How do I save an email as a PDF?

Open the email, choose Print, and select Save as PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer. Apple Mail also has File, then Export as PDF. Each method saves one message or conversation at a time.

How can I save multiple emails as PDF at once?

Mail apps don't batch this well. Export the emails as files (EML, MSG or an MBOX from Google Takeout), then use a bulk email-to-PDF converter that creates one PDF per email or a single combined PDF.

Do attachments get saved in the PDF?

Printing to PDF only captures the message text and inline images. Attachments are listed at most. To keep them, save them separately or use a converter that embeds the original files inside the PDF.

Does a printed PDF keep the email headers?

It keeps the basic ones: sender, recipients, date and subject. Technical headers that show the message's route aren't included. For evidence, export a version that includes full headers.

How do I save a Gmail conversation as one PDF?

Open the conversation, click the Print all icon at the top right, and choose Save as PDF as the destination. All messages in the thread are included in one file.

How to Save Emails as PDF: Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail

PDF is the format everyone can open and nobody can accidentally edit, so it's the standard way to keep an email as a record: for taxes, insurance claims, HR files, school applications, landlord disputes or court. Every major mail app can save a single message as PDF through its print dialog. Saving dozens or thousands is a different job. This guide covers both, app by app, with the 2026 menus.

Saving one email as PDF

Gmail on the web

Open the email or conversation.
Click the Print all icon (the printer) at the top right of the conversation.
In the print dialog, set Destination to Save as PDF and click Save.

The whole conversation is printed. To save a single message from a thread, open the three-dot More menu next to that message's Reply button and choose Print.

Gmail app on Android

Open the email and tap the three-dot menu at the top right.
Tap Print.
Choose Save as PDF as the printer and tap the PDF download button.

Outlook on the web and new Outlook for Windows

Open the message and select More actions (the three dots).
Choose Print, then Print again in the preview.
Pick Save as PDF (in a browser) or Microsoft Print to PDF (in new Outlook) as the printer, and save.

Classic Outlook for Windows

Open or select the message, then choose File → Print.
Select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer, and click Print.
Choose a file name and location.

Apple Mail on Mac

Select the message, then choose File → Export as PDF. You can also use File → Print and the PDF menu at the bottom of the dialog.

iPhone and iPad Mail

Open the email, tap the Reply arrow, and choose Print.
In the print options, tap the Share button at the top.
Choose Save to Files to keep the PDF.

Thunderbird

Select the message and choose File → Print. Set the destination to Save to PDF and click Save.

Limits of print-to-PDF

Printing works for one message at a time, and it has gaps:

No attachments. The PDF lists attachment names at best. The files themselves aren't included.
Basic headers only. You get From, To, Date and Subject, not the technical headers (Received lines, Message-ID, authentication results) that show where a message came from.
Layout varies. Wide marketing emails can be cut off or shrunk; long recipient lists may be shortened.
No batch. Saving 300 invoices means repeating the steps 300 times.

Saving many emails as PDF

For more than a handful of messages, the efficient route is to export the emails as files first, then convert them in one go.

Step 1: get the emails out as files

Gmail: use Google Takeout to export a label or the whole mailbox as MBOX. For a few messages, use More → Download message on each to save .eml files.
Outlook on the web: More actions → Download → Download as EML for each message.
New Outlook: More actions → Save as → Save as EML or Save as MSG.
Classic Outlook: select the messages and drag them into a folder in File Explorer; each becomes a .msg file.
Apple Mail: select messages and drag them to a Finder folder to save .eml files, or use Mailbox → Export Mailbox for an MBOX.
Thunderbird: use the folder's MBOX file or the ImportExportTools NG add-on.

Step 2: convert them

Open the matching converter: EML to PDF for EML files, MSG to PDF for Outlook files, or MBOX to PDF for mailboxes. InboxVue works in the browser and doesn't upload your mail. Select the messages and choose:

One PDF: every message in one document, each starting on a new page.
ZIP of PDFs: one PDF per email, named with the date, sender and subject.

You can include full headers, list or embed attachments, choose Letter or A4, and add an index CSV. Single emails are free with a small footer; bulk export comes with InboxVue Pro, from $6.99 a month. See pricing for details.

Saving emails as PDF for legal or official use

If the PDFs are going to a lawyer, a court, a regulator or an investigator, think about more than appearance:

Keep the originals. Save the EML or MSG files as well as the PDF. The original file contains metadata a PDF can't fully represent.
Include full headers for messages where authenticity matters.
Number the pages. Productions often require Bates numbers on every page.
Record what you produced. A cover index and a SHA-256 hash list help show the set hasn't changed.

InboxVue Pro also adds Bates numbering, a cover index and hash manifests. Our page on email to PDF for court explains the workflow in detail.

Comparison of methods

Method	Batch	Attachments	Full headers	Works offline
Print to PDF from a mail app	No	Not included	No	Yes
Apple Mail Export as PDF	One at a time	Not included	No	Yes
InboxVue converters	Yes (paid)	Listed, embedded or extracted	Optional	Runs locally in the browser
Upload converters	Some	Varies	Varies	No, files are uploaded
Mail-app add-ons	Some	Varies	Varies	Yes

Troubleshooting

Images are missing from the PDF. Mail apps may block remote images. Load them in the message before printing or exporting.

Text is cut off at the right. Choose Fit to page width or landscape in the print settings, or use a converter that lays the email out to the page.

Non-Latin characters show as boxes. The PDF printer lacked the fonts. Converters that embed fonts avoid this.

The PDF is huge. Large inline images inflate the file. When embedding attachments, choose to list them or save them separately instead.

Summary

For a single email, every mail app's print dialog can save a PDF. For many emails, or when you need attachments and full headers, export the messages as EML, MSG or MBOX files and convert them in bulk.

How to save emails as PDF