How to Convert EML to PDF: Gmail, Outlook, Mac and Batch Methods With Attachments

If you want to know how to convert EML to PDF, the fastest route is to drop the .eml file into a free EML to PDF converter that runs in your browser, check the preview and download the PDF. You can also open the email in Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird and print it to PDF. Either way, show the full header (From, To, Date, Subject) before you save, and save attachments separately, because printing only captures the message body.

We handle client files every day at LeadCanal: CSV lead lists, VCF contacts, PDF reports and forwarded emails. Below are the methods we use for every common mail app, plus batches, attachments, legal archiving and fixes.

What is an EML file?

An EML file is a single email saved as plain text in the standard internet message format. It holds the headers (sender, recipients, date, subject, message ID), the body in plain text and often HTML, and any attachments encoded as text. The structure follows RFC 5322 and the MIME standards in RFC 2045, which is why almost every mail client can open one.

The catch: a client or court clerk who receives a .eml may have no mail app set up, and it renders differently from app to app. A PDF looks the same everywhere, prints cleanly and can be searched.

How do I get the .eml file in the first place?

Most “how do I convert this email” questions start one step earlier: the email is still in an inbox. Here is how to save it as a file in each common app.

Gmail: download the message

1. Open the email in Gmail on a computer.
2. Click the three-dot More menu next to the reply arrow.
3. Choose Download message. Gmail saves a .eml file to your downloads folder.

For a whole label, Google Takeout exports MBOX, a different format that holds many messages in one file.

Outlook: save or drag the message

The new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web can save a message as .eml from the three-dot menu on the email. Classic Outlook saves messages as .msg, its own format. If you only need a PDF, skip the file and print the open email to PDF, as shown below.

Thunderbird: Save As

Select the message, then use File > Save As > File. Thunderbird saves it as a .eml file by default. You can also drag a message from the message list into a folder on your computer.

Apple Mail: drag to Finder

Drag a message from the Mail message list onto the desktop or a Finder folder and macOS creates a .eml file. File > Save As with the Raw Message Source format also keeps the full original message.

How to convert EML to PDF with LeadCanal’s free browser tool

We built our converter for client work: a readable PDF of an email, with its attachments, without installing anything or sending private mail to a stranger’s server. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook and mobile browsers.

1. Open the free EML file converter.
2. Drag in one .eml file or a whole batch. The tool checks each file’s signature and only accepts real email files.
3. Check the preview. The header block (From, To, Cc, Date, Subject) sits at the top of every page set.
4. Choose the print view if you want selectable, searchable text rather than an image of the email.
5. Download the PDF, and download any attachments the tool extracted from the message.

Three details matter more than they first appear:

• Attachments are extracted, not lost. Printing from a mail client drops attachments. The converter lists them so you can save each file next to the PDF.
• Tracking images are blocked. Many marketing and sales emails contain remote images that report back when the email is opened. Our tool does not load them, so converting an old email does not tell the sender you opened it again. We explain how these pixels work in our guide to email open tracking.
• Batch mode saves the repetition. Convert a folder of exported messages in one go instead of opening and printing each one.

A worked example from our own work

A client forwarded us a project approval thread as six separate .eml files, two of them with signed PDF quotes attached. We dropped all six into the converter, checked that each preview showed the sender and date in the header, used the print view so the text stayed searchable, and saved the two attached quotes separately. The result was six email PDFs plus two quote PDFs, named by date, in the client’s project folder. When the combined pack was too big for their portal, we ran it through our PDF compressor.

How to convert EML to PDF on Windows with Outlook or Thunderbird

Windows has a built-in PDF printer called Microsoft Print to PDF, so any app that can open and print an email can make a PDF.

1. Double-click the .eml file. If Windows asks which app to use, pick Outlook, Thunderbird or another mail app you have installed.
2. Press Ctrl+P, or use the app’s Print option.
3. Choose Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer and click Print.
4. Pick a folder and a file name, then save.

In Thunderbird you can also use File > Open > Saved Message, then print. Printing from a mail app never includes the attachments.

How to convert EML to PDF on Mac

Apple Mail opens .eml files natively, and it has a direct export option, so this is the simplest of the built-in methods.

1. Double-click the .eml file. It opens in Apple Mail.
2. Choose File > Export as PDF.
3. Name the file, choose a location and click Save.

Want more control over page size or the header? Use File > Print instead, open the PDF menu at the bottom of the print dialog and choose Save as PDF. To show every header line, first choose View > Message > All Headers. Thunderbird for Mac works the same way through its Print dialog.

How do I convert EML to PDF on iPhone or iPad?

iOS has no export for loose .eml files. Open our converter in Safari, choose the .eml from the Files app and save the PDF back to Files. For an email still in the Mail app, tap the reply arrow, choose Print and share the preview as a PDF.

How do you batch convert EML to PDF?

