How to Open an MSI File
On May 28,2022 by Tom Routley
Windows applications files often have an .MSI format that is used by Windows Installer software built-in on your operating system to install different apps and programs. If you encounter any difficulties when opening an .MSI file, follow this short guide.
What Is an MSI File
The .MSI extension is the Windows Installer format that helps install applications and programs in the Windows Operating System. An MSI file has all the data needed for installing or updating a Windows app. There are also .MSU files similar to .MSI but used on Windows Vista operating system.
How to Open an MSI File
On Windows Operating System
MSI files can be opened automatically with the Windows Installer program that is built-in to Windows operating systems. If for some reason you don’t have Windows Installer, you can download it here. To open an .MSI file, just double-click on it and the Windows Installer will open it automatically.
On Mac Computers
MSI files are not compatible with the Mac operating system, however, you can still open them. The first and quite cardinal way is to switch completely to Windows OS on your Mac by using Boot Camp Assistant software pre-installed on your Mac.
Otherwise, you can just open MSI files and view their content without installing it on your Mac computer. MSI files are normally packed in zip-archives, so to see them, you will have to unzip them first. You can use unzip-apps such as built-in Archive Utility or download A-Zippr, The Anarchiver or other apps to extract the file.
Right-click on the .MSI file, choose Open With and select your Zip extractor.
Now you can view the content of the folder, but, unfortunately, you can not install it on your Mac computer.
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
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