How to open a .DBX file online
No mail account and no extra software to install.
Pick your .DBX file
Drag it in or click to choose it. It opens here in a moment.
Read it safely
The message opens in a locked-down view: scripts never run, and remote images often used for tracking stay blocked until you allow them.
Check and save
Download attachments, read the full headers, and see every server the message passed through, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC results.
About .DBX files
What a .DBX file is, and what's inside it.
A DBX file is a mail folder from Microsoft Outlook Express. Each folder (Inbox, Sent Items, and so on) is its own .dbx file. Outlook Express is discontinued, so to read old DBX mail you import it into Windows Live Mail or extract messages to EML with DBXtract. DBX is not the same as Outlook's PST format.
Programs that open .DBX files
| Full name | Outlook Express E-mail Folder File |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft Corporation |
| First released | 1997 (Outlook Express 4 / 5 message store; .dbx introduced with Outlook Express 5, 1999) |
| Category | |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Signature | CF AD 12 FE Outlook Express DBX store signature |
Related viewers
Open the attachments you find.
Is it safe to open a suspicious .DBX file here?
Safer than in a mail client: the message runs in an isolated frame with scripts disabled, remote images and trackers are blocked until you allow them, and attachments are never opened automatically.
How can I tell if an e-mail is fake?
Look at the Message info panel. We show the SPF, DKIM and DMARC results recorded by the receiving server, warn you when the Reply-To address differs from the sender, and list every server the message passed through.
Can I open a Gmail or Thunderbird mailbox (.mbox)?
Yes. Drop the .mbox file and you'll get a searchable list of every message. Click one to read it.
Why does my MSG file show plain text only?
Some Outlook messages store their formatting only as compressed RTF. We show the text today; full RTF formatting is coming soon.
Can I open .pst or .ost files?
Not yet. Outlook data files are on our roadmap. Meanwhile you can export single messages from Outlook as .msg and open them here.
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