How to open an EML file in Gmail
How to open an EML file in Gmail: click the .eml attachment in the message and Gmail shows it as an attached email with its own sender, subject and attachments. When Gmail shows it as a plain file instead, or the .eml is on your disk, drop it on the converter and it opens in your browser: headers, body, attachments, nothing uploaded, no mail program needed.
Open an EML file in Gmail from an attachment
An EML file is a complete email saved as a file, usually sent to you by someone who used Forward as attachment, or by a system that exports messages. Gmail recognizes the format in most cases.
- Open the email that carries the
.eml. It shows below the text as an attachment card with the original subject line. - Click the card. Gmail opens the attached message in a viewer with its From, To, Date and Subject, the body, and that message's own attachments, which you can download.
- To keep it, use the download arrow on the card; the .eml lands in your Downloads folder.
Sometimes the card shows only a generic file icon and clicking it offers a download with no preview. That happens when the file was not sent with the right type (it arrives as application/octet-stream), or when the message inside is malformed. Downloading it and opening it elsewhere, as in the next section, works regardless.
Have the email as a file (EML, MSG, MBOX)? Convert it to PDF in your browser: nothing is uploaded.
Open the EML file without any mail program
Windows tries to open .eml with Outlook or the Mail app, a Mac uses Apple Mail, and a phone often shows nothing at all. None of that is required.
- Download the
.emlfrom Gmail, or locate the one you already have. - Open SaveMail in any browser and drop the file on the page, or pick it with the file button.
- The message renders: a header block with From, To, Cc, Date, Subject and Message-ID, the body with inline images, and an attachment list with names and sizes.
- Read it, download any attachment or all as a ZIP, or press Save as PDF for a searchable PDF through the print dialog.
The file is read with the browser's File API; nothing is sent to a server, no account is asked for, and closing the tab removes it. Encrypted messages (S/MIME, PGP) are shown as encrypted, not decrypted. The same page opens Outlook's MSG files and Takeout's MBOX files, if that is what you actually received.
Get an EML file from Gmail
Open any message, click the three dots at the top right of that message and choose Download message. Gmail saves the message as an .eml with its attachments inside. To send one or more emails as .eml files to someone else, use Forward as attachment from the same menu, or select several in the inbox list and choose it from the three dots above the list. This is how to give a lawyer, an IT department or a records office the message with all headers intact, rather than a forwarded copy with rewritten headers.
Import EML files into Gmail
Gmail has no Import EML button. Two routes work.
- Send it to yourself. Compose a new message, attach the .eml files, send to your own address. They arrive as attached messages you can open as described above. Simple, but the imported mail is nested inside a wrapper email, not standing on its own.
- Through a desktop client. Enable IMAP in Gmail Settings, Forwarding and POP/IMAP, add the account to Thunderbird, then drag the .eml files from a folder on your disk into a Gmail folder in Thunderbird. Each becomes a normal message in that label, with its original date and headers. Many files at once work the same way.
For a whole MBOX rather than loose EML files, the second route also applies; see MBOX to Gmail.
Open an EML file in Gmail on iPhone or Android
The Gmail app previews an attached .eml like the website does: tap the card and the message opens. If it does not, tap the card, choose the share or download icon and save the file to Files (iPhone) or Downloads (Android), then open the converter in Safari or Chrome and pick that file. It works for single EML and MSG files on phones; Save as PDF goes through the share or print sheet. The general version of this page is how to open an EML file.
Which option when
| Situation | Do this |
|---|---|
| .eml attached to a Gmail message | Click the card; Gmail previews it |
| Preview does not work, or file is on disk | Drop it on the converter in your browser |
| Need a PDF of the .eml | Converter, Save as PDF; see EML to PDF |
| Need it inside Gmail as a real message | Thunderbird over IMAP, drag into a label |
| Need to send an email as .eml | Three dots, Forward as attachment |
Frequently asked questions
Can Gmail open EML files?
Yes, as attachments: click the .eml card and Gmail shows the attached email with its headers and files. It cannot open an .eml from your computer directly.
How do I open an .eml file from my computer?
Drop it on savemail.app. The message opens in your browser with headers, body and attachments; nothing is uploaded and no mail program is needed.
How do I get an EML file from Gmail?
Open the message, click the three dots at its top right and choose Download message. Forward as attachment sends it as an .eml to someone else.
How do I import EML files into Gmail?
Attach them to a message to yourself, or enable IMAP, add the account to Thunderbird and drag the files into a Gmail folder there.
How do I open an EML file in Gmail on iPhone?
Tap the attachment card in the Gmail app. If it only downloads, save it to Files and open it in Safari on savemail.app.
Why does Gmail show the EML as a generic file?
The sender's system labeled it with a generic type or the file is malformed. Download it and open it in the converter; it reads the file regardless of the label.