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

Question

Level 1

11 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

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Answer 1

Oct 31, 2015 5:36 PM in response to rebz

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

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Answer 2

crampy

Level 4

1,135 points

Oct 17, 2012 11:56 AM in response to GuyDeMont

Hey GuyDeMont.

WOw, how many months.. I did a search of winmail.dat again just now. One thing I found is this: www.winmaildat.com online viewer for winmaildat atachments

Open winmail.dat or ATT0001.dat attachments with this free online extractor.

Step 1: Save the attachment on your computer.
Step 2: Click on the 'Browse' button and select the saved file.
Step 3: Click on 'Send file' to upload the file.
Step 4: Download the content of the .dat attachment from the results page.

ALSO:
I found this are support: support.apple.com/kbHT2614

The attachment means the email was sent from a Microsoft email application (such as Outlook and the Microsoft Exchange Client) and includes rich text information--how fonts, colors and specialized attributes such as underlining or boldface should appear in the email (the attachment doesn't appear in Outlook but does appear in Mail; it may appear in other email applications as a MIME section named "application/ms-tnef").

Avoiding these attachments

To avoid seeing these attachments in the future, you ask the sender to deselect the email's "Send to this recipient in Microsoft rich text format" checkbox or preference setting in mail client before they send the message.

Additional Information

For more information please see this Microsoft support document.

Important: Mention of third-party websites and products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance or use of information or products found at third-party websites. Apple provides this only as a convenience to our users. Apple has not tested the information found on these sites and makes no representations regarding its accuracy or reliability. There are risks inherent in the use of any information or products found on the Internet, and Apple assumes no responsibility in this regard. Please understand that a third-party site is independent from Apple and that Apple has no control over the content on that website. Please contact the vendor for additional information.

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Answer 3

Sep 30, 2014 8:24 PM in response to cyberjunkyfreak

This issue started suddenly for me along with me switching to an iPhone 6 AND me changing to an iCloud.com email account. I am NOT saying that these have anything to do with the issue, just things which happened all at the same time.

After speaking with Apple, we realized that I was NOT having the winmail.dat issue when the sender's OUTLOOK was turned off and he emailed me from his iphone and ipad... I received all emails with normal attachments.

SO…

We did the following:

he deleted my contact card, and I deleted his
he logged OUT of Outlook, and then back in
I deleted all of the winmail.dat emails from my Apple Mail
he signed back in and sent me a word doc, pdf, excel sheet and photo
we both added back the contact cards
all now work

We have learned that there was update in the OUTLOOK Exchange server that caused this issue. This is NOT an email or Apple issue.

IF any of your other people are finding this…then they may try this procedure…but NONE of it works, if OUTLOOK is not closed and then reopened after deleting the contact cards.

Hope this helps!

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Answer 4

rebz Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 25, 2011 9:50 PM in response to Linc Davis

I appreciate the reply.

But it relly doesn't answer the question. Why do others receive the email the right way while I receive it the wrong way? Send from same user. Received on similar devices.

I downloaded "enough" yesterday. Perhaps I am using it wrong, but it seems to take extra steps to see each download. Further, im not sure how is works when viewing from my iPad/iPhone!

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Answer 5

rebz Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 25, 2011 10:01 PM in response to Linc Davis

Let me be clear:

My mom and I both have an iphone 4. We both received the same email from my partner. Mine is a winmail.dat. Hers is a PDF.

My partner sent the same email to his ipad. Came through as a pdf.

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Answer 6

wareguy

Level 1

8 points

Jan 23, 2012 2:28 PM in response to rebz

I am having the exact same issue. Both me and my partner use our company's email. He gets copied on my same message. In my iPhone and in my MacBookPro I see

www.tetratech.com<blocked::http://www.tetratech.com/> | NASDAQ:TTEK

In his iPhone and in his MacBookPro I see a nice signature block with different colors, font, and no

<blocked::http://www.tetratech.com/>

We both have OSX Lion and iOS 5 (latest versions). I checked ALL settings in Apple Mail and in Gmail (our email provider) and they were IDENTICAL.

I started having this issue after upgrading to Lion back in September, but he didn't (he upgraded a few weeks ago).

What's going on????

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Answer 7

May 17, 2012 1:14 AM in response to Linc Davis

This link says that the email, sent by Outlook is rich text and cannot be opened by Mac Mail. This is not true - other users on Macs besides me get normal attachments. Same OS, and Mac mail versions and the same email from the outlook user. I only get Winmail.day and they get the contents of win mail.

Why is Mac Mail doing this?

The only other factor is my email address is an AOL account had the other users are on a proivate web address but still using Macs.

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Answer 8

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.

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Answer 9

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://

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Answer 10

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?

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Answer 11

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!

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Answer 12

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...

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Answer 13

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

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Answer 14

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!

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Answer 15

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...

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