How to save email to Google Drive
To save email to Google Drive, download the message as a PDF or .eml file and upload it to a Drive folder; Gmail has no Save to Drive button for the message itself, only for attachments. For a whole account, Google Takeout writes an .mbox straight into Drive. Drive cannot preview .eml or .mbox files; SaveMail opens them in your browser with nothing uploaded.
Three ways to save email to Google Drive
| Method | What lands in Drive | Good for | Searchable in Drive? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print, Save as PDF, upload | One PDF per email | Sharing with people who are not on the thread; client folders | Yes, Drive indexes PDF text |
| Download message (.eml), upload | One .eml per email, attachments inside | Records, legal and HR files | Partly; Drive shows .eml as text and does not render it |
| Google Takeout, deliver to Drive | One .mbox for the whole account or chosen labels | Backups, leaving a job or school account | No |
| Attachment Add to Drive icon | The attachment only | Invoices, contracts, photos | Yes, for office files and PDFs |
Pick by what you need later. Someone reading the folder wants PDFs; someone verifying the record wants the .eml; a backup wants the .mbox. Many people keep two of the three.
Have the email as a file (EML, MSG, MBOX)? Convert it to PDF in your browser: nothing is uploaded.
How to save an email to Google Drive as a PDF
- Open the message in Gmail, click the three dots on the message and choose Print. Expand collapsed replies first if you want the thread.
- Set the destination to Save as PDF and save it to your computer. On Windows choose Microsoft Print to PDF if the browser does not offer its own.
- Open drive.google.com, go to the target folder and choose New, File upload, or drag the PDF into the browser window.
- Rename it with the date first, for example
2026-10-07 Lease renewal.pdf, so the folder sorts by time.
On a Chromebook, Save as PDF can write directly into Google Drive in the file picker, skipping the upload step. The Gmail-specific details, including thread printing, are on save Gmail as PDF. Gmail is not the only source: an Outlook or Apple Mail PDF uploads the same way.
How to save an email to Google Drive as a file with attachments
- In Gmail, three dots on the message, Download message. The .eml lands in your Downloads folder with the attachments inside.
- Upload the .eml to Drive like any file. Keep it next to the PDF of the same email.
- For an attachment alone, hover over it in Gmail and click the Add to Drive icon; Gmail copies it to My Drive without a download.
Drive cannot show an .eml properly: the preview is raw text with encoded attachments. When you need to read one, download it from Drive and drop it on the SaveMail converter. The message renders in the tab with its headers, inline images and attachment list, you can save it as PDF, and the attachments download one by one or as a ZIP. The converter does not connect to Drive; it reads the file you hand it from your device. More on the format at what is an EML file.
How do I save multiple emails to Google Drive
For dozens or more, stop downloading one at a time.
- Go to Google Takeout, deselect everything, select Mail, and under its options choose all mail or specific labels.
- Choose Add to Drive as the delivery method, pick the archive size, and create the export. Google emails you when the archive is in Drive; large mailboxes take hours.
- Unzip the archive. The .mbox inside holds every message with attachments.
To read it, open the .mbox in SaveMail: the tool lists all messages inside, opens each one, and saves a PDF per message through the print dialog; a merged PDF of the whole file is not produced. Steps on MBOX to PDF. The export mechanics, including label selection, are on export Gmail emails and back up Gmail emails.
Outlook, Yahoo and other mail into Google Drive
Drive is just storage, so any file format works: .msg files dragged out of Outlook, .pst exports, PDFs from Yahoo's print view. Two cautions. A .pst from Outlook cannot be opened in a browser or in Drive; keep it as a backup and export .msg or .eml for anything you will need to read without Outlook (PST to PDF explains the route). And Drive's free quota is shared with Gmail and Photos, so a multi-gigabyte mailbox export counts against the same space; a flash drive or external disk is the usual alternative, covered on save emails to a flash drive.
Frequently asked questions
Can I save an email to Google Drive?
Yes. Save it as a PDF or download it as an .eml, then upload the file to a Drive folder. There is no direct Save to Drive button for messages in Gmail.
How do I save a Gmail email to Google Drive?
Three dots, Print, Save as PDF, then New, File upload in Drive. Or three dots, Download message for an .eml with attachments, and upload that.
How do I save multiple emails to Google Drive?
Use Google Takeout with Mail selected and Add to Drive as the delivery method. You get an .mbox with every message.
Can Google Drive open an .eml file?
Not readably; it shows raw text. Download the file and open it in the SaveMail converter in your browser to read it and save a PDF.
How do I save an attachment from Gmail to Google Drive?
Hover over the attachment in the message and click the Add to Drive icon.
Can I export Gmail to an external hard drive instead?
Yes. Choose Send download link via email in Takeout, download the archive and copy it to the drive.