If you’ve ever double-clicked an email saved in NetDocuments and watched it launch in the new Outlook when you expected it to open in Outlook Classic, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common calls we’ve been getting this year, and the fix takes about two minutes.
Here’s what’s actually happening, and how to get your filed emails back where they belong.
This Isn’t a NetDocuments Problem
When you open an email from NetDocuments, NetDocuments hands the file — a .msg or an .eml — to Windows. Windows then opens it with whatever program is registered for that file type.
That’s the whole story. NetDocuments isn’t choosing which Outlook opens. Windows is.
Microsoft has been steadily rolling out the new Outlook for Windows, and when it installs or updates, it can take over the file associations for .eml, .msg, and .oft. Your firm didn’t change anything. A Windows update did.
The Good News: Nothing Is Broken
Your email is fine. It’s still filed in NetDocuments exactly where you put it, and it’s still the same file. The only thing that changed is which program Windows launches when you double-click it.
You also don’t need admin rights to fix this. Default apps are a per-user setting, so you can do this yourself.
Step 1: Open Windows Settings
Press Windows key + I, or type Settings in the Windows search bar and click the Settings result.
Step 2: Go to Apps → Default apps
Step 3: Search for Outlook (Classic)
Type Outlook in the “Set a default for a file type or link type” search box and click Outlook (Classic). You will likely see Outlook (new) listed separately — that’s the one currently holding your file types.
Step 4: Click Each Email File Type
Scroll through the list and click each of these in turn:
- .eml – emails saved from most mail systems
- .msg – the format Outlook and NetDocuments use most often
- .oft – Outlook templates
- MAILTO – email links on web pages and in documents
Step 5: Select Outlook (Classic) and Click Set Default
For each file type, choose Outlook (Classic) from the list and click Set default. Windows may ask you to confirm — say yes.
Step 6: Test It From NetDocuments
Go back into NetDocuments, find a filed email, and open it. It should now launch in Outlook Classic.
Why It Sometimes Comes Back
Major Windows and Office updates can reset these associations, especially on machines where the new Outlook is installed alongside Classic. If it happens again, walk the same steps — it’s the same fix every time.
One thing worth knowing: opening .msg and .oft files in the new Outlook requires a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription. So depending on your licensing, letting the new Outlook keep those file types may not even work reliably.
Do I Have to Switch Eventually?
Not yet. As of this writing, the new Outlook is still opt-in for business customers, and Microsoft has said existing installations of classic Outlook will be supported until at least 2029. Microsoft has also committed to giving enterprise customers at least 12 months’ notice before the default flips and again before Classic goes away.
There’s plenty of runway. Just don’t let a Windows update make the decision for you in the meantime.
Need Help?
If your whole firm is hitting this — or you’re trying to work out what the move to the new Outlook means for ndMail, ndOffice, and your email filing workflow — we can look at your setup and give you a straight answer, usually in a single call.
Schedule a free consultation at go.oncehub.com/optconsult.
Optiable has guided over 550 law firms through NetDocuments implementations since 2010, specializing in firms with 10 to 150 users.