PDFs are simple, professional, and easy to attach or archive. Emails, on the other hand, can be difficult to work with outside your inbox. You can forward them, but you can’t easily save them to your computer—unless you know the right method.
This guide shows you how to save any email as a PDF in Gmail, Outlook, iOS, and Android, plus when this approach makes sense versus alternatives like screenshots or offline mode.
Quick Answer: To save an email as a PDF in Gmail or Outlook, click the Print icon, then select “Save as PDF” as your printer destination instead of an actual printer. On mobile devices, use the Spark Mail app or your email app’s share/export function to save conversations as PDF files.
Table of Contents
- Why Would You Save an Email as a PDF?
- How Do You Save an Email as a PDF in Gmail?
- How Do You Save an Email as a PDF in Outlook?
- How Do You Save an Email as a PDF on iPhone or iPad?
- How Do You Save an Email as a PDF on Android?
- What Are Alternatives to Saving an Email as a PDF?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Can you save an email as a PDF with attachments included?
- Can you save a confidential or expiring Gmail as a PDF?
- Does saving an email as a PDF preserve formatting?
- Can you save multiple emails as one PDF?
- Is there a way to automatically save emails as PDFs?
- Why would I save an email as PDF instead of just forwarding it?
- What’s the best format to save email evidence for legal purposes?
Key Terms
PDF (Portable Document Format): A file format that preserves document formatting across different devices and operating systems.
Print to PDF: A virtual printer option that creates a PDF file instead of printing to paper.
Email thread: A chain of related email messages grouped together in a conversation.
Confidential mode: Gmail feature that allows senders to set emails to expire after a specified time.
Offline mode: Email client feature that allows reading and composing emails without an internet connection.
Why Would You Save an Email as a PDF?
Common reasons include creating offline backups, including emails in presentations or documents, preserving expiring messages, adding annotations, or sharing with people who prefer PDF attachments.
There are several situations where saving an email as a PDF makes sense:
You want a hard copy in case your email is inaccessible. Your internet goes down sometimes. Saving a copy of an email as a PDF guarantees it will be available even during an outage. Note that Gmail also has an offline mode for this purpose.
You’re working the email into a presentation or formal document. Maybe you need to include the email in another PDF, a PowerPoint sales presentation, or some other formal document. PDFs are easy to embed and work with across applications.
The email is set to expire. Thanks to security settings in Gmail and other mail apps, senders can set their emails to “expire” and self-destruct after a period of time. Saving the email as a PDF creates a permanent copy. Be aware that senders may prevent printing/saving, and even if they don’t, saving confidential emails may be a breach of ethics.
You need to mark up the email. With a PDF, you can apply your own notes, highlights, and annotations. This is convenient when you want to make important points and your usual email tools aren’t sufficient.
You’re sharing with someone who prefers PDFs. Not everyone is comfortable with email forwarding. Some colleagues or clients prefer receiving information as PDF attachments they can save to their files.
How Do You Save an Email as a PDF in Gmail?
Open the email, click the Print icon in the upper-right corner, then select “Save as PDF” as your destination instead of a physical printer.
Saving an email as a PDF in Gmail takes about 30 seconds. The trick is using the print function but selecting a PDF destination instead of an actual printer.
Step 1: Open the email or conversation you want to save as a PDF.
Step 2: In the upper-right corner, click the Print icon (or press Ctrl+P on Windows / Cmd+P on Mac).
Step 3: In the print dialog, change the Destination from your printer to “Save as PDF.”
Step 4: Adjust any additional options, such as whether to include headers and footers.
Step 5: Click Save and choose where to save the PDF file on your computer.
This method saves the entire email conversation if you have it open in threaded view. To save only a single message, click into that specific message before printing.
How Do You Save an Email as a PDF in Outlook?
Click the three-dot menu in the email, select Print, then choose “Save as PDF” or “Microsoft Print to PDF” as your printer destination.
The process in Outlook is nearly identical to Gmail.
Step 1: Find the email or thread you want to save.
Step 2: Click the three dots (more options) in the upper section of the email.
Step 3: Click the Print icon.
Step 4: In the print dialog, make sure the printer selected is “Save as PDF” or “Microsoft Print to PDF.”
Step 5: Adjust settings as needed and click Save.
You can save this file to any location on your computer or cloud storage.
How Do You Save an Email as a PDF on iPhone or iPad?
Use the Spark Mail app or your email app’s share function. Tap the three dots, select “Save as PDF” or “Print,” then pinch-to-zoom on the preview to create a PDF.
