How to Save an Email as PDF in Gmail

Save Gmail Email as PDF

Do you need to share an email or want a pretty record of it? Find out here how to save an email as a PDF file in Gmail. You can easily export individual messages to PDF or even entire conversations.

First, a Name Like a Letter from Europe

proved an auspicious beginning. What but sun-kissed hair draped across a pale blue Citrœn 2 CV‘s backseat bench can you expect from something called “Interchange PostScript”?

Part of John Warnock‘s project to establish a single format for visual documents across computer’s operating systems and networking standards, Interchange PostScript went on to become just that—as PDF.

So, how about sending an Interchange PostScript from Gmail to, well anywhere—say, the South of France?

How to Save an Email as PDF in Gmail

Looking to export emails from Gmail? You can also download Gmail emails in bulk as MBOX files.

Windows

Time needed: 5 minutes

To download a copy of an email message or conversation as a PDF file in Gmail using Windows:

  1. Open the message or conversation you want to save as PDF in Gmail.

  2. Expand the email you want to save.

    In a conversation: Click a compressed message in a conversation to expand it.

  3. Click the More three dots button next to the Reply button in the message’s header area.

  4. Select Print from the menu that has appeared.

    Saving Gmail conversations as PDF: To download an entire conversation, click Print all (Gmail Print all) in the conversation’s header area instead.
    Pop-up blocking: Gmail opens the PDF and print view in a pop-up window; do enable popups from mail.google.com, at least temporarily in your browser.
    Select "Print" for the message you want to save in Gmail

  5. Select Microsoft Print to PDF as the print destination in the printing dialog that has appeared.

    Printing keyboard shortcut: If you do not see the printing dialog, hit Ctrl P in the browser.
    No MS Print to PDF: You can add the Microsoft Print to PDF printer to Windows or save to PDF in Microsoft Edge.

  6. Click Print.

    Save Gmail email as PDF using the print dialog

macOS

To save a message or conversation as PDF from Gmail using a Mac:

  1. Open the Gmail conversation or email you want to save as PDF in your favored browser.
  2. If the message you want to save to PDF is not fully visible, click its header in the conversation.
  3. Click the three dots More button next to Reply for the email you want to save.
  4. Select Print from the menu.
    Saving threads: To download a complete thread in a single PDF file, click Print all (Gmail Print all) in the conversation’s header area instead.
  5. With the printing sheet visible, click the arrow next to PDF (or PDF itself if there is no arrow).
    Mac printing shortcut: If you do not see the printing sheet, press Command P.
  6. Select Save as PDF… from the menu that has appeared.
  7. Pick a folder for the saved PDF and change the file name from the conversation subject if desired.
  8. Click Save.

Linux

To save an email from Gmail as a PDF file using Linux:

  1. Open the message you want to print to PDF in Gmail.
  2. Make sure the message you want to save as PDF is expanded; click its header area if it is not.
  3. Click the More three dots button next to the individual message’s Reply button.
  4. Select Print from the menu that has shown.
    Save an email conversation as PDF: You can also save a complete conversation to one PDF file; click Print all (Gmail Print all) in the conversation’s header area to do so instead of a single email’s Print menu item.
  5. Make sure Print to File or Print to PDF is selected as the destination printer in the browser’s printing dialog.
    Keyboard shortcut: If you do not see the printing sheet, press Ctrl P.
  6. Optionally, pick a folder and file name different from the default.
  7. Click Save.

How to Save a Gmail Email as a PDF: FAQ

Can I save Gmail emails as PDF files in bulk?

While Gmail will not let you download your emails in PDF format en masse, you can do this:

  1. Download emails in MBOX format from Gmail.
  2. Convert the MBOX files to PDF using an online tool or software on your computer.
    Via an email program: You can also import the MBOX files into an email program and convert further from there.

(How to save a Gmail email as a PDF tested on Windows 11, Windows 10, macOS Sonoma 14.2, Ventura 13.3 and Monterey 12.3, and Linux 4.15; updated December 2023)

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