Local Folders from WinMail in AppData in Vista are moved to an empty corresponding Local Folders in WinMail in AppData in Windows 7, it will work because they have the same filing system. This is the method used in my post here.

However, if these same Local Folders from WinMail are moved to an emptied Account folder in WinLiveMail under AppData:

- They will be displayed in the interface of WinLiveMail.exe, as "< craparrows.com >".

- They will be duplicated in the Local Folders in the Account folder under AppData, (as you discovered and pointed out to me).

This means there are basically two safe methods of importing all your emails from WinMail to WinLiveMail.

1. Use the Import/Export Wizards: As described in Brinks tutorial. Or if you have WinMail in Windows 7, or in Vista on an external hard drive, or the same hard drive as Windows 7, just use the one step Import Wizard in WinLiveMail as pointed out by roncerr in the post above.

2. Drag/Drop or Save all messages to a storage folder from WinMail.exe interface. These emails will then be in .eml file type, and can be drag/dropped to any Account Folder, or Storage Folders in WinLiveMail.exe interface.

Further observations.

1. If .eml emails saved to the desktop, as in (2) above, are moved to an Account folder in WLM under AppData, they will appear in the WinLiveMail.exe interface as "< craparrows.com >". As can be seen in the screenshot below. You can't see the full email address for security reasons.

2. If emails are moved from Local Folders under AppData in WinMail to an Account folder in WLM under AppData, they will also appear in the WinLiveMail.exe interface as "< craparrows.com >" because the file type for emails in Hard Drive storage is different in each appliction.

This is a view of AppData > Windows Live Mail > Poppa Account > Inbox.

Email 1 is a normal received email.
Email 2 is one moved from AppData > Windows Mail > Local Folders > Inbox.
Email 3 is one saved to desktop and moved to: AppData > Windows Live Mail > Poppa Account > Inbox.

​

This is a corresponding view of WinLiveMail.exe interface. The full email address has been hidden for security reasons.​

​

Emails 2 & 3 appear with "< craparrows.com >" format.


Phew! Any comments you would like to add?

Cheers PB

 

[roncerr]

... However, I could not import from Windows Mail folder in program files. I had to browse to Local Folders as the target folder form which to import, using the following pathway:

Start --> User name --> AppData --> Local --> Microsoft --> Windows Mail --> Local Folders.

Of course Program files would not work since that is not the message store location. But perhaps the wizard would be smart enough to find them even if you were one folder higher in the AppData Explorer tree: "Windows Mail".

 

[poppa bear]

QUOTE]Of course Program files would not work since that is not the message store location. But perhaps the wizard would be smart enough to find them even if you were one folder higher in the AppData Explorer tree: "Windows Mail".

You were dead right. Imported with selected source folder being Windows Mail and came across fine.

Cheers PB

 

[Greg S]

To Greg S.


1. The type of file used in the messages to be moved.

Emails saved to desktop from the interface of WinLiveMail.exe or WinMail.exe are .eml files and are different to the type stored on the hard drive in Local Folders under AppData. The ones stored in Local Folders are linked files. The ones on desktop are stand alone. For this reason:

I commend you for finding the source of my head banging but the stored email in Local Folders or Storage Folders in AppData are indeed .eml files and can be read easily with a text editor.

- .eml emails saved to desktop can be successfully drag/dropped into the interface of either WinLiveMail.exe or WinMail.exe.

I find that this does not work for me. It's the same duplication factor with arrows routine. Unless, you are saying to hightlight/select all emails within the client, then right click and save. If so, I did not try that

 

[Greg S]

Question: Does one have to install Live Messenger to be able to change the icon next to the SignIn? You know, the one that looks like Gort from the 1951 SciFi movie The Day the Earth Stood Still.

 

[roncerr]

Question: Does one have to install Live Messenger to be able to change the icon next to the SignIn?

I went to the live.com home page, edited my profile picture from the default, and noticed it did not change the icon in WLM (either on the main page in the upper right corner or within the signed-in contacts list). Guess we'll have to try messenger or search the help files for information.

 

[Greg S]

Question: Does one have to install Live Messenger to be able to change the icon next to the SignIn?

I went to the live.com home page, edited my profile picture from the default, and noticed it did not change the icon in WLM (either on the main page in the upper right corner or within the signed-in contacts list). Guess we'll have to try messenger or search the help files for information.