If you have an iPhone, iPad, or other iOS device, you have a couple of options.
Option 1: Using Spark Mail
Download the free Spark Mail app from the App Store. After setting up your email account, open the conversation you want to export. Tap the three dots at the bottom of the screen, scroll right, and tap “Save as PDF.” You can choose to include message history and comments, then save to your device or share with another app.
Option 2: Using the native Print function
In the Apple Mail app or Gmail app, tap the share icon and select Print. On the print preview screen, use a pinch-to-zoom gesture on the preview image. This opens it as a full-screen PDF that you can then share or save to Files.
How Do You Save an Email as a PDF on Android?
Use the Gmail app’s Print function and select “Save as PDF” as the printer, or download Spark Mail for a dedicated PDF export option.
Android devices offer straightforward PDF saving through the Gmail app or third-party mail apps.
Option 1: Using Gmail app
Open the email you want to save. Tap the three-dot menu and select Print. Choose “Save as PDF” as your printer destination. Tap the PDF icon to save the file to your device.
Option 2: Using Spark Mail
Download the Spark Mail app from the Play Store. Set up your account, then open the conversation you want to export. Tap the three dots at the bottom of the screen, tap “Save as PDF,” choose whether to include history or comments, then save to your device.
What Are Alternatives to Saving an Email as a PDF?
Screenshots work for quick captures. Gmail’s offline mode provides access without internet. Forwarding to yourself creates a backup in your sent folder. Export tools can archive multiple emails at once.
While saving an email as a PDF is useful, it’s not always the best solution for every situation.
Screenshots are faster for quick captures on mobile devices. On iPhone, press the side button and volume up simultaneously. On Android, hold the power and volume down buttons. On PC, use the PrtScn key and paste into an image editor.
Gmail offline mode lets you access emails without internet. Enable it in Gmail settings to read, search, and compose emails even when disconnected. This solves the “need access during outages” problem without creating separate files.
Forward to yourself as a simple backup method. This creates a copy in your sent folder that you can search for later.
Email export tools like Google Takeout can archive your entire email history if you need comprehensive backups rather than individual PDFs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you save an email as a PDF with attachments included?
No. The print-to-PDF method only saves the email text and inline images. Attachments must be downloaded separately. If you need attachments included, save them individually and combine them with the email PDF using a PDF merger tool, or take screenshots that show attachment icons.
Can you save a confidential or expiring Gmail as a PDF?
Sometimes. Senders can enable settings that prevent printing, copying, or downloading confidential emails. If these restrictions are enabled, you won’t be able to save the email as a PDF. Even if you can save it, doing so may violate the sender’s intended confidentiality—use judgment about whether it’s appropriate.
Does saving an email as a PDF preserve formatting?
Mostly yes. Text formatting, inline images, and basic layout are preserved. However, some HTML email designs with complex layouts may render differently in the PDF than they appear in your email client. Interactive elements like buttons become static images.
Can you save multiple emails as one PDF?
If the emails are part of the same conversation thread, printing the thread saves all messages in one PDF. For unrelated emails, you’ll need to save each as a separate PDF, then use a PDF merger tool to combine them. Google Takeout can export your entire email archive if you need bulk backups.
Is there a way to automatically save emails as PDFs?
Yes, through automation tools. Services like Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or dedicated email archiving software can automatically convert incoming emails to PDFs based on filters you set. This is useful for businesses that need to archive client correspondence or maintain records for compliance.
Why would I save an email as PDF instead of just forwarding it?
PDFs create a permanent, unalterable record with a timestamp. They’re easier to include in other documents like reports or legal filings. They’re accessible offline without email access. And some recipients prefer PDF attachments over forwarded emails because they can save them directly to their file systems.
What’s the best format to save email evidence for legal purposes?
For legal purposes, consult with your attorney. PDFs are commonly accepted, but you may also want to preserve the original email in .eml or .msg format, which includes full header information. Taking screenshots that show sender, recipient, date, and time can provide additional documentation. Some legal situations require certified email archiving services.
Jayson is a long-time columnist for Forbes, Entrepreneur, BusinessInsider, Inc.com, and various other major media publications, where he has authored over 1,000 articles since 2012, covering technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He keynoted the 2013 MarketingProfs University, and won the “Entrepreneur Blogger of the Year” award in 2015 from the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs. In 2010, he founded a marketing agency that appeared on the Inc. 5000 before selling it in January of 2019, and he is now the CEO of EmailAnalytics and OutreachBloom.
