Want to save, archive, or share an email in a stable format—right on your phone? Find out here how to save an email message as a PDF file in iPhone Mail.
First, Up and Down Stalag
A stalagmite, who could ever forget it, grows when dropping water in a cave leaves behind a small mineral pile on the floor as it evaporates. A stalactite, of course, grows in just the opposite direction as water droplets leave behind a small but growing mineral deposit on the cave ceiling.
What if it’s the same drop? What if a stalactite and stalagmite even meet?
Then, a stalagnate has formed, a column from floor to ceiling.
Now, want to screenshot not just part of an email but save the whole stalagnate from top to bottom as a single PDF file? In iPhone Mail, you can:
How to Save an Email as a PDF File on an iPhone
Time needed: 2 minutes
To save an email message to a PDF file using iOS Mail for iPhone:
- Open the message you want to save to PDF in iPhone Mail.
- Make an initial screenshot using the screenshot shortcut for your iPhone.
Here’s how: Press the volume up and side buttons to take an iPhone screenshot, for example.
- Tap the screenshot preview that has opened in the lower left corner.
- Select Full Page on the screenshot annotation window.
- Optional: Use the bottom toolbar to annotate and edit the PDF file.
- Tap Done.
- Select Save PDF to Files from the menu that has appeared.
Other apps and online drives: Use the sharing menu in the screenshot editor to save the email PDF to a different online drive, share via AirDrop or—send as an email, for instance.
- Choose the desired folder in iCloud Drive or on your iPhone, then tap Save to export the PDF.
Different name: Tap the PDF file’s current name (derived from the email subject) to change it.
How to Save an Email as a PDF File on an iPhone: FAQ
Can I change the header lines included in the exported PDF document?
No.
iPhone Mail will always (only) include the sender, recipients, subject, and date for the email in the header area.
You can use the PDF editing tools to black out or overwrite parts of text, of course, before you save the PDF.
Can I crop the PDF or delete pages from it?
Yes, partly.
To delete a page from the exported email PDF:
- Open the page you want to delete using the page navigation sidebar while you edit the Full Page screenshot.
- Tap the trashcan icon in the toolbar.
- Select Delete Page from the context menu that has appeared.
If the email fits on one PDF page initially you can use the cropping button to crop further into page (or text).
I forgot to tap the screenshot preview; can I create the full email PDF from the screenshot in Photos?
No.
In that case, iPhone has saved only the screenshot, not the entire email content. To save the email as a PDF, delete the screenshot and start with a fresh screenshot.
(How to save an email as a PDF file on an iPhone tested with iOS 15–17; updated February 2024)