Thanks ron, is that the profile you get to by the drop down menu nexe to the icon? I've changed that icon in that profile, but WLM doesn't reflect the change.

 

[myzr7]

I have a version of Win Live Mail beta running on a test machine and it does have the same avatar as my live messager has. It will be interesting to see if it can be changed to have two differnt ones on the same account.

 

[Greg S]

I have a version of Win Live Mail beta running on a test machine and it does have the same avatar as my live messager has. It will be interesting to see if it can be changed to have two differnt ones on the same account.

So we do need the Live Messenger for the User Pic to work?

 

[myzr7]

I have a version of Win Live Mail beta running on a test machine and it does have the same avatar as my live messager has. It will be interesting to see if it can be changed to have two differnt ones on the same account.

So we do need the Live Messenger for the User Pic to work?

I think so as I have changed the one in messenger and it changed in the mailroom after closing out and reopening mail

 

[Greg S]

I have a version of Win Live Mail beta running on a test machine and it does have the same avatar as my live messager has. It will be interesting to see if it can be changed to have two differnt ones on the same account.

So we do need the Live Messenger for the User Pic to work?

I think so as I have changed the one in messenger and it changed in the mailroom after closing out and reopening mail

Yes, I couldn't resist. I installed messenger to see for myself. I wonder if there's a way to hack that little icon without installing live messenger?

 

[poppa bear]

I commend you for finding the source of my head banging but the stored email in Local Folders or Storage Folders in AppData are indeed .eml files and can be read easily with a text editor.

Yes, all message files on HD storage, (AppData), are .eml type files. However:

• Emails copied/moved to HD storage in WinLiveMail from HD storage in WinMail
• Or emails saved to desktop from WinMail.exe interface, then moved to HD storage in WLM

....are not read the same way as those created in WinLiveMail. Which explains why they are displayed in the < craparrows.com > format when viewing such 'alien' emails in the interface of WinLiveMail.exe.

Obviously there is some form of identifier in the emails created in WinLiveMail which allows it to recognize them as it's own emails. I imagine it's the number displayed in the storage file version of the email. Therefore the ID No of WinMail emails placed in HD storage folders of WLM will not be recognized and hence not displayed in the normal way.

When exporting emails from HD storage folders of WinMail in Vista to HD storage folders of WinMail in Windows 7, the ID numbers will be recognized as an email created in WinMail. Which explains why the method works that is shown in my post here. However, even when using this method, the destination Local Folders, (AppData), has to be emptied of all sub-folders, otherwise your custom created folders from WinMail will not be migrated across.

I find that this does not work for me. It's the same duplication factor with arrows routine. Unless, you are saying to hight light/select all emails within the client, then right click and save. If so, I did not try that.

In both WinMail.exe & WinLiveMail.exe open interface, I am able to save emails to the desktop by:

1. Highlighting a group of emails, or a single one, and drag/dropping them to the desktop, or a storage folder on the desktop, from the Inbox, Sent Items, etc.

2. Or as you said, hight light/select all emails within the client, then right click and save.

Once I have saved them to desktop, they can then be drag/dropped into the appropriate folders of Inbox, Drafts, etc, in the open interface of WinLiveMail.exe.

This is the long way of doing it, but it is 100% safe. Back in days of XP, being a bit of a slow learner and not into forums, when I reloaded XP for someone I would individually open and save each email... a monster task when there were several hundred. Then I discovered drag/drop and thought I had found gold. And finally through forums such as this, I finally found export/import wizard which was "premium" gold, not "leaded"... LOL!

I prefer method 1, because it's a tad quicker than having to use a drop down menu and then select a destination to which you want to save them. However, I've noticed a spasmodic glitch with WinLiveMail Beta when doing this. Sometimes the email that is drag/dropped is corrupted, and can't be read.

 

[Greg S]

Once I have saved them to desktop, they can then be drag/dropped into the appropriate folders of Inbox, Drafts, etc, in the open interface of WinLiveMail.exe.

.

This answers the Unless of my last reply. Did not know about the drag n drop method within the GUI of WLM. I must have missed that one,lol. <--- Missing something in this topic would be easy to do. I think we've pretty much dissected every possible avenue of WM and WLM which is a good thing.

I'm still looking for a way to hack that profile icon to show something different. I don't use Windows Live Messenger all though, when testing it out last night, I did truly like the new email alert I got. Pretty sharp!

