How to save an email as a PDF
Converting an email into a PDF means you can save your important communications for off-line use and future reference if needed. It’s a useful skill to know - and can save you scouring through a packed inbox at a later date. Whether you want to save an Outlook email down as a PDF or you’re a Gmail user, the process of converting or saving an email as a PDF is very similar.
Discover how to save an email as a PDF by reading our handy guide.
Quick List: Saving an email as a PDF
You can turn an email into a PDF following these steps:
- Open your email. Pick out the email you want to convert to a PDF document.
- Start the conversion. Head to Home > Print.
- Select Print to PDF. In the Print menu, choose the Save as PDF option.
- Choose the destination. Choose where you want to save your new PDF file.
It’s worth noting that the Home menu may be slightly different depending on your preferred email client. However, most software options follow similar step-by-step processes for saving an email as a PDF.
In Detail: How to save an email as a PDF step by step
Follow our step by step guide to convert email into PDFs on your device. For this example, we’ll be using the popular Gmail platform, part of Google Workspace. However, other email clients such as Outlook include similar menu options.
1. Open your email inbox and head to the display that contains the email you want to convert.
2. Open the email that you want to convert to PDF by hovering over it with your cursor and left clicking.
Alternatively, in other clients, you can highlight the email and then head to Home > Print.
3. The email will open.
4. Click the Print icon. If there is no Print icon on your screen, click the three dots to bring up the expanded Options menu and then click print.
6. In the Destination drop-down menu, select the save an email as PDF option from the options.
Alternatively, in other email clients, navigate from the Print menu by selecting Save as PDF.
7. After choosing the Save as PDF option, click the Save button in the bottom right corner and choose a desired save destination.
Alternatively, in other email clients, choose your desired save location. You can also rename your email here.
8. Click the save option, ensuring your Save as Type choice is Adobe Acrobat Document (*pdf).
9. You can open your new PDF by double-clicking the file extension in your chosen save destination. The document should look like this:
Benefits of converting an email to PDF.
There are various benefits when you save an email as a PDF. Some of these include:
- Organisation.
Saving emails as PDFs allows for easier access and recall at a later date. Important work or private emails can be stored in a specially labelled folder for convenient access. This means you won’t be frantically searching through hundreds of emails to find important information when you need it. - Editing.
You can edit emails that you’ve converted in programmes like Adobe Acrobat after saving the email as a PDF. Add comments, combine multiple emails or annotate email chains online with Adobe’s PDF editor. - Off-line access.
Converting emails to PDFs and saving them on your hard-drive allows for off-line access. At times when an Internet connection is shaky or inaccessible, you can recall important emails whenever and wherever you need. For example, you can simply email yourself a new PDF format of a boarding pass and download it to your mobile device. - Security.
If you want to back-up important details or communications safely, PDFs can provide a secure format to do so. You can password protect your PDFs to ensure that only you or trusted individuals can access them. It's important to consider the privacy and security of your email content when converting emails to PDFs, especially if they contain sensitive information.
Edit your PDFs, merge them, add extra pages and more with Adobe’s range of online tools.
FAQs
Still have a couple of questions about converting emails as PDFs? Read on for extra hints and tips.
Why would I want to save an email as a PDF?
Converting an email to a PDF can be useful for several reasons. For example, you may want to back-up important communications for archiving purposes or to share them with others who may not have access to the same email client. PDFs are also a popular format for printing or storing emails as they preserve the formatting, attachments and other elements of the original email.
Can I convert emails to PDF in any email client?
You can convert emails to the PDF format in most email clients. Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail often have built-in options to save emails as PDFs. Additionally, there are online email-to-PDF conversion tools that can convert emails from various email clients to PDFs.
Are there any limitations or considerations when turning emails to PDFs?
While converting emails to PDFs is generally straightforward, some email clients or conversion tools may not support certain formats or accurately convert complex email elements such as embedded images. Try to use Adobe’s official tools and software for the best results.
Related Content.
There are so many other useful conversion options when working with PDFs and helpful ways you can enhance or utilise them once you do so.
Read these guides to learn more: