How to download an email
How to download an email: in Gmail use the three dots on the message and Download message to get an .eml file; in Outlook drag the message to a folder for a .msg; in any client use Print, Save as PDF for a document. Each client hands you a different file type, and this page explains what each one is for. SaveMail opens the .eml, .msg and .mbox files in your browser with nothing uploaded.
How to download an email in each client
Mail lives on a server and in the client's own database; downloading means asking the client to write one message as a file. Clients call it different things and produce different formats.
| Client | Command | File you get | Attachments inside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail (web) | Three dots on the message, Download message | .eml | Yes |
| Gmail (whole account) | Google Takeout, Mail | .mbox | Yes |
| Outlook for Windows / Mac | Drag the message to a folder; File, Save As | .msg (also .txt, .html, .mht in Save As) | .msg yes; others no |
| Outlook (whole mailbox) | File, Open and Export, Export to a file | .pst | Yes |
| Outlook.com / on the web | Three dots, Download | .eml | Yes |
| Apple Mail | Drag to Finder; File, Save As; Mailbox, Export Mailbox | .eml; .eml or rich text; .mbox | Yes for .eml and .mbox |
| Thunderbird | File, Save As, File | .eml | Yes |
| Yahoo Mail (web) | No download; Print only | PDF via the print dialog | No |
| Any client | Print, Save as PDF | No |
Per-client guides: download emails from Gmail, download emails from Outlook.
Have the email as a file (EML, MSG, MBOX)? Convert it to PDF in your browser: nothing is uploaded.
The file types, in one paragraph each
.eml is the message exactly as it traveled: headers, body, attachments, all in one text file. Nearly every client can open or import it, and it is the format to keep for records. Details on what is an EML file.
.msg is Outlook's own single-message container. It holds the same content as an .eml but in a binary structure that only Outlook, and tools built for it, understand. See what is an MSG file.
.mbox is many messages concatenated into one file; Google Takeout and Apple Mail exports produce it. Good for a backup, awkward for finding one email. See what is an MBOX file.
.pst is Outlook's database of a whole mailbox with folders. It needs Outlook, which is why a browser cannot open it. .pdf is a rendering for reading and sharing, searchable, but without the attachments or the hidden headers.
How to save an email as a document
When people ask for a "document", they want something that opens on any computer and can be attached to a file or printed. That is a PDF.
- Open the email. In a long thread, expand the replies you need.
- Press Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, or use Print in the message menu for Gmail and Outlook on the web.
- Choose Save as PDF, Microsoft Print to PDF, or the PDF button on a Mac, and save with a date-first name.
Email to Word is not a built-in option anywhere, and SaveMail does not convert to Word or Excel either; if the text must be editable, copy it from the message into a document. Full client-by-client steps are on save an email as a PDF. Pictures inside an email save separately: right-click an inline image and choose Save Image, or download it from the attachment line if it was attached as a file.
How to open the downloaded email without a mail client
An .eml or .msg on a desktop is a dead end for most people: double-clicking opens a blank preview or asks for Outlook. The SaveMail converter reads the file in the browser:
- Open the converter and drop the .eml, .msg or .mbox on the page. It is parsed by JavaScript in the tab; there is no upload endpoint and no account.
- The message renders with From, To, Cc, Date, Subject and Message-ID, the body with inline images, and the attachments listed with names and sizes.
- Press Save as PDF for a searchable document, or download the attachments one by one or as a ZIP. Compact mode hides quoted replies and signatures.
An .mbox shows a list of all messages inside; open and save each one. Works in any modern browser on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, and on a phone for single EML and MSG files. What it does not open: .pst files, and encrypted messages are shown as encrypted. For those, open a PST file lists the alternatives.
Downloading many emails, and where to keep them
Download message and drag-to-folder are per message. Past a few dozen, use the bulk paths: Takeout for Gmail (.mbox), Export to a file for Outlook (.pst), Export Mailbox for Apple Mail (.mbox), or select-all-and-drag in Outlook for a folder of .msg files. Yahoo has no bulk download in the web interface; sync it to a desktop client first. Each of these is walked through on export Gmail emails and export Outlook emails.
Where the files go afterward is the other half of the job: a folder on disk, a flash drive, or Google Drive. Whatever the destination, keep the original .eml or .msg next to any PDF you make; the PDF is for reading, the file is the record.
Frequently asked questions
How do I download an email?
Gmail: three dots on the message, Download message (.eml). Outlook: drag the message to a folder (.msg). Any client: Print, Save as PDF.
How do I save an email as a document?
Print it to PDF: Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, then Save as PDF. Email to Word is not built in; copy the text into a document if it must be editable.
What file type is a downloaded email?
.eml from Gmail, Outlook on the web, Apple Mail and Thunderbird; .msg from Outlook desktop; .mbox from Takeout and Apple Mail exports; .pst from an Outlook mailbox export.
How do I open a downloaded .eml or .msg file?
Drop it on the SaveMail converter in your browser. It renders locally, with headers, body and attachments, and saves as PDF. Nothing is uploaded.
How do I download all my emails?
Gmail: Google Takeout for an .mbox. Outlook: File, Open and Export, Export to a file for a .pst, or select all and drag for .msg files.
How do I save pictures from an email?
Right-click an inline image and choose Save Image, or click the download icon on the attachment if it was attached as a file.