Saving emails as PDFs helps you preserve their formatting, store them in a more secure format, and ensure that they remain consistent, readable, and accessible. As a result, this feature is useful to professionals in many fields, particularly those who must keep records or use emails for legal purposes.
So, in this article, we will show you how to easily convert an email to a PDF using different methods and devices, cover some common issues and their fixes, and share best practices for saving emails.
Key Takeaways
- You should save emails as PDFs to preserve their original format, access them offline, secure them, retain consistency, search the content easily, and integrate them with other documents.
- Common problems when saving emails as PDFs include missing attachments, formatting issues, sensitivity labels, and very large files.
- When saving emails as PDFs, you should rename files clearly, password-protect or encrypt sensitive information, rely on native functions, and organize attachments and files properly.
Why Save Emails as PDFs?
You should save emails as PDFs to:
- Preserve them in the original format. Once they are converted to a PDF, your emails will remain accessible even if the email service becomes inaccessible. This sort of backup is crucial for important emails you might need to refer to in the future.
- Access them offline. Opening an email service, such as Outlook or Gmail, requires an internet connection that may not always be available. However, you can access a PDF anytime, whether you are online or offline.
- Secure them. Sensitive information isn’t safe in an email, so it’s best to convert it to a PDF and ensure it’s encrypted and protected with a password.
- Retain consistency. Regardless of the device used to view them, PDFs remain consistent, with their formatting and readability intact. This is especially important if you have embedded images, which may not properly load in other formats.
- Search through the content easily. Finding specific information in endless threads of emails can be challenging, but everything is much easier with PDFs. The search function lets you pinpoint exactly what you need, saving you plenty of time.
- Integrate them with other documents. You can easily attach an email converted into a PDF to another document, such as a report or a presentation. This feature can be useful for professionals in various fields.
How to Save an Email as PDF Using Your Browser
Saving an email as a PDF using your browser is very simple; you just need to open the desired email, click on the “Print” function, and select PDF as a file type.
However, let’s explain this step by step:
- Open your email service and click on the email you want to save.
- Click on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner to open the “Customize and Control” menu.
- Select the “Print” option from the menu.
- In a new menu that appears, you’ll be able to preview your email before saving it. Then, click on the “Save as PDF” option in the “Destination” drop-down.
- Choose your layout and adjust other settings if necessary.
- Click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the “Print” menu.
- A new window will pop up, asking where you want to save the file. Choose the destination and name your email.
Now you’ve successfully downloaded the email as a PDF, and you can view it in your PDF reader immediately. However, keep in mind that this method isn’t ideal for long emails or threads. In most cases, it captures the entire message, although formatting may vary depending on the email layout.
How to Save an Email as PDF in Gmail
Gmail offers an equally simple method of saving an email as a PDF, only this one is more suitable for threads and longer emails that don’t fit on your screen. That’s because the entire message is selected, instead of just the part visible in the browser.
Here is how to save Gmail as a PDF, both on desktop and on your mobile device:
Desktop
Once you open the desired email in your Gmail account, take these steps:
- Click on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the email to open a drop-down menu.
- Select the “Print” option, which will open a new tab with your email and the same menu we talked about in the browser section.
- Choose “Save as PDF” from the “Destination” drop-down and adjust other options.
- Click “Save”.
However, this method saves one full email, not a thread. To download a thread as a PDF, simply click on the printer icon above the three dots and follow the same steps.
Mobile
If you want to save your email as a PDF on Android, do this:
- Select the email and click on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
- Choose the “Print” option from the drop-down menu.
- Select “Save as PDF” and click on the yellow button to download it to your device.
On the other hand, if you want to save email as PDF on Iphone in Gmail, follow these steps:
- Select the email you want to save and tap the three horizontal dots (...) at the top right of the email message (not the top of the app).
- Choose “Print” or “Print All” if it's a thread.
- Tap the “Share” icon.
- Select “Save to Files”.
How to Save Email as PDF in Outlook
Saving an Outlook email as a PDF is actually quite similar to doing so in Gmail; the differences are mainly in the names of some buttons and their placement.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to do this on desktop and mobile:
Desktop
First of all, log in to your Outlook account and find the email you want to save as a PDF. Then, follow our simple instructions:
- Click on “File” at the top-left corner of the app.
- In the drop-down menu, select “Print.”
- Once again, you’ll see the familiar print menu. As before, click on the “Save as PDF” option and complete the process.
Mobile
On Android, do the following to save your email as a PDF in Outlook:
- Select the email in question and tap the three vertical dots under the timestamp.
