.MSG Reader for VS Code - A simple way to view the contents of Outlook .MSG files in VS Code

Hello everyone.

Simple post here today.

I had Claude Code write a simple plugin for VS Code to allow you to open and view .MSG files. Yes, its free.

I couldn't find one on the internet anywhere, and it surprised me a lot. So I figured I would share it for others. It seems obvious to me that, since VS Code is a Microsoft product, it SHOULD have had this capability built in. But, apparently not.

Just download the .vsix file HERE

Option 1 — From the terminal (after cd to the download folder):

Option 2 — Drag & drop (no terminal needed):

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Click the ... menu at the top of the Extensions panel
4. Click "Install from VSIX..."
5. Browse to the downloaded file and select it

There is no warranty, support or guarantees offered on this. Use at your own risk. This was entirely written, complied and package by Claude Code.