Rename MSG or EML files without closing preview + Appreciation

REQUEST: Normally I can rename a file when its contents are visible in the viewer panel. But to rename MSG and EML files, I have to close the viewer panel first, otherwise I get an error message.

This makes the renaming rather clumsy, because I often, particularly at tax time, export a number of MSG files to the file system at once and rename them systematically. But with each file, I have to close the viewer panel to rename it (often forgetting some vital detail, or butterfingering to a nearby file), and then have to open the viewer panel again to see the details of the next file.

Is it possible to change the viewer so that we can rename MSG and EML files in the same way as we rename other files --- with the viewer panel open?.

APPRECIATION: I have been absent from this forum for a while writing mathematics textbooks. The various buttons, and then JScript addins, that I wrote previously have been invaluable to me in this process, speeding up all sorts of procedures that were vital to my writing.

My great appreciation to everyone who held my hand learning to write these scripts --- @Jon, @leo, @tbone, @aussieboykie, @abr, @steje, and many others. I am a teacher, and I have been well taught in this Forum.

Preview Handlers aren't supposed to lock the files they display, and the MSG/EML preview handler is written by Microsoft. Unfortunately, Microsoft are unable to follow their own rules. :slight_smile:

You should be able to work around it by going to Preferences / Viewer / Plugins, clicking Configure on the ActiveX + Preview + Office + Web plugin, finding the MSG/EML preview handler in the list, and turning on the Open Temporary Copies option for it on the right.

That will make it open a temp copy of the files instead of the real files, leaving the real files free to be renamed etc.

It worked perfectly for both MSG and EML files. For the umpteenth time, thank you very much @leo .

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