How to download emails from Gmail
How to download emails from Gmail: open a message, click the three dots and choose Download message; Gmail saves it as an .eml file with the attachments inside. For a readable copy use the printer icon and Save as PDF; for everything at once use Google Takeout. The .eml and the Takeout MBOX both open in your browser with the converter, with nothing uploaded.
Download emails from Gmail one by one as .eml files
Gmail can save any single message to your computer. The file is an .eml: the message exactly as it arrived, with headers, body and attachments in one container. This is the right choice when you need a faithful copy rather than a printout.
- Open the email in Gmail in a browser.
- Click the three dots at the top right of the message (not the three dots above the inbox list).
- Click Download message.
- Find the file in your Downloads folder. It is named after the subject line and ends in
.eml.
In a conversation, each message has its own three-dot menu, so a thread of five replies means five downloads. The menu also has Show original, which displays the raw headers and offers Download Original; that gives the same .eml file plus a view of the full header path, which is useful when someone asks where a message really came from.
Have the email as a file (EML, MSG, MBOX)? Convert it to PDF in your browser: nothing is uploaded.
Download an email as a PDF
When the copy is for reading, sharing or filing rather than re-importing, a PDF is easier to handle than an .eml. Click the printer icon in the message, choose Save as PDF as the destination and save. The Print all icon at the top of a thread does the same for the whole conversation. The full walkthrough, including what the PDF leaves out, is in how to save Gmail as PDF.
Why the print PDF stays searchable: the browser lays out the HTML of the message and writes the glyphs as text objects, not as a picture. A screenshot of the same email is an image and cannot be searched.
Download all emails from Gmail with Google Takeout
For a whole mailbox, a label or a date range, Google Takeout is the built-in export. It produces an MBOX file: one text file holding every message, attachments included, in the order Google wrote them.
- Go to takeout.google.com while signed in to the account.
- Click Deselect all, scroll to Mail and tick it.
- Click All Mail data included to limit the export to specific labels, if you do not need everything.
- Click Next step, choose delivery by email link, a one-time export, .zip and a file size (2 GB is the default; larger values mean fewer parts).
- Click Create export. Google emails you a download link; small mailboxes take minutes, large ones can take a day.
The archive unpacks to a folder with an .mbox file per selected label. Nothing on your computer opens it by default, which is where the next step comes in. More options for whole-mailbox exports are in export Gmail emails.
Open the downloaded file
Double-clicking an .eml on Windows usually opens Outlook or Mail, and double-clicking an .mbox opens nothing. You do not need a mail program for either. Drop the file on SaveMail: an .eml renders as a page with From, To, Cc, Date, Subject and Message-ID, the body, inline images and a list of attachments with sizes. An .mbox lists every message inside, and you open them one at a time.
From the rendered page you can save a PDF through the print dialog, save the HTML, or download the attachments one by one or as a ZIP. The file is read with the browser's File API on your device; no copy is sent anywhere, and the page keeps working if you disconnect from the internet. Password-protected or encrypted messages are shown as encrypted, not decrypted.
Which download method when
| Goal | Gmail path | File you get |
|---|---|---|
| Keep one email exactly as received | Three dots, Download message | .eml with attachments |
| Read or share one email or thread | Printer icon, Save as PDF | PDF, no attachments |
| Save a label or the whole account | Google Takeout, Mail | .mbox per label, zipped |
| Move mail to Outlook | Add Gmail to Outlook by IMAP, then export | .pst; see Gmail to PST |
| Just the attachments | Download all icon in the message | .zip of that message's files |
Saving an email inside Gmail without downloading
Many searches for "save emails in Gmail" mean keeping a message findable, not getting a file. Gmail has three tools for that: Star it, give it a label, or archive it so it leaves the inbox but stays in All Mail. None of these makes a copy; if the account is closed or the message is deleted, the saved item goes with it. For a copy that survives the account, use Download message, Takeout, or a PDF, and read how to back up Gmail emails before you need it.
A different search, "download Gmail", usually means the Gmail app itself: it is in the App Store and Google Play under Gmail by Google, and it does not download your messages as files.
Frequently asked questions
How do I download an email from Gmail?
Open the message, click the three dots at its top right and choose Download message. Gmail saves an .eml file that contains the message and its attachments.
How do I download all my emails from Gmail?
Use Google Takeout: select Mail, choose the labels, create the export and download the .zip. Inside is an .mbox file you can open in the converter message by message.
How do I save a Gmail email as a file on my computer?
Download message gives an .eml; the printer icon with Save as PDF gives a PDF. Both are regular files you can store, email or back up.
How do I save emails in Gmail without downloading them?
Star the message, apply a label or archive it. These keep the message in the account but do not create a copy outside Gmail.
How do I open a downloaded .eml file?
Drop it on savemail.app. The message opens in the browser tab with headers, body and attachments, and you can save it as PDF. Nothing is uploaded.
How do I download Gmail?
If you mean the app, install Gmail from the App Store or Google Play. If you mean your messages, use Download message for one email or Google Takeout for all of them.