Are the email addresses real?

No. They use example.com and example.org, which are reserved for documentation and cannot receive mail.

What is the MIME type of an EML file?

The MIME type is message/rfc822. The file extension is .eml.

Is a sample EML file the same as a dummy or example EML file?

Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example EML files are different names for the same thing: an EML file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy EML file.

Free EML sample files

A single email saved as text: headers, a blank line, then the body. Download valid EML test files in 4 exact sizes, from 1 KB to 1 MB, each with a checksum.

Extension: .eml
MIME type: message/rfc822
Kind: Text
Category: Email & Calendar

EML files by size

Every file below is a valid Email message file of exactly the stated size. Open a file's page for its checksum and contents, and to preview it in your browser before downloading.

EML sample files by size
File	Size	Contents	Download
1 KB EML samplesample-eml-1kb.eml	1 KB1,024 bytes	Body paragraphs: 2	Download EML
10 KB EML samplesample-eml-10kb.eml	10 KB10,240 bytes	Body paragraphs: 29	Download EML
100 KB EML samplesample-eml-100kb.eml	100 KB102,400 bytes	Body paragraphs: 306	Download EML
1 MB EML samplesample-eml-1mb.eml	1 MB1,048,576 bytes	Body paragraphs: 3,149	Download EML

More EML samples

Hand-designed files with realistic content or a specific edge case.

Curated EML sample files
File	Size	Contents	Download
Multipart email with HTML body and attachmentsample-multipart-attachment.eml	1.23 KB1,264 bytes	multipart/mixed containing multipart/alternative	Download EML

What is an EML file?

An .eml file contains one email message exactly as it travels between mail servers. A block of headers such as From, To, Subject and Date is followed by a blank line and the body.

Messages with formatting or attachments use MIME, which splits the body into parts separated by boundary lines and encodes binary content as base64.

How to recognise an EML file

No signature bytes. EML files are identified by parsing their content.

Extension	.eml
MIME type	message/rfc822
Standards	RFC 5322 and MIME (RFC 2045 to 2049)
Line endings	CRLF
Line length	78 characters recommended, 998 maximum
Attachments	MIME parts, usually base64

What to test for

These are the behaviours that most often go wrong when software handles EML files.

Header values can be folded across lines and encoded with RFC 2047 encoded-words; parsers that read headers line by line get subjects wrong.
An HTML body is untrusted HTML and needs sanitising before display.

Strengths of EML

An exact copy of the message as it was transmitted, headers included.
Opens in every desktop mail client.

Limitations of EML

The nested MIME structure is intricate to parse correctly.
One message per file, so mailboxes need another format.

Typical uses of EML test files

Testing email parsers and import features
Checking attachment extraction
Testing help-desk and archiving software

Software that opens EML

Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird
Python email package, MailKit and mailparser
Email testing tools

Specifications

EML sample files: questions

Are the email addresses real?: No. They use example.com and example.org, which are reserved for documentation and cannot receive mail.
What is the MIME type of an EML file?: The MIME type is message/rfc822. The file extension is .eml.
Is a sample EML file the same as a dummy or example EML file?: Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example EML files are different names for the same thing: an EML file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy EML file.