EML to PDF
Turn a saved .eml email into a PDF with its header, formatting, images and attachments.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
- Works on any device
To convert EML to PDF, select your .eml file and click Convert to PDF. PDFVerge lays out the email with its subject, sender, recipients and date at the top, keeps the formatting and inline images, lists the attachments and can place them inside the PDF. Images hosted on the internet are never loaded.
How to convert EML to PDF
- 1
Select your EML file
Click Select EML file or drop the .eml file onto the green box. Apple Mail .emlx and Outlook .msg files work too.
- 2
Choose paper size and attachments
Pick US Letter or A4, and keep the attachments inside the PDF or leave them out.
- 3
Click Convert to PDF and download it
The PDF opens like the email, with the header block at the top.
Why convert EML to PDF with PDFVerge
The full header
Subject, from, to, cc and the date and time, shown in your own time zone, sit at the top of the first page, which is what records and evidence need.
Formatting and inline images
HTML emails keep their layout, tables, colors and the pictures that were sent inside them.
Attachments kept
Every attachment is listed, and can be embedded in the PDF so one file holds the whole message.
No tracking
Images hosted on the internet are not downloaded, so converting an email never tells the sender you opened it.
What an EML file is
An .eml file is one email saved as a file, in the standard internet message format: the headers (from, to, date, subject), the message in plain text and usually HTML, and any attachments, all in one file. Gmail, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook on the web and the new Outlook all save emails as .eml. A PDF of the email is easier to file, print, send to a lawyer or accountant, or attach to a case or ticket.
How to get an .eml file
- Gmail: open the email, click the three dots next to Reply, then Download message.
- Outlook on the web and new Outlook: open the email, choose More actions (the three dots), then Save as, or Download and Download as EML.
- Apple Mail: select the email and choose File, Save As, with Raw Message Source as the format.
- Thunderbird: select the email and choose File, Save As, then File.
Convert EML to PDF without a website
Open the .eml file in an email program, such as Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird, and print it with Save as PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer. For an email that is still in your inbox, you don't need an .eml file at all; see how to save an email as a PDF in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and on iPhone.
Limits
- One email per file, up to 50 MB with its attachments.
- Images hosted on the internet are not loaded (the PDF says how many). Pictures sent inside the email are shown.
- Up to 40 MB of attachments can be embedded in the PDF; all of them are listed.
- Encrypted (S/MIME or PGP) emails can't be read.
Saved the email from Outlook for Windows? That makes a .msg file: use MSG to PDF. Converting a whole conversation? Convert each email, then merge the PDFs into one file.
Privacy: emails are converted on our server over an encrypted connection and deleted as soon as the PDF is sent back. Images hosted on the internet are never loaded, so tracking pixels can't report that the email was opened.
EML to PDF questions
How do I convert an EML file to PDF?
Select the .eml file, choose the paper size and whether to include the attachments, and click Convert to PDF. The PDF downloads in a few seconds.
Are the attachments included?
They are always listed under the email header. Leave “Put the email's attachments inside the PDF” ticked and they are embedded too, so you can open them from the attachments panel in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Edge or Preview.
Why are some images missing?
Images that the email loads from the internet, such as logos in newsletters and tracking pixels, are never downloaded, for privacy. Pictures that were sent inside the email are shown.
Can I convert several EML files at once?
Convert them one at a time, then combine the PDFs in date order with Merge PDF.
Can I convert Apple Mail .emlx files?
Yes. Select the .emlx file the same way; it is read as a normal email.
Which date and time does the PDF show?
The time the email was sent, converted to the time zone of the device you are converting on, with the zone shown next to it.
Is EML to PDF free?
Yes. There is no signup and no watermark.