How to save an email as a PDF

The quick answer

Open the email, choose Print, and pick Save as PDF as the printer. Every major mail app supports this, because saving an email as a PDF is just printing to a file. Nothing goes to paper, and the PDF keeps the sender, the recipients, the date, the subject, and the message text.

Mail app	Where to find Print	What to choose
Gmail in a browser	Open the email, then the three dot menu beside Reply, then Print. The printer icon at the top right prints the whole conversation.	Destination: Save as PDF
Outlook on Windows	File, then Print. In the newer Outlook, open the three dot menu in the message, then Print.	Printer: Microsoft Print to PDF
Outlook on the web	Open the email, then the three dot menu, then Print	Destination: Save as PDF
Apple Mail on a Mac	File, then Export as PDF. Or File, then Print, then the PDF menu.	Save as PDF
Mail on iPhone or iPad	Tap the reply arrow, then Print	Tap Share on the preview, then Save to Files
Gmail on Android	Open the email, then the three dot menu, then Print	Save as PDF

Menus move around between versions. If yours looks different, look for Print in the message's own menu and then look for a PDF option in the printer list. Our general guide to how to print to PDF covers the print dialogs on Windows, Mac, and phones in more detail.

Why save an email as a PDF

A PDF is a fixed copy that opens anywhere and does not depend on your mailbox. People usually need one for a reason like these:

• Keeping a receipt, booking confirmation, or e-transfer notice with your tax or expense records
• Attaching correspondence to an application, a claim, or a complaint
• Keeping a record of what a landlord, employer, or contractor told you in writing
• Handing over project emails when you leave a job or close a mailbox
• Filing everything about one matter in one folder, next to the forms and letters it relates to

Save an email as a PDF in Gmail

1. Open the email in your browser.
2. To save one message, select the three dot menu next to the Reply arrow for that message and choose Print. To save the whole conversation, select the printer icon at the top right of the thread.
3. In the print window, set Destination to Save as PDF.
4. Check the preview. Open More settings if you want to change the paper size, turn off headers and footers, or adjust the scale.
5. Select Save, choose a folder, and give the file a clear name.

Save an email as a PDF in Outlook

1. Open the email. Double-click it to open it in its own window if your version prints the whole list otherwise.
2. In classic Outlook for Windows, select File, then Print. In the newer Outlook and in Outlook on the web, open the three dot menu at the top of the message and choose Print.
3. Choose Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer on Windows, or Save as PDF in a browser print window.
4. Select Print, then choose where to save the file and name it.

On a Mac, Outlook uses the standard Mac print window. Choose File, then Print, then open the PDF menu at the bottom and choose Save as PDF.

Save an email as a PDF in Apple Mail

1. Select the email in the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Choose File, then Export as PDF.
3. Pick a folder, name the file, and save.

You can select several emails first and export them in one go. Mail saves each message as its own PDF.

Save an email as a PDF on a phone

iPhone or iPad

1. Open the email in the Mail app and tap the reply arrow at the bottom.
2. Scroll down the menu and tap Print.
3. On the preview, tap the Share icon at the top.
4. Tap Save to Files and choose a folder. You can also send the PDF straight to another app from the same menu.

Android

1. Open the email in the Gmail app and tap the three dot menu for that message.
2. Tap Print.
3. Set the printer at the top to Save as PDF, then tap the PDF download button.
4. Choose a folder and save.

What about the attachments?

Printing an email to PDF saves the message only. The attachments are not included, although their file names may be listed. If you need a complete record, save each attachment separately and then put everything into one file.

1. Save the email as a PDF using the steps above.
2. Download the attachments. Convert any that are not PDFs: use Word to PDF for documents and JPG to PDF for photos and scans.
3. Open merge PDF, add the email first and the attachments after it, and download the combined file.
4. If the order is wrong, drag the pages into place with organize PDF.

Merge, organize, and JPG to PDF run in your browser, so those files stay on your device and are not uploaded. Word to PDF converts the file on our server and deletes it right after. Each tool page states which applies, which matters for email that holds personal or business details.

Saving a whole thread, or many emails at once

For one conversation, use the option that prints the entire thread, such as the printer icon at the top of a Gmail conversation. Expand all messages first, so the quoted text is not collapsed in the PDF.

For many separate emails, save each one as its own PDF with a consistent name, then merge them in date order. A naming pattern such as 2026-09-19 sender subject.pdf sorts correctly by itself and makes any email easy to find later. If you need to number the pages of the combined file for a submission, add page numbers will do it in one step.

Remove private details before you share

An email PDF carries more than the message. It shows every address in the To and Cc lines, and long threads often include earlier replies you had forgotten about. Before you send the PDF to anyone else:

• Read the whole file, including the quoted text at the bottom.
• Delete pages you do not need with delete pages from PDF.
• Black out account numbers, addresses, or names of uninvolved people with redact PDF. Drawing a black box in an ordinary editor does not remove the text underneath, so use a real redaction tool. Note that redact PDF processes the file on our server and deletes it right away, as the tool page explains.
• If the file is going to a court, a tribunal, or a regulator, check its rules first. Some want the email unaltered, and some have their own rules for redaction.

Common problems and fixes

Problem	Fix
The right side of the email is cut off	Switch to landscape, or lower the scale in the print settings until the preview shows the full width.
Images are missing	Select the option to show or download images in the email first, then print again.
There is no Save as PDF option	On Windows, choose Microsoft Print to PDF from the printer list. On a Mac, use the PDF menu at the bottom of the print window.
The PDF shows the whole thread when you wanted one message	Use the Print option in that single message's own menu, not the one for the conversation.
The date or sender is missing	Turn on headers in the print settings, or print from the full message view and not from a preview pane.
The file is too large to upload	Run it through compress PDF.

Is a PDF of an email good enough as proof?

For everyday purposes such as expense claims, applications, and customer service disputes, a PDF is normally what people expect. For legal proceedings, the rules differ by court and tribunal, and the original email with its full technical headers may matter. Keep the original in your mailbox as well as the PDF, and ask the body you are dealing with, or a lawyer, what it accepts. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Next step

Once your email is a PDF, you can treat it like any other document. Combine it with its attachments using merge PDF, or if the email delivered a form you need to complete, open that form with the free fill a PDF tool, type your answers, and send it back without printing anything.