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EML to PDF

EML to PDF: Convert Email Files in Your Browser

This tool opens .eml files, shows each email with its From, To, Cc, Date and Subject header, and saves it as a PDF. Everything runs in your browser, so the emails are never uploaded, and it works the same on Mac, Windows, Linux and Chromebook with nothing to install. It is for when you already have .eml or .msg files, for example a folder of emails saved from Outlook or Thunderbird, and want them as PDFs, or as one PDF sorted by date with the attachments; one message that is still in your mail app can usually be saved as PDF from there.

Convert EML to PDF

or drag files, a whole folder, a ZIP or an .mbox archive here. PDF files are accepted too and get Bates numbers.

Free, no limit on emails, no sign-up. Files are read on your device and never uploaded.

Many emails at once? A Case Pass is US$29.90 for 90 days. See pricing.

  • Any number of emails, one PDF each, free and with no sign-up.
  • Every email shows its From, To, Cc, Date and Subject header.
  • Paid plans: one PDF in date order with a contents page, page numbers and the attachments.

Your emails are read in this browser and never uploaded.

Check for Yourself That Nothing Is Uploaded

You do not have to take our word for it. Your browser can list every request this page makes.

  1. Open the network panel. Chrome, Edge and Chromebook: press Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Option+I on a Mac) and click Network. Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+E (Cmd+Option+E on a Mac). Safari: turn on Show features for web developers in Settings › Advanced, press Cmd+Option+I and click Network.
  2. Use the converter as usual. Drop your emails and save a PDF.
  3. Read the list. You will see only files from emltopdf.net: the page, its scripts and fonts. Pictures stored on the senders' servers are not requested, because Load images from the internet is off by default. If you turn it on, they load from the senders' own servers, as they do in a mail app. If you have a license key, the page checks that key with emltopdf.net about once a day. No request carries your emails or their attachments.

Or go offline. When the line below says everything is loaded, turn off Wi-Fi (or choose Offline in Chrome's network panel) and keep going: opening emails, previews, PDFs and ZIPs all work without the internet. Two things do need it: pictures stored on the senders' servers, and the PDF font for Chinese, Japanese or Korean text, which is downloaded from this site the first time a PDF needs it.

Loading the converter for offline use…

Who Needs the Paid Plans

The free converter handles any number of emails, one PDF each. The paid plans are for the job where that is too slow:

  • You have a folder of saved emails. .eml or .msg files, for example saved from Outlook or Thunderbird, that you want as PDFs in one go.
  • You need one PDF in date order. The merged PDF puts the oldest email first, starts with a contents page and numbers every page.
  • The attachments matter. PDF and image attachments are added as pages right after the email they came with. Every attachment is also available in one ZIP.
  • It is a one-off job. A Case Pass costs US$29.90 once and works for 90 days, with no renewal.

The pricing page has the full comparison.

What Files the EML to PDF Converter Accepts

What Files the EML to PDF Converter Accepts
FileWhere it usually comes fromWhat happens
.eml from webmailSaved or downloaded from a webmail service (the option name differs by provider)Opens and converts normally
.eml from a desktop clientSaved or exported from a desktop mail appOpens and converts normally
.eml attached to another email"Forward as attachment"Save the attachment first, then drop it here
.msgSaved from OutlookOpens and converts; see the MSG to PDF page for Outlook-specific details
.mbox archiveExported from Thunderbird, Apple Mail or Google TakeoutSplit into single emails; see MBOX to PDF
winmail.dat attachmentOutlook "Rich Text" mailUnpacked: the files inside are listed as normal attachments
Encrypted .eml (S/MIME)Mail sent with a certificate-based encryption settingCannot be opened
Very large .eml (tens of MB)Emails with big attachmentsWorks, but slow on phones

An .mbox archive is split in your browser, so its emails open as if you had dropped them one by one. Encrypted mail can only be read with the recipient's private key, so this tool shows an error rather than a blank PDF.

Why You Might Need to Turn an EML File into a PDF

An .eml file is one email saved as plain text. You get one when you download a message from webmail, save it from a desktop mail client, or receive an email "forwarded as attachment". The people who need a PDF of it are usually keeping records, collecting HR or legal evidence, printing a thread, or sending a copy to someone who has no mail client.

The trouble starts when you try to open the file. On a computer without a mail app set up, double-clicking may do nothing or open the wrong program. Opened in a text editor, it looks like this:

From: "Dana Ortiz" <dana@example.com>
To: hr@example.org
Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:14:22 -0500
Subject: Re: Schedule change
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="b1_7f3a"

--b1_7f3a
Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64

PGh0bWw+PGJvZHk+PHA+SGkgdGVhbSwgdGhlIG1lZXRpbmcg...

The header lines at the top are plain text. The body and attachments sit below them as separate encoded parts, like the base64 block in the sample above. This converter decodes those parts and rebuilds the readable email. It then writes a PDF with the header block at the top.

Many converters ask you to upload the file to their server first. A complaint to HR or a contract negotiation is often exactly the kind of email you would rather not upload. This tool reads the file locally in the browser tab instead.

