Written by Jennifer Walsh. Reviewed for technical accuracy by Shubham Dixit, Independent Expert in Email Forensics and Data File Conversion.
Shubham is an independent external reviewer and not an employee of PCDOTS.
Quick answer. MSG is Outlook’s own format, so Yahoo cannot read it directly, and Yahoo needs an app-specific password for any client. To import MSG to Yahoo Mail, open the MSG in Outlook, add Yahoo as an IMAP account, and drag the messages into a Yahoo folder. No Outlook? A converter reads the MSG and uploads it over IMAP.
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Why MSG needs a bridge?
MSG is worth understanding before you start, because it explains the whole task. An MSG is a single email saved out of Microsoft Outlook, one message per file, and it is Outlook’s own closed format. Most other programs cannot even read it, which is different from an open format like EML that any mail app can open. Yahoo certainly cannot, its webmail has no import and no idea what an MSG is.
So getting MSG into Yahoo always goes through a bridge that can read the format, either Outlook itself, which opens MSG natively, or a converter that reads MSG without Outlook. From there the mail rides up to Yahoo over IMAP. And there is one Yahoo detail that catches everyone, it will not take your normal password from a client, so you sort that out first.
MSG is Outlook-locked, so it travels through a reader, then up to Yahoo.
The difference is the format, MSG is Outlook-only, EML is open to everything.
“The catch with MSG is that it is Outlook’s private format, so unlike an EML you cannot just hand it to another app. Something has to read it first, Outlook does, and a good converter does. After that it is ordinary IMAP into Yahoo. The part people trip on is the password, Yahoo blocks your normal one from outside clients exactly like AOL does, so you generate an app-specific password and the connection works straight away.” Shubham Dixit, Email Migration reviewer (draft, pending approval)
First, the app-specific password
Do this before anything else, it saves the most common failure. Because of Yahoo’s sign-in security, your everyday Yahoo password will not work from Outlook or a tool, you need a one-off app-specific password.
Sign in to Yahoo, open your account security settings, choose Generate app password or Manage app passwords, and create one for mail. Yahoo shows a short password once, copy it. That is what you type in place of your normal password. The Yahoo IMAP server is imap.mail.yahoo.com, port 993, with SSL.
With Outlook, drag it across
If you have Outlook, you already have a reader for MSG, so this route is free. The idea is to bring the MSG into Outlook, then move it into a Yahoo folder.
Open the MSG in Outlook. Double click an MSG to open it, or drag your MSG files straight into an Outlook folder, where they become normal mail items.
Add Yahoo as an IMAP account. In Outlook, add your Yahoo address as an IMAP account using imap.mail.yahoo.com and the app-specific password from above.
Drag them into Yahoo. Move the MSG messages into a folder under your Yahoo account in Outlook. Because it is IMAP, they upload to Yahoo and appear in your Yahoo Mail shortly after, with attachments.
Without Outlook, a converter
Here is where MSG differs from an open format, if you do not have Outlook, most apps cannot even read the file, so there is no simple free client route. A converter fills that gap, it reads the MSG directly and uploads it to Yahoo over IMAP, no Outlook needed. The PCDOTS MSG Converter loads MSG files or a whole folder and sends them into your Yahoo account in bulk, keeping formatting, attachments and metadata. It runs on Windows and uses the same app-specific password any outside connection to Yahoo does. A free version uploads the first ten items per folder so you can test it first.
The converter route, for MSG without Outlook or a large batch.
Here are the steps with the screens.
Step 1. Install and run the converter on Windows, then open the menu.
Step 2. Choose Email Data Files, MSG, and add your files or folder.
Step 3. Open the Export menu and select IMAP.
Step 4. Enter your Yahoo address, imap.mail.yahoo.com and the app-specific password, then Save to upload.
For the same file into other accounts, see our guides to import MSG files to AOL Mail and import MSG to iCloud, and for another way into Yahoo, import MBOX into Yahoo.
The methods compared
Both need the app-specific password. Match the route to whether you have Outlook and how many MSG files there are.
| Method | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook plus Yahoo IMAP | A few MSG, Outlook on hand | Free, app password needed |
| MSG Converter tool | No Outlook, or many files | Reads MSG on its own, Windows |
| Yahoo webmail import | Not available | Yahoo has no file import |
Frequently asked questions
Can I import MSG in the Yahoo Mail website?
No. Yahoo’s website has no file import, and MSG is Outlook’s own format that Yahoo cannot read. You bring it in through Outlook or a converter over IMAP.
Why does Yahoo reject my password in Outlook?
Yahoo blocks normal passwords from third-party clients. You need an app-specific password, generate one in your Yahoo account security settings and use that instead.
What are the Yahoo IMAP settings?
The incoming server is imap.mail.yahoo.com on port 993 with SSL, and you sign in with your Yahoo address and the app-specific password rather than your normal one.
Can I import MSG to Yahoo without Outlook?
Yes, but not with an ordinary mail client, since most cannot read MSG. A converter reads the MSG directly and uploads it to Yahoo over IMAP, no Outlook required.
Do attachments and formatting survive?
Yes. Both routes carry the message with its attachments, formatting and metadata as it uploads over IMAP.
Can I import many MSG files at once?
Yes. A converter uploads a whole folder of MSG to Yahoo in one pass, which is far quicker than opening and dragging each file through Outlook.
MSG needs a bridge, that is the whole trick
The one idea that makes this simple is that MSG never goes straight into Yahoo, it always passes through something that can read Outlook’s format first. If you have Outlook, that something is Outlook, open the files, add Yahoo with an app-specific password, and drag them across. If you do not, a converter is the reader, and it uploads to Yahoo on its own. Either way the mail lands in Yahoo with its attachments intact, and the app-specific password is the small key that opens the door.
