How to Save an Email as a PDF

To keep a readable copy of an email, open its print options and choose a PDF destination. A PDF is a file that preserves a page’s text and layout, so you can store or share the message outside your inbox. Gmail, Outlook, and mobile mail apps use slightly different menu names, but the basic method is the same: print the message to a PDF file.

A PDF made from an email includes the message’s visible content. It may leave out attachments, and it may not preserve all the original email details. Save attachments separately, and keep the original message when you need a complete record.

Save an email from Gmail on a computer #

Gmail’s desktop print option creates a PDF through your browser’s print window. Open the message and click the Print icon near the top of the email. Choose Save as PDF as the destination, then click Save. Select a folder and filename. The Gmail print method works for an individual message.

For a conversation with several replies, use Print all if you want the full thread in the PDF. Check the preview before saving: email layouts can include extra spacing or images that make the file harder to read.

Save an email from Outlook on Windows #

In Outlook, open the message and select Print. In Classic Outlook, go to File > Print and choose Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer. In New Outlook for Windows, open the message’s More actions menu, choose Print, then select Microsoft Print to PDF. Confirm the print job and choose where to save the file. See Microsoft’s Outlook guidance and its bulk-export discussion for these steps.

Menu names can vary between Outlook versions. If you need to print attachments from Classic Outlook, check Print attached files in the print options. Outlook handles those files separately, so you may need to save each attachment after printing.

Save an email from an iPhone or Android phone #

On an iPhone, open the message, open its menu, and choose Print. In the print preview, tap the Share icon, then choose Save to Files. In Gmail, the menu option for a conversation may be Print all; in Outlook, it may be Print Conversation. The iPhone instructions cover these app-specific labels.

On Android, open the message, tap the three-dot menu, and choose Print. Select Save as PDF from the printer options, then tap the PDF download icon and choose a save location. These steps follow the Gmail and mobile print instructions; the exact labels may differ by phone and app version.

Check what the PDF includes #

Open the saved PDF and check the sender and date, then confirm the subject and message text. Make sure it includes any part of the conversation you need. Printing an email usually does not add its attachments to the PDF. Download important attachments separately, or use an email client’s attachment-printing option when available.

Print-to-PDF can also change the page layout, and links in the email may not remain clickable. If a message looks cluttered, review the print preview and adjust available options, such as hiding images. Save the original email as well when its full details matter.

Keep the original for important records #

A PDF is useful for reading, filing, and sharing, but converting an email can remove or alter metadata, such as details about how the message was sent or stored. The University of Washington’s records guidance recommends keeping the original email format when metadata matters. For legal or formal records, follow your organization’s preservation rules and do not rely on an ordinary printout as the only copy.

$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vincentsch/mailmd/main/install.sh | sh

Set up mailmd so you can read my email. Use https://github.com/vincentsch/mailmd: read its AGENTS.md and follow the steps. Connect my mailbox and run the first sync. Then show me where the files are.