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MessageSave Frequently Asked Questions

Installation and Compatibility

How do I install and activate the product?

Step 1 - Install the software

Download and install the trial version of the product, if you have not already done so. Run the installer and follow the prompts. If you have a license, be sure to install the version for which you are licensed.

Step 2 - Enter the license key

Use the “Enter License Key” command to enter your license key into the product. It is located under:

  • Outlook 2010 or newer: MessageSave Ribbon dropdown. (Click on the lower part of the MessageSave button, which looks like a small triangle).
  • Outlook 2007 or older: Tools->MessageSave->Enter License Key menu in the main Outlook window.

Note: Instructions for older versions of MessageSave are different. Please see your license information email for details.

Tip

Be sure to save your license key email in a safe place. You will need it if you decide to move the product to a new computer in the future.

I administer thousands of workstations. How do I easily deploy MessageSave to all of them?

We provide a mechanism for large scale deployment and administration. Please contact us for details.

What operating systems are supported?

  • MessageSave v7: Windows 10, 11, 2016, 2019, 2022 with the latest updates. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.1 or newer is required.
  • MessageSave v6: Windows 8, 10, 2008 R2, 2012 R2 with the latest updates. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.1 or newer is required.
  • MessageSave v5: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 2008 R2, 2012 R2 with the latest updates. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1 is required.

What versions of Outlook are supported?

  • MessageSave v7: Outlook 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, Office 365 (both 32 and 64 bit).
  • MessageSave v6: Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 (both 32 and 64 bit).
  • MessageSave v5: Outlook 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 (both 32 and 64 bit).

“New Outlook” is not supported.

Be sure to install the latest Office Service Pack. We recommend that you enable automatic Windows Updates to keep your system up-to-date.

Note

MessageSave does NOT work with Outlook Express, Windows Mail or Outlook for Mac.

Are Office 365 accounts supported?

Yes.

Does MessageSave work on Exchange Public Folders?

Yes, MessageSave works on messages in Public Folders. It can also be used on messages in Exchange mailboxes and Personal Folders (PST).

Does MessageSave work with Outlook Web Access (OWA)?

MessageSave does not support Outlook Web Access. It requires regular Outlook.

I don’t see MessageSave in Outlook after installing it. Why?

Restart Outlook. Make sure you shutdown Outlook completely during the restart. (Use the Task Manager to verify that Outlook is not running).

Make sure Outlook’s Ribbon is fully expanded.

MessageSave Outlook toolbar button is usually located on the far right of the toolbar. Sometimes the Outlook window is not wide enough to show all buttons. Try maximizing the Outlook window, or click on the little right arrow to the right of the toolbar.

In Outlook 2007 or newer, if the above does not help, please verify that the Apply macro security settings to installed add-ins option is OFF. If that option is checked, uncheck it and restart Outlook. It is located under:

  • Outlook 2010 or newer: File -> Options -> Trust Center -> Trust Center Settings -> Macro Settings.
  • Outlook 2007: Tools->Trust Center->Addins.

If the above does not help, please try the steps listed in the next question.

MessageSave has disappeared from my outlook. How do I get it back?

Please check the following location:

  • Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016: File -> Options -> Addins -> Manage: Disabled Items -> Go. (view step-by-step instructions).
  • Outlook 2007: Help -> Disabled Items
  • Outlook 2003 or earlier: Help -> About Microsoft Outlook -> Disabled Items

If you see MessageSave on that list, select it and click Enable. Then restart Outlook.

In Outlook 2007 or later, if the above does not help, please verify that the Apply macro security settings to installed add-ins option is OFF. If that option is checked, uncheck it and restart Outlook. It is located under:

  • Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016: File -> Options -> Trust Center -> Trust Center Settings -> Macro Settings.
  • Outlook 2007: Tools->Trust Center->Addins.

If the above does not help, please try the steps listed in the next question.

Note

If this happens to you repeatedly, there is likely an issue with Outlook itself. By far, the most common reason for this is a corrupted PST/OST file. You will find a solution for this and other potential reasons in this article. Please run scanpst on all your PST/OST files. Please note that you have to run scanpst repeatedly on every PST/OST file, until it tells you that there are no more errors in the file.

