How to Open MSI Files on Mac? – [2023 Tutorial]

admin | how to macOS Services | 3 minutes read | Modified on: 27-12-2023

Are you dealing with how to open MSI files on Mac? Looking for an appropriate approach or solution to access MSI files? Not to worry, go through the segment that briefly discussed MSI files and ways to open MSI files on Mac.

MSI is an extension of the installation package created by Microsoft Corp. It is designed for Windows and is often used during software installation on Windows OS.

Many Mac users receive MSI files from Windows users for official purposes. Certainly, you will encounter trouble in opening MSI files on Mac. Because it is not an extension you can open it right away on Mac. However, a method is available that you can use to open MSI files on Mac. But, let’s first get clarity on what an MSI file is. Then we will highlight the appropriate technique to implement the necessary task.

Overview of MSI Files

MSI stands for Microsoft Software Installer. MSI files are installer files that include information about files to be installed and their paths on Windows. They utilize Microsoft’s Windows Installer service to set up installer packages like Windows applications or update packages.

MSI files are helpful in software installation. Some of its benefits are:

Self-Fixing – The user can trigger the Repair option to repair corrupted and erased files.
Installation on Request – Packages are installable in just one click whenever needed.

However, MSI stores the entire information in binary format which is viewable only with the help of the specialized application.

How to Open MSI File on Mac?

MSI files are incompatible with Mac OS. But still, there is hope if you have one. You can try opening MSI files on Mac with the help of the Keka app which is free to use. The Keka app will help you to extract MSI files on Mac.

Steps to Open MSI File on Mac using Keka App

Step 1. Download and run Keka app on your Mac.

Step 2. Now go to Finder to search Keka app.

Step 3. Right-click on MSI file and select “Extract using Keka” option.

Step 4. Keka will generate a new folder carrying all the files contained by MSI files.

Step 5. The new folder created by MSI is also accessible by Keka, thereby you can view all the files included.

Step 6. Now, you can open MSI file on Mac and go through all its files. However, keep in mind that most of the files have binary format and when you open them you will find difficulty in reading their content.

What are the Reasons to Open MSI File on Mac?

There are not so many reasons to access MSI files on Mac unless it is a text file, image, or document that you may be looking for. If this is the case, then the above-mentioned method can help you to find what you are looking for.

If you are a software developer, then you are already aware of how MSI files work and could be looking for a specific process that can fix the installation issue or thinking of a way to reuse it for another app.

You could probably perform the process on Windows but in exceptional scenarios sometimes you have to do it on Mac.

Epilogue

Hopefully, the article will help you to open MSI file on Mac if that what you are looking for. If you were not aware of MSI file earlier, then you have the clarity now. You now know that MSI is a Windows installer file for a particular Windows application. You can try to open MSI file with the help of Keka app and in case you need any assistance, contact MacMister Support.