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Level 1

9 points

Why do I receive a file winmail.dat when other MAC devices get a regular attachment?

I'm going crazy over this one. About a month ago, my partner's email attachments began appearing as (unreadable) winmail.dat. I've the issues on this forum, about rich text vs. plain, etc. But I can't understand why on my Mac devices (laptop, ipad, iphone) they come through like this, while on my friend's device, they come through as .doc or pdf or photos.

Do I need to adjust a setting?

I use me.com (icloud). When I forward to gmail, I can download. But I shouldn't have to forward to gmail to get the info.

Any wisdom would be wonderful!

Posted on Dec 25, 2011 9:09 PM

Best reply

humunukunukuapua'a

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Oct 31, 2015 5:36 PM

I tried something very simple that worked.

I have outlook and messages sent to two different users at the same time have a different result. I can see the attachments but my wife cannot.

as indicated, it does appear to have to do with the contact info in the outlook client.

as you start to type the recipients email address when creating an email, you will see a list of previously used addresses. to the right and beneath where you are typing is an "X" so you can tell outlook to forget that pre-saved address. click the x, trash the email, the create a new email. when typing the address, it should NOT default this time, but will in the future.

deleting this pre-reserved address appears to have solved the problem for us.

good luck

View in context

54 replies

Jun 2, 2012 10:55 AM in response to rebz

An Austrian program and APP called Letter Opener http://www.creativeinaustria.com/http:// is the solution to seamlessly opening Winmail.dat files.

I realize this is really Windows problem but their hubris will not allow them to admit it.

Jun 2, 2012 6:12 PM in response to peterskine

Windows does have a global fix for this problem but it is not a general patch - in their KB there is a fix for Exchenag servers which cause the winmail.dat problem but most users doent know about it or have it implemented. Letter opened makes Apple programs able to deal with this for $30.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138053http://

SFRand

Level 1

12 points

Jun 28, 2012 10:10 AM in response to peterskine

The link does not work.

podusa

Level 1

0 points

Jul 3, 2012 4:33 PM in response to peterskine

I'm on a Macbook Air with Lion.

A friend is sending a mail with attatchments from a PC to both my me.com-mail and my Gmail.

They arrive at the same time in Mail, but the me.com-mail has the winmail.dat but the Gmail recieves the documents just fine...

So, it has nothing to do with the computer at all (in my case anyway...)

This annoys me to death!

What do I have to do?

Another thing (but thats really another thread...but I'm sooo angry about this)

My friend is sending me some PDF's (he's sitting next to me), I hear the mailsound, but see no mail?

I've turned off all SPAM-protection etc. Why has my mail-client removed it?

This is EXTREMLY annoying since my travelagent can't send me documents, tickets, travelplans to my me.com-mail. We have to communicate via Gmail. Do I really have to have 2 accounts to be certain that I recieve things people try to send to me?

Jul 17, 2012 5:12 PM in response to podusa

I have the same problem - and yes it's extremely annoying. Just started happening a few months ago. Email picture comes through for the wife, comes through as winmail.dat for me - on the same computer. I checked all her Mail preferences and they're the same as mine - and we're running Snow Leopard.

Come on Apple!

crampy

Level 4

1,135 points

Jul 17, 2012 5:53 PM in response to PondoSinatra

have you checked your settings at the webmail page? Are you using an iCloud address, or an ISP server?

crampy

Level 4

1,135 points

Jul 17, 2012 5:54 PM in response to PondoSinatra

http://www.winmaildat.com/

Jul 17, 2012 6:02 PM in response to crampy

We're both with the same ISP...

I went through all the preference settings in Mail and they're identical.

crampy

Level 4

1,135 points

Jul 17, 2012 6:09 PM in response to PondoSinatra

Hmmm. And it is an identical sent time stamp? Meaning- it is not one sent to wife and a different one to you? This sounds strange...that link I sent is at a site that offers a download for opening them...

But if not a setting at your ISP, then I have no guesses...

Jul 17, 2012 6:13 PM in response to crampy

No, I'll send it from my work email to both her home address and my home address all from one email.

crampy

Level 4

1,135 points

Jul 17, 2012 6:14 PM in response to PondoSinatra

OK I FIND THIS, you can send it to whomever sends you the winmail.dat...I inclide the summary before the link:

This article describes how either an Exchange Server administrator or end users can prevent the Winmail.dat attachment from being sent to Internet users when using the Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Connector (IMC).

When an end user sends mail to the Internet from an Exchange Windows or Outlook client, a file attachment called Winmail.dat may be automatically added to the end of the message if the recipient's client cannot receive messages in Rich Text Format (RTF). The Winmail.dat file contains Exchange Server RTF information for the message, and may appear to the recipient as a binary file. It is not useful to non-Exchange Server recipients.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138053

crampy

Level 4

1,135 points

Jul 17, 2012 6:18 PM in response to PondoSinatra

OK look at the link- YOU are doing it from work... the 6:14 post

podusa

Level 1

0 points

Jul 18, 2012 1:53 AM in response to crampy

Still, is it REALLY Apple's solution that I have to send an E-mail to everyone who uses Exchange, to tell THEM to change something for ME to be able to read an E-mail?

That's utterly ridiculous!

I'll just use Gmail instead (works rock solid)...if they don't come up with a fix SOON!

crampy

Level 4

1,135 points

Jul 18, 2012 10:28 AM in response to podusa

Um, have you noticed that when you click on the apple picture at top left of screen there is a drop down menu tht offers about mail preferences and PROVIDE FEEDBACK ?

Maybe you could provide feedback. They DO read those. I have no idea whether or not they come here to read. My guess would be Not on their own time.

I did not read fully the link I sent... I saw that it claimed to fix your dilemma so I posted it. If everyone but you gets the correct method can you not live with it until apple reads your feedback and does something?

Sorry i am not being a cure for you...

Oct 17, 2012 11:47 AM in response to crampy

@crampy, I'll do as you recommend and will see. Indeed this is quite an annoying problem. Apple should not leave us alone to solve this issue. I've been struggling with this with one client (strangely this is not always an issue). I started happening after I downloaded the second "patch" sent for Mountain lion (about 3-4 weeks ago). Very annoying. I called Apple service they blamed Microsoft (Outlook and the RTF setting). I called Microsoft they blamed Apple...in the meantime I am left alone to try to solve this. I would like Apple to expedite a solution about this. I cannot go to a client and ask to speak to their IT people and tell them their setting for their network on Outlook is incorrect or spend hours with them trying what the issue could be. Usually Apple provides strong customer service, so far on this one they have left me disappointed.

Why do I receive a file winmail.dat when other MAC devices get a regular attachment?