How to export Outlook emails

How to export Outlook emails: use File → Open & Export → Import/Export → Export to a file in classic Outlook for a .pst copy of the mailbox, or drag messages out of the list to get one .msg file per email. Outlook.com and new Outlook export through Settings → General → Privacy and data. Exported .msg and .eml files open in SaveMail, where you can read them and save each as a searchable PDF with nothing uploaded; .pst files do not open in a browser.

Which export fits which goal

"Export" covers four different jobs in Outlook, and each produces a different file. Start from what you need the emails for.

The .pst route is the only one that keeps folder structure, calendar and contacts together. The file route is the only one that gives you messages you can open without Outlook.

Have the email as a file (EML, MSG, MBOX)? Convert it to PDF in your browser: nothing is uploaded.

Export the whole mailbox to a .pst file (classic Outlook for Windows)

1. Click File → Open & Export → Import/Export.
2. Choose Export to a file and click Next.
3. Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.
4. Select the top of the account to export everything, or a single folder. Keep Include subfolders checked. The Filter button lets you limit by date or sender.
5. Click Browse, pick a location and file name, and decide how to handle duplicates (the default, replace duplicates, is fine for a first export).
6. Click Finish. Outlook offers to set a password on the file; leave it blank unless you will remember it, because there is no recovery.

Export runs in the background and can take minutes for a large mailbox. The result is a self-contained copy: you can open it later with File → Open & Export → Open Outlook Data File. A .pst file is a database, not a collection of messages, which is why browsers and most other programs cannot read it.

Export from new Outlook, Outlook.com and Outlook on the web

The new interface has no Import/Export wizard. For Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live accounts the export lives in settings:

1. Click the gear icon, then General → Privacy and data.
2. Click Export mailbox. Microsoft prepares a .pst file on its side; this can take hours or days, and a download link appears in the same place when it is ready.

For work or school accounts this button is often missing. The practical options are to open the account in classic Outlook and run the wizard above, or to ask your administrator for an export. To download single messages, More actions → Download saves an .eml file per message.

How to export Outlook emails as individual files, in bulk

If the goal is a folder of readable files rather than one database, skip the wizard.

1. Create a folder on disk, one per Outlook folder if you want to keep the structure.
2. In classic Outlook, click the folder, press Ctrl-A, and drag the selection into the disk folder. Each message becomes a .msg file named after its subject; Outlook adds numbers when subjects repeat.
3. In Outlook for Mac, do the same drag; the files are .eml.
4. Repeat per folder. A few thousand messages are fine; very large folders go faster in batches.

Files exported this way include attachments and the original headers. They are the input for exporting Outlook emails to PDF and for keeping a copy on your computer that does not depend on a mail account.

Export Outlook emails to Excel

The Import/Export wizard can also write a CSV. Choose Export to a file → Comma Separated Values, select the mail folder and click Map Custom Fields to pick columns such as From, Subject, Received and Body. The result is a table, useful for counting or sorting, but the body column is plain text and attachments are not included. For the emails themselves, use .pst or files.

Turn the exported files into PDFs you can read anywhere

Drop any exported .msg or .eml file on savemail.app. The message is parsed in your browser tab, with no upload and no account. You see the headers (including Message-ID, which proves which message this was), the body with inline images, and the attachments, which download one by one or as a ZIP. Press Save as PDF; the browser's print dialog produces a text-based PDF.

Two limits to plan around: SaveMail renders one message at a time, so a folder of 200 files means 200 PDFs rather than one merged document, and it cannot open .pst or .olm archives. If all you have is a .pst, open it in Outlook and drag the messages out as files first; the PST to PDF page walks through that.

Frequently asked questions