tnef ☆

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Description:
Microsoft MS-TNEF attachment unpacker

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Productivity

Tags: email outlook tnef attachments utility

Install: brew install tnef

About:
Tnef is a command-line utility designed to unpack attachments encoded in the Microsoft TNEF (Transport Neutral Encapsulation Format) used in some Outlook and Exchange emails. It extracts the embedded files and message body from .dat or winmail.dat files, allowing users on non-Microsoft systems to access the original content. This tool is essential for users who receive TNEF-encoded emails on Unix-like systems.

Key Features:

Extracts attachments from TNEF-encoded files
Preserves original filenames and attributes
Command-line interface for easy scripting
Supports decoding of embedded message content

Use Cases:

Extracting attachments from Outlook emails received on Linux or macOS
Automating the processing of TNEF-encoded email attachments in scripts
Debugging email server issues related to TNEF encoding

Alternatives:

libtnef – A library implementation, whereas Tnef provides a direct command-line tool.
mutt – A mail client that can sometimes handle TNEF, but Tnef is a dedicated extraction utility.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 12, 2024 9:14pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	e8d82a0a