MsgFiler
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The History of MsgFiler

PreviousWhy MsgFiler?NextSystem Requirements

Last updated 1 month ago

MsgFiler has existed for over 18 years. It drew its inspiration from a feature in Eudora and Mozilla Thunderbird. Starting out as an AppleScript, MsgFiler was rewritten for version 2.0 as a Mail Plug-In for Apple Mail in 2007.

In 2010, it was rewritten again as MsgFiler 3, an application for the newly created Mac App Store. The MsgFiler 2.x Mail Plug-In became known as the Original MsgFiler Mail Plug-In or MsgFiler Classic.

A new plug-in was developed for use with MsgFiler 3.x to enable fast-filing in MacOS Mountain View and beyond called the MsgFiler Engine.

In 2023, macOS Sonoma was released and marked the end of Mail Plug-Ins. Support for external third-party plug-ins was removed in this release of the operating system. For months it was thought that this also meant the end for MsgFiler, but like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, MsgFiler has been reborn, as MsgFiler 4 is ready for Sonoma (and beyond).

Now that MsgFiler is ready for the future of macOS, let's hope that Apple doesn't Sherlock it (that is, put its features into Mail itself)!

MsgFiler 1
MsgFiler 2
MsgFiler 3
MsgFiler 4

Timeline

  • 2006 - Version 1.0 released as an AppleScript.

  • 2007 - Version 2.0 released. Rewritten in Cocoa as an Apple Mail Plug-In.

  • 2010 - Version 3.0 released. Rewritten as an app for the Mac App Store.

  • 2011 - MsgFiler Engine released to work with MsgFiler 3 to enable fast-filing on Lion. MsgFiler 2.0 renamed as MsgFiler Classic or the Original MsgFiler Mail Plug-In.

  • 2011-2021 - Compatibility updates for annual macOS release, including Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, and Ventura.

  • 2023 - MsgFiler Classic and MsgFiler sunsetted with the launch of macOS Sonoma.

  • 2024 - MsgFiler 4 released in March.