How can I get a .MSG file to save as an appointment rather than send

Question

Hi all;

I am creating a .msg file to send to users when they sign up for an event. I want them able to open it and then it asks them if they want to add that appointment.

When the .msg file is sent as an attachment and I open that email in Outlook, it's not what I expect:

1. It's an attachment, not an invite.
2. It first asks what app to open it with. It should default to Outlook.
3. It then defaults to sending the invite - to myself (see below).

So clearly this is not the same as an invite that Outlook sends. What do I have wrong? thanks - dave

Answer 1

Hi @David Thielen ,

1. Attachment vs. Invite: When you send a .msg file as an attachment, it is indeed treated as an attachment and not an invite. This is because the .msg file is a message format, not a calendar format. If you want to send an invite that can be added directly to the recipient’s calendar, you might want to consider using the iCalendar format.
2. Default App: If the .msg file is asking which app to open it with, it means that Outlook is not set as the default app for .msg files. You can change this in your system settings.
3. Sending the Invite to Yourself: This happens because when you open the .msg file, it opens the original message, which was addressed to you. If you want to send an invite to someone else, you should create a new invite in Outlook and send it directly.

In summary, if you want to send a calendar invite to users, it would be better to use the iCalendar format instead of the .msg format. The iCalendar format is universally recognized and can be added directly to the recipient’s calendar. An additional article for your reference: https://www.msoutlook.info/question/send-appointment-instead-of-meeting-invite#google_vignette

(Note: Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.)

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.