- In the pop-up menu, choose “Print.”
- Tap the yellow PDF button to save the document to your device.
However, to save your email as PDF on Iphone in Outlook, do this:
- Open the email you need and tap the three dots (...) at the top right of the screen.
- Select “Print.”
- Tap the “Share” icon at the top right corner.
- Lastly, select “Save to Files.”
Common Problems When Saving Emails as PDFs (and Fixes)
Some problems when saving emails as PDFs may occur even if you do everything correctly. For instance, if your email is very long, complex, or full of images and attachments, you may not get the results you’re looking for.
Even so, there are ways to solve the most common problems, and we’ll examine a few right now:
- Missing attachments. Unfortunately, attachments won’t be saved as PDFs along with the rest of your email; instead, they are turned into small clickable icons at the bottom. If you wish to access their content, you’ll have to download the files separately and convert them to PDF if necessary.
- Formatting issues. Emails with complex HTML may not convert properly, so they may appear scrambled and confusing. In this case, it’s best to rely on the browser method of saving emails as PDFs (unless yours is very long) or to paste the content to Word first.
- Very large PDFs. If your email has many images, the PDF file may turn out to be very large and thus inconvenient for storing or sending to someone else. In this case, the solution is pretty simple: use a compression tool to reduce the size.
- Sensitivity labels. Some email services, like Outlook, allow users to apply sensitivity labels to private content, which typically makes it impossible to convert an email to a PDF. There’s not much you can do if you encounter a sensitivity label, except for asking the sender for permission to save their email.
Best Practices for Saving Emails as PDFs
Best practices for saving emails as PDFs include renaming files clearly, ensuring that sensitive information is protected, relying on native functions, and keeping the files and attachments organized.
Now, let’s examine each more thoroughly.
#1. Rename Files Clearly
When you download the email as a PDF, the name will most likely be generated from the subject and the email service you’re using. This isn’t a bad naming convention, but it can be confusing if the subject line isn’t totally transparent. As a result, you may end up not knowing exactly what each document you saved is about.
So, it’s better to come up with your own naming practices; for example, the sender’s name and the subject, or something related to the content of the email. That way, you’ll have a much easier time retrieving the PDF you need.
#2. Ensure Sensitive Information Is Protected
If the email you’re converting to a PDF contains sensitive information, it would be wise to protect your document using a password or encryption. That way, only you’ll be able to access the contents, which is especially important if you work with people’s personal data that could be used in identity theft and related crimes.
#3. Rely on Native Functions Whenever Possible
While saving emails as PDFs online through a browser can be a good option, it’s usually better to rely on the native functions of the email service you’re using. They allow you to save the entire long email, threads, or even several emails together, so they are far more flexible than the browser function.
#4. Keep the Files and Attachments Organized
Although you can’t convert attachments to PDFs directly in the emails, you should still figure out a way to keep these documents together. For instance, you could save them in the same folder as the body of the email or match the names somehow. You could also use our merge tool to combine them into one file and save yourself the trouble of going back and forth.
Manage Your Email PDFs With Ease
Once you’ve converted your emails to PDFs, pdf.net can help you merge them with other documents, compress them, annotate and sign, or edit them in many other ways. All you have to do is upload your document and select one of our numerous tools for customizing and protecting PDFs.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to save emails as PDFs, which should make it easier to keep records of certain conversations and store information. As you have seen, the process is very simple; it takes only a few clicks to complete the conversion. Once it’s finished, fix or protect the document with pdf.net before further use.
How to Save Email as PDF FAQ
#1. Can I save an email as a PDF without printing?
Yes, you can save an email as a PDF without printing; even though you need to click on the “Print” option to get a PDF, you’re not required to do it. You can simply save the document to your device without taking any further steps.
#2. Is it safe to save emails as PDFs online?
Yes, it is generally safe to save emails as PDFs online, especially if you use reputable cloud services to store them. For instance, you could save them in Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and similar platforms.
#3. Can I save multiple emails as one PDF?
Yes, you can easily save multiple emails as one PDF if they are in a thread by following the steps we’ve listed above. If not, Outlook still allows you to select several at once, but a good option is also to convert them separately and merge them together.
#4. Can I save emails as PDFs on my phone?
You can save emails as PDFs on both your iPhone and Android; the process is super simple and doesn’t take even five minutes. The specifics are described above.
#5. How can I convert an email to PDF without Adobe?
You can convert an email to a PDF without Adobe by using the native printing functions available in your email service. Furthermore, you can use the browser option if the email is short and fits on one page.