Printing one email at a time stops being sensible somewhere around ten messages. You have three realistic options:

• Our browser converter: select many .eml files at once and convert them in a single run. Good for up to a few dozen files, with no install.
• Thunderbird with ImportExportTools NG: the free ImportExportTools NG add-on can import a folder of .eml files and export a whole mail folder to PDF, one file per message. Good for hundreds of messages already in a mailbox.
• Scripts: developers can parse messages with Python’s email module and render the HTML body with an HTML-to-PDF engine. Worth it only for recurring, very large jobs.

For any batch, keep the original .eml folder untouched and convert a small sample before the full set.

Which method should you use? Comparison table

How do I convert EML to PDF with attachments?

This is where most guides fall short. A PDF printed from a mail app shows the attachment names, at best, but not the files themselves. To keep everything together:

1. Convert the email body with our converter and save the attachments it extracts.
2. Convert attachments that are not PDFs. Word processor files in OpenDocument format go through our ODT to PDF converter, and photos or scans can go through JPG to PDF.
3. Merge the email PDF and attachment PDFs in order, email first, using any PDF editor you trust.
4. Name the final file with the date and subject, for example 2026-10-14 Project approval.pdf.

Using EML to PDF for legal and archive records

Lawyers, HR teams and accountants often need email as PDF. A few rules keep the copy useful:

• Show the header block. The PDF must clearly show sender, recipients, date with time zone and subject. Our converter prints this block at the top; in mail apps, turn on all headers before printing.
• Keep the original .eml. A PDF is a readable copy, not the original record. The .eml keeps the full technical headers, including routing and authentication results, that a PDF does not.
• Use selectable text. A text-based PDF can be searched and quoted. An image-only PDF needs OCR first.
• Do not edit before converting. Convert exactly what was received and note any attachments you saved separately.

If a portal or court system has a size limit, compress the final file rather than cutting pages. The table below covers the limits we see most often.

Our compress PDF to 300KB tool also hits other targets between 50 KB and 2 MB.

Is it safe to upload emails to an online converter?

An email file holds names, addresses, phone numbers in signatures, contract terms and sometimes invoices or ID scans in attachments. Uploading it to an unknown site leaves a copy on someone else’s server, under their retention rules.

Our converter runs entirely in your browser, so the email is never uploaded and nothing is stored. It works on your own device, so it suits confidential threads. With any other online tool, check how long files are kept and avoid uploading personal or client data.

If you need the addresses from a thread for a contact list, our email extractor pulls them out of pasted text, again without uploading anything.

Troubleshooting: common EML to PDF problems

Need a different file type converted? Our free tools hub lists every converter we have built, all running in the browser.

Frequently asked questions

How to convert EML to PDF for free?

Use a browser converter such as LeadCanal’s, or open the email in Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird and print it to PDF. All of these are free.

Can Adobe Acrobat convert EML to PDF?

Acrobat does not open loose .eml files directly. On Windows, its Outlook add-in can convert messages that are already in Outlook. For a .eml file, print it to PDF from a mail app instead.

How do I convert EML to PDF in Gmail?

Gmail cannot open a .eml you have on disk. For a message still in your inbox, use the print icon in the open email and choose Save as PDF. For a downloaded .eml, use a converter.

How to convert EML to PDF without Outlook?

Use Apple Mail, Thunderbird or a browser converter. None of them need Outlook.

Does converting EML to PDF keep attachments?

Printing does not. Our converter extracts attachments as separate files so you can save or merge them with the email PDF.

What is the difference between EML and MSG?

EML is an open, standard email format used by most clients. MSG is Microsoft Outlook’s own format. Both can be printed to PDF from Outlook.

Is a PDF of an email valid as evidence?

Rules differ by court and country. A PDF with full headers is often accepted as a readable copy, but keep the original .eml in case authenticity is questioned.

Conclusion: key takeaways

Learning how to convert EML to PDF comes down to three choices: where the email lives, how many you have, and whether attachments and privacy matter. For most people, a browser converter is the fastest path, with built-in print to PDF as the fallback.

• Use a browser converter for private emails, batches and attachments, with no upload.
• On Windows, print the open email to Microsoft Print to PDF.
• On Mac, use Apple Mail’s File, then Export as PDF.
• Show the full header block before saving any email as PDF.
• Printing drops attachments, so save and convert them separately.
• Keep the original .eml next to the PDF for legal or archive use.

Ready? Open the EML to PDF tool and convert your first file.

Editorial policy

LeadCanal publishes practical guides for sales, marketing and operations teams. We test each method we describe, check facts against official documentation and update articles when apps change. We mention our own tools only where they directly help.

Content transparency

This article was researched with keyword and search data and checked against official documentation, including RFC 5322, the MIME standards and mail app help pages. LeadCanal offers the free converters mentioned here. Menu names can change between app versions.

About the author

This guide was written by the LeadCanal team. We build verified B2B contact lists, enrich CRM data and run cold email infrastructure for clients, and we built our free file converters to handle the CSV, VCF, PDF and email files that pass through that work every day.