Why does the MessageSave toolbar disappear after I restart Outlook?

This issue is likely caused by the fact that Outlook is still running after you closed its main window (usually due to a third-party misbehaving add-in).

Next time this happens, please use the following steps:

  • Close Outlook
  • Open the Task Manager
  • Switch to the Processes tab
  • Find Outlook.exe
  • Select it and click “End Task”
  • Wait 5 seconds, then start Outlook again.

That should bring your missing MessageSave back.

If this keeps happening to you, you might want to disable some of the add-ins you have installed, to find which one is causing this issue. Please see this article for more information.

I am a licensed user. How do I get updates?

For MessageSave 5, 6 and 7, use the Check for Updates command. For previous versions of MessageSave, you can download the latest update for which you are eligible from this page.

How do I install the product for all users on a computer or a Terminal Server?

Starting with v6, the default EXE installer installs the product for the current user only. You will need to use an admin installer. See this section of the User Guide for the description of different types of installers.

Licensing

How do I enter my license key into MessageSave?

See this FAQ.

Which edition is the trial - Standard, Pro or Ultimate?

The trial version includes features of all edition, so you can evaluate them all and decide which features best meet your requirements.

How do I transfer my MessageSave license to a new computer?

Please see the Changing Computers section of the User Guide. Be sure to save your license key email in a safe place.

How many licenses do I need?

Starting with version 7, MessageSave is licensed per-user. A licensed user can use the product on up to 5 devices, provided all devices are exclusively used by that user. (A user is identified by the Windows login user name). If multiple users have access to a device where the product is installed, each user requires a license.

Prior to v7, MessageSave was license per user per device.

How do I cancel my subscription?

We believe cancelling a subscription should be as easy as creating one.

If you ran into any issues, give us a chance to help you fix them.

Cancel your subscription.

I have lost my license key. How do I find it?

See this page for instructions.

What is your refund policy

See our refund policy.

Functionality

Does MessageSave send my email data to TechHit servers?

MessageSave logic is client-based. Your email is not sent to TechHit servers.

How do I save all messages from Inbox and all subfolders?

Follow these simple steps:

  • Open the folder from which you would like to save messages (for example, Inbox).
  • Click on the MessageSave toolbar button.
  • Select “All messages in the current folder” and check the “Include Subfolders” checkbox.
  • Click the “Save Now” button.

That’s it! Note, the above steps will work for any folder, not just the Inbox.

How do I search in the files saved with MessageSave?

Built-in Windows Search does a great job of indexing MSG files and their content, including any attachments. Be sure to include the folders with MSG files into the list of locations indexed by Windows Search.

Can I preview MSG files directly in Windows Explorer?

Yes. On Windows 7, 8 and 10, you can enable File Explorer “Preview Pane” to preview MSG files. You need Outlook 2010 or above, for the File Explorer preview pane to work on MSG files.

  • Windows 10 and 8: View -> Preview pane
  • Windows 7: Organize -> Layout -> Preview Pane

Note

Windows Explorer MSG file preview only works if you have 32-bit Offce installed. Windows can be either 32 or 64 bit, but Office has to be 32-bit.

Does MessageSave save attachments along with the messages?

Yes, by default, when using MSG format, the entire message, including all attachments are saved in the msg file.

The Ultimate edition also has an ability to save attachments as separate individual files, next to the saved messages.

How do I quickly see which MSG files have attachments?

The Has Attachments column in Windows File Explorer will contain yes if the message has an attachment. See Set Detailed Information On Saved Files for details.

Why do I not see attachments when saving email messages in PDF format?

If you are using version 7, make sure you have enabled Include attachments as extra pages at the end of the PDF on the Format tab of the Edit Profile window. (Same tab where you selected PDF format). Also check that the attachments are of the supported type - docx, doc, rtf, txt, xlsx, xls, pdf, jpg, png, gif.