 

[poppa bear]

This answers the Unless of my last reply. Did not know about the drag n drop method within the GUI of WLM. I must have missed that one,lol. <--- Missing something in this topic would be easy to do. I think we've pretty much dissected every possible avenue of WM and WLM which is a good thing.

Yep, I think we've pretty well covered it every which way. And yes, I agree, it's been good to know exactly what's going on.

As a last little test, I moved an email file from HD storage of WLM --> HD storage of WM; and hey presto, it worked, no glitches. Did it in reverse from WM --> WLM and got <craparrow.com>. Go figure, eh!

I'm still looking for a way to hack that profile icon to show something different. I don't use Windows Live Messenger all though, when testing it out last night, I did truly like the new email alert I got. Pretty sharp!

Hell Greg it wouldn't have seemed right if there wasn't something for El Maestro Hacker, (meaning you!), to hack in WLM! LOL! Man you cracked me up with: "You know, the one that looks like Gort from the 1951 SciFi movie The Day the Earth Stood Still". Man that is so funny, I'm still rockin!

I think this tutorial has just about run it's race. It's pretty much become a WinLiveMail forum now. Although, it's been a good learning curve for me, and helped ease me into WLM by forcing me to address a lot of issues I normally wouldn't have bothered with. Hell don't know what I'll do now to while away the long winter nights! Double LOL!

BTW I've gone back to earlier version of WLM until they get back some of the lost commands in WLM Beta, such as format background and select all for a group of emails.

Off topic: Been helping a friend with XP Home on core 2 duo mobo. Any thoughts on what to do when Windows can download but can't install critical security updates? And ditto for Adobe updates, and won't allow this program to be uninstalled?

Cheers PB

 

[Greg S]

I'm still looking for a way to hack that profile icon to show something different. I don't use Windows Live Messenger all though, when testing it out last night, I did truly like the new email alert I got. Pretty sharp!

Hell Greg it wouldn't have seemed right if there wasn't something for El Maestro Hacker, (meaning you!), to hack in WLM! LOL! Man you cracked me up with: "You know, the one that looks like Gort from the 1951 SciFi movie The Day the Earth Stood Still". Man that is so funny, I'm still rockin!

You can bet your last dollar I'm still lookin!

I think this tutorial has just about run it's race. It's pretty much become a WinLiveMail forum now. Although, it's been a good learning curve for me, and helped ease me into WLM by forcing me to address a lot of issues I normally wouldn't have bothered with.

Yes it has and I'm surprised it hasn't been split or got us Banned for doing this. I am glad that Brink and the mods have let it go on because it's been a big help for me.

Off topic: Been helping a friend with XP Home on core 2 duo mobo. Any thoughts on what to do when Windows can download but can't install critical security updates? And ditto for Adobe updates, and won't allow this program to be uninstalled?

Cheers PB

Sounds to me like the XP user is running as a Limited User. Check the status of his account. If there is an Admin account, try intalling from there. If there is an Admin User account which requires a password, select the file you want to run, right click Run as Administrator and enter the password. If the XP version is Professional, right click the file and select properties and look at the bottom for Unblock.

This is just a few things that come to mind from the symptoms that you described.

 

[BladeRy]

Hi

I have a strange...and frustrating problem with my WinMail.
I am following few newsgroups, so when i added them in WinMail they are sorted by alphabet. When i try "sync now" to get my mail and news, the groups are shuffled.
Old OutlookExpress did it normally, by order. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 <-
WindowsMail does it in..dunno what order, 5,3,6,1,8,2,9,7,4

I tried adding my groups by alphabet, didn't help. I tried the reverse order, still no luck.

Is there any way to fix this?

Tnx

 

[roncerr]

I tried adding my groups by alphabet, didn't help. I tried the reverse order, still no luck.

Windows Mail (part of Vista) does sort alphabetically in Vista. Are you using Windows Mail in Win 7 as per the tutorial at the top of this page or Windows Live Mail in Win 7?

 

[BladeRy]

I tried adding my groups by alphabet, didn't help. I tried the reverse order, still no luck.

Windows Mail (part of Vista) does sort alphabetically in Vista. Are you using Windows Mail in Win 7 as per the tutorial at the top of this page or Windows Live Mail in Win 7?

I am using Windows Mail. Used tutorial to make it work, and aside newsgroups shuffle..everything works.

 

[roncerr]

...When i try "sync now" to get my mail and news, the groups are shuffled...

In WM isn't it called "synchronize all"?