How to Save an Email as a PDF File in Outlook

Want to archive or copy email in PDF format? Find out here how to save an email as a PDF file in Outlook (without additional tools other than a browser).

First, Put On the Wet and Beaten Tree

Most cloth is woven from plant or animal fibers and hairs, but tapa is not.

Instead, large pieces of bark, typically from mulberry trees, soak in water until they are soft. A thorough beating lends them their final shape afterwards and makes the wooden cloth prête à porter.

Now, if a tree can become a shirt, an email surely can become a PDF; here’s the soaking it takes:

How to Save an Email as a PDF File in Outlook for Windows

Using Microsoft Print to PDF

Using Edge Browser

To export an email as PDF from Outlook without Microsoft Print to PDF using the Edge browser instead:

1. Open the email you want to save to a PDF in Outlook.
2. Select File | Save As in the ribbon.
3. Choose HTML (*.htm, *.html) under Save as type:.
   Plain text email: For plain text emails, choose Text Only (*.txt).
4. Change the name for the temporary HTML (or plain text) file under File name: if it helps you find the exported PDF.
   Default name: Outlook chooses the email subject for the file name by default.
5. Pick a folder for saving the email.
   Which folder: The file is merely temporary; use a folder you can easily access and clean regularly, such as Downloads.
6. Click Save.
   
7. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
   Other browsers: You can, of course, pick a different browser such as Firefox or Chrome; printing to PDF works very similarly in all.
8. Press Ctrl O in Edge.
9. Find and double-click the HTML file of the saved email.
   Plain text email: Choose the plain text file instead.
   
10. Now click the Settings and more menu in Edge.
    Edge keyboard shortcut: Press Alt F to open the menu quickly.
11. Choose Print from the menu that has appeared.
    Another keyboard shortcut: To bring up the printing dialog swiftly, press Ctrl P.
12. Select Save as PDF for the Printer.
    
13. Typically, uncheck Headers and footers.
    Headers and footers: With the option enabled, Edge places the email subject and date on the top of each page and the full path to the saved HTML file at the bottom; neither is usually necessary.
14. Click Save.
15. Go to the folder where you want to save the email PDF file from Outlook.
16. Check PDF File (*.pdf) is select as Save as type:.
17. If desired, change the file name.
18. Click Save again.
19. Delete the temporary HTML file (from, typically, your Downloads folder).
    Delete bypassing the trash: You can immediately delete a file in Windows, by the way, instead of putting it in the Trash.

Save Email as PDF in Outlook for Mac

To save an email message as a PDF file in Outlook for Mac:

1. Open the message you want to save to PDF in Outlook for Mac.
   As you like it: You can open the email in its own window or the Outlook reading pane.
   Subject as file name: Highlight the email’s subject and press Command C to have it ready in the clipboard for use as the file name for the saved PDF later.
2. Select File | Print… from the menu.
   Paper size: To change the paper size, select File | Page Setup… and pick from the available formats or define a custom format—to save an entire email without page breaks, for instance.
   Outlook for Mac keyboard shortcut: Press Command P to open the printing dialog.
3. Click PDF in the dialog that has appeared.
4. Select Save as PDF from the menu.
5. Enter the file name you want to use for the PDF under Save As:.
   Subject: if you copied the email’s subject line before, press Command V in the field to paste it.
6. Click Save.

Save Email to PDF in New Outlook

To save an email message as a PDF file from new Outlook (on Windows, Mac or Linux):

1. Open the email you want tos ave as a PDF file.
2. Select Print on the ribbon’s Home tab.
   No ribbon: With the email open in its own window, click Print in the message’s toolbar.
   New Outlook for Mac: Select File | Print… from the menu instead.
   
3. Now click Print again to bring up the operating system’s Print dialog.
4. Use the print dialog to save as PDF; see above.

How to Save an Email as a PDF File in Outlook: FAQ

Can I save only the email contents as PDF (not sender, subject, etc.)?

Yes, two methods let you export to PDF just the message contents.

Messages with HTML Formatting

In emails that contain rich HTML formatting, to save only the email content as PDF from Outlook:

1. Open the message you want to save in Outlook.
2. Click If there are problems with how this message is displayed, click here to view it in a web browser.
3. Now click View in Browser.
4. Choose to open the file with Edge.
   Not sure where to find Edge: Edge is typically installed under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application.
5. Print the document to PDF as above.

All Email Messages (Plain Text and Richly Formatted)

Another, somewhat involved method works with all messages.

To remove the header from the message saved to PDF in Outlook:

1. Save the message as a temporary HTML file (or text file for plain text emails) as above.
2. Open the file your favorite text or coding editor.
3. For text files: Delete the lines on top as you see fit
   For HTML files: Look for a section that begins with <div class=WordSection1>; delete the paragraph immediately following that contain From:, Sent:, To: and Subject:.
4. Save the edited file.
5. Continue as above.

(How to save an email as a PDF file tested with Outlook 16 for Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Edge 104; updated January 2024)