If you are using version 6, that version does not include attachments as extra PDF pages. Instead, it includes attachments on the Attachments pane of the PDF viewer. If you do not see that:

First, check that you have enabled Include message attachments in PDF on the Format tab of the Edit Profile window. (Same tab where you selected PDF format).

If you still do not see attachments in PDF files saved after that, it might be due to the PDF viewer you are using. Not every PDF viewer has capability to display attachments. For example, Microsoft Edge and Chrome do not.

You can download and install Free Adobe Acrobat Reader. (If you would rather not install the “Optional offers”, uncheck the corresponding boxes on the download page).

To view PDF file attachments in Adobe Reader:

  • Open the PDF file in Adobe Reader.
  • Click on the following menu command: View - Show / Hide - Navigation Panes - Attachments
  • You should see an attachment pane open. Attachments are shown on that pane.

Which edition is the trial version - Standard, Pro or Ultimate?

The trial version includes functionality of all three editions. This gives you an opportunity to evaluate all functionality to decided which edition best meets your requirements.

To decide which edition license to purchase, please review the feature matrix. If you need any help in making the decision, please do not hesitate to ask.

How do I save messages in PDF format rather than MSG?

Change format to PDF . This only needs to be done once. MessageSave will remember settings for the future.

How do I use QuickJump to select destination folder in MessageSave?

Simply hit Ctrl+Shift+J as soon as you open the “Save Messages” window. See this page for more details and a video illustration.

Can MessageSave copy destination folder path to the clipboard after saving messages?

Yes, it can. In fact, this can be a quick timesaver for cases when you need to notify your coworkers about saved messages. To enable this option, create the following registry value and set it to 1 (DWORD). Note that this option is also available via MessageSave centralized admin facilities.

Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\TechHit.com\MessageSave\Options Value: CDPC (DWORD)

Can I use environment variables in the destination folder path?

When you use MessageSave centralized administration facilities to configure end-user workstations, in some cases it is useful to define destination folder locations specific to each user. In this case, you can use environment variables, such as %USERPROFILE%, in the value “Default directory for saving messages”.

Can MessageSave save digitally signed or encrypted messages?

Yes, it can.

Messages older than one year are not been saved. Why?

You must be using Outlook 2013 or later with an Exchange account. By default Outlook synchronizes only 12 months worth of messages. Please follow the directions in this article to set the “Mail to keep offline” value to All.

I have hundreds of gigabytes of email to export. How do I make MessageSave go as fast as possible?

The following suggestions will help:

  • Use MSG format.
  • Include Date (and if necessary Time) in the file name.
  • Use Subfolder Naming options or File Naming template, to have MessageSave automatically split messages into multiple destination subfolders, so that each individual destination folder does not end up with too many files in it.
  • Save to a local drive (such as C:), rather than a mapped network drive. You can copy files to the final destination later.
  • Disable Set Detailed Information On Saved Files if you do not need it.
  • Disable logging.

MBOX Format and Exporting to Mac

The questions below apply only to customers who use MessageSave to transfer Outlook Email, Contacts and Calendar to Apple Mac.

Can MessageSave be used to transfer email for Outlook for Mac to Apple Mail?

MessageSave only supports migrating from Windows Outlook to Mac. It does not work with Mac Outlook.

How do I import an MBOX file into Apple Mail?

See this page for instructions on importing MBOX files into Apple Mail.

How do I import an MBOX file into Outlook 2011 for Mac?

See this page for instructions on importing MBOX fiels into Outlook 2011 for Mac.

How do I import an MBOX file into Mac Enoutrage?

To import an mbox file into Entourage, simply drag and drop it onto the Entourage Inbox (in the Entourage folder list). After that, you should see a small triangle to the left of the Inbox. Click on it to display the newly imported folder(s). More details on importing MBOX files into Entourage.

After importing MBOX file into Entourage, timestamps are showing the import time, not message time.

Entourage has two timestamps columns - Received and Sent. The Received column displays the time of import. The Sent column displays the actual message time. You can enable the Sent column via the View menu.