Users convert Outlook emails to PDF for practical reasons: PDFs are ideal for long-term archiving because they remain readable for decades, unlike exporting PST or OST files.
They also meet legal and compliance requirements because they’re non-editable and preserve metadata, making them suitable for audits and legal evidence.
Additionally, PDFs offer universal compatibility, opening on any device, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android, without needing Outlook.
What You’ll See In this Article:
- How to Convert Outlook Mail Into PDF?
- How to Save Outlook Email as PDF Automatically?
Converting an Outlook email to PDF preserves essential details like the subject, sender, timestamps, and To/CC/BCC headers.
It also retains the original layout, including inline images, logos, HTML formatting, tables, links, and signatures. Attachments can either be embedded in the PDF or saved separately.
4 Best Ways to Convert Outlook Email to PDF (With Attachments & Bulk Export)
Below are the various methods to export Outlook emails. Choose a solution that fits your requirements:
Method 1: How can I print an Outlook email to PDF for free? (Built-in, Free, Works in All Outlook Versions)
This is the fastest, free, and universally available method in all Outlook versions, ideal for single emails and quick conversions. It doesn’t embed attachments, but you can save them separately.
Limitation: This method does not handle attachments and is not suitable for bulk conversion
- Open the email you want to convert in Outlook.
- Go to File > Print.
- Select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer.
- Choose Memo Style (important: this keeps headers).
- Click Print.
- Select a location and name your PDF.
How do I select multiple emails in Outlook and save them as a PDF?
Outlook can’t directly save multiple emails as PDF, but you can select several emails > Print > choose Microsoft Print to PDF to create one combined PDF, or use a PDF add-in to export them as individual PDFs.
Method 2: Adobe Acrobat PDFMaker ( For Batch and Attachments)
The Adobe Acrobat Outlook add-in is a reliable option for bulk conversions, embedding attachments, and using OCR. It delivers pixel-perfect formatting and preserves key header metadata (To/From/Date).
For attachments, it lets you either embed them directly or append them to the PDF.
- Install Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
- Restart Outlook, and you will see a new Adobe PDF tab.
- Click Create PDF or Selected Emails.
- In the settings panel, enable:
- Attach Attachments Inside PDF
- Convert Attachments to PDF (if supported)
- Combine Multiple Emails Into One PDF (optional)
- Choose your destination folder and run the export.
Method 3: Outlook Web App (OWA) – Browser to PDF
This method uses the print functionality available in your web browser (like Chrome, Edge, or Safari) when viewing Outlook via a web app (OWA).
You need no software installation and universal compatibility across Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks, making it fast for one-off exports and cannot embed attachments, and does not support embedding attachments in PDFs.
- Log in to Outlook on the web.
- Open the email.
- Click Print > your browser’s print dialog appears.
- Choose Save as PDF.
- Download attachments separately if needed.
Method 4: Convert MSG to PDF (When You’ve Saved Emails Already)
MSG files preserve complete Outlook email formatting, making them ideal for reliable PDF conversion.
- Drag and drop your emails from Outlook to a folder. (Outlook saves them as .msg).
- Use any MSG-to-PDF converter(Zamzar and Coolutils).
- Choose attachment handling mode.
- Export all MSG files at once.
BONUS: How to Save Outlook Email as PDF Automatically?
You can’t automatically save Outlook emails as PDFs directly within Outlook. Here’s a workaround that you can do:
Using Outlook and Power Automate
You can set a flow that converts every incoming email (or specific emails) into a PDF and saves it to OneDrive, SharePoint, or a local folder.
Step 1: Go to https://make.powerautomate(.)com
Step 2: Click Create > Automated cloud flow
Step 3:Trigger: When a new email arrives (V3)
Step 4: Add condition (optional):
- From a specific sender
- Emails with attachments
- Emails with keywords
Step 5: Add action: Convert email to PDF
- If the direct action isn’t visible, use Export Email > “File content”.
Step 6: Add action: Create file
- Choose OneDrive/SharePoint folder
- File name: (filename).pdf
Conclusion:
Converting your Outlook emails to PDF is a critical step for long-term archiving and ensuring legal compliance. As we’ve detailed, there isn’t a single universal solution; the best method is the one that directly addresses your specific needs. By matching your task to the right method in this guide, you can quickly save Outlook emails as PDF files.