An .eml file follows the Internet Message Format. The IETF standard for it, RFC 5322, describes that format as:

“a syntax for text messages that are sent between computer users, within the framework of "electronic mail" messages”

— RFC 5322 (IETF), Abstract

Source: RFC 5322: Internet Message Format.

How to Convert EML to PDF in Four Steps

  1. Drop your files. Drag one or more .eml files onto the box, or click it to choose them. There is no limit on the free version.
  2. Check the preview. Each email shows its header (From, To, Cc, Date, Subject), the body, inline images and a list of attachments with their sizes. Pictures stored on the sender's server are not loaded by default, so the sender cannot see that you opened the email. Click Load images above the preview if you want newsletters and receipts to look right.
  3. Export. Click Download PDF on an email. You get one PDF for it, free, with the header block at the top and text you can select and search.
  4. Batch options (paid plans). They let you download all emails as a ZIP of PDFs in one click, or merge them into a single PDF sorted by date, with a contents page and page numbers. PDF and image attachments are added as pages right after their email, and you can download all attachments together as a ZIP.

If you only want to read an email and do not need a file, the EML viewer page covers that.

What a PDF Copy of an Email Is Good For

  • Records and archiving. A PDF opens on any device without a mail client, and the selectable text keeps it searchable.
  • HR and legal files. The header block puts sender, recipients and date on the page, which is what most reviewers check first.
  • Printing. You print a clean page instead of raw code or a mail client's interface.
  • Sharing. You can send a copy to someone who uses a different mail program or none at all.

A worked example: an employee has 14 emails about a scheduling dispute, saved over two months. With the paid merge option they drop all 14 files and get one PDF ordered by date, with a contents page and page numbers, which reads as a timeline.

Keep the original .eml files as well. The PDF header block shows From, To, Cc, Date and Subject. With a paid plan you can add each email's full technical headers on a page after it, and put the original files into the ZIP; that is a record for reference, not a forensic check.

Where EML to PDF Conversion Falls Short

  • Other scripts. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Greek and Russian text is supported in the PDF. Arabic, Hebrew, Thai and emoji have no font in the PDF's own text, so they may be left out of the header block and contents page; the email body is a picture of what your browser draws. Check the PDF before relying on it.
  • Heavily designed marketing emails will not look identical. Complex layouts and styles built for specific mail clients often shift, and sanitizing the HTML can remove some styling.
  • S/MIME encrypted mail cannot be opened at all.
  • Remote images are not loaded by default. The PDF shows empty boxes where the pictures were. Click Load images above the preview to put them in; before an export that would lack pictures, the page asks you.

EML to PDF Here vs. Print to PDF, Upload Converters and Desktop Software

EML to PDF Here vs. Print to PDF, Upload Converters and Desktop Software
MethodWhere the email is processedMany files at onceHeader block on the PDFRemote images
This toolYour browser, on your deviceUnlimited free, one PDF at a time; bulk and merge by date paidYes, at the topOff by default; one click loads them
Mail client "Print to PDF"Your computerDepends on the clientDepends on the clientDepends on client settings
Upload-based online convertersThe service's serverVariesVariesVaries
Installed desktop softwareYour computerOften supportedVariesVaries

Printing to PDF from a mail client works if you already have that client set up and only need one or two emails. Upload-based converters do the job, but the email content leaves your device. Desktop software keeps files local but needs an installation. This tool keeps files local without an installation. If you need to batch convert EML to PDF, the paid version saves them all in one click or merges everything into one date-sorted file; the merge EML files into one PDF page shows the steps.

If the email is still in your mail app and not in a file, see saving emails from Outlook or Gmail as PDF. If the file will not open in the first place, see opening EML files in Outlook or Gmail.

Related tools: View EML files without a mail client and Convert Outlook MSG files to PDF.

Open .eml and .msg files in your browser and read the header, body and attachment list. Nothing is uploaded.

View EML files online

Turn Outlook .msg files into PDFs without Outlook installed.

Convert Outlook MSG to PDF

Split an .mbox file from Thunderbird, Apple Mail or Google Takeout into emails and save them as PDFs.

Convert a mailbox archive to PDF

Put many saved emails into one PDF, oldest first. Merging is the paid feature.

Combine emails into one PDF

Number your own PDFs with a prefix and a running number, with a number list. Free, and nothing is uploaded.

Add Bates numbers to PDFs free

See what Outlook, Windows Mail and Gmail do with an .eml file, or open it in your browser.

Open EML files in Outlook or Gmail

Save an email as PDF from Outlook, Gmail or a Mac, or convert saved .eml and .msg files.

Save Outlook or Gmail emails as PDF

New Outlook saves emails one by one as .eml. Drop the whole folder here and get one PDF or a ZIP of PDFs.

Bulk save Outlook emails to PDF

FAQ

Have your .eml or .msg files ready?

Choose .eml or .msg files

Not affiliated with Microsoft or Outlook. Product names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to describe which file types work.