How to Convert Outlook MSG Files and Emails to PDF
Saving emails as PDF is a common need across many professional and legal contexts. Lawyers need to preserve email evidence, accountants need to archive financial communications, HR teams need to retain hiring correspondence, and project managers need to document email-based approvals. PDF is the format of choice for email archiving because it preserves formatting and is universally viewable without an email client. Microsoft Outlook stores emails in MSG format (individual emails) or PST format (mailbox archives). Converting MSG files to PDF is straightforward when you have Outlook installed, but requires third-party tools if you don't. Converting emails to PDF without losing formatting, attachments, or inline images requires attention to a few key steps. This guide covers converting Outlook emails to PDF using Outlook's built-in features, printing to PDF, third-party tools for batch conversion, and methods for users without Outlook installed. You'll also learn how to handle embedded attachments and email threads.
Method 1: Save Outlook Email as PDF Directly
Outlook 2013 and later includes a built-in option to save emails as PDF files. This is the simplest method and produces the most accurate output. The process is slightly different depending on your Outlook version and whether you're using the classic desktop app or the new Outlook. In classic Outlook (2013–2021 and Microsoft 365): Open the email, go to File > Print, select 'Microsoft Print to PDF' as the printer, adjust settings if needed, and click Print. A Save dialog will appear asking where to save the PDF. In new Outlook (2024+): The interface has changed. Look for File > Print or use Ctrl+P, then select Microsoft Print to PDF. Alternatively, with an email open, go to File > Save As. In the Save As dialog, change the file type to HTML. Open the saved HTML file in any browser, then print to PDF from the browser using Ctrl+P and selecting Microsoft Print to PDF. This method often preserves formatting better than printing directly from Outlook. For saving a selection of emails at once, Outlook doesn't support multi-select PDF export natively. You'd need to repeat the process for each email or use a third-party tool for batch work.
- 1Open the email in Outlook by double-clicking it to open in its own window.
- 2Press Ctrl+P to open the Print dialog, or go to File > Print.
- 3In the Printer dropdown, select 'Microsoft Print to PDF'.
- 4Click 'Print Settings' or 'Preferences' to adjust page size, orientation, and margins if needed.
- 5Click Print — a Save As dialog will appear.
- 6Choose your destination folder, enter a descriptive filename (e.g., 'Email_from_John_Smith_2026-03-15.pdf'), and click Save.
Method 2: Convert MSG Files Without Outlook
If you have MSG files but don't have Outlook installed, you'll need a third-party tool to open and convert them. **MSG Viewer Pro** (Windows): A standalone MSG file viewer that can open, preview, and export MSG files to PDF. Paid software but there's a free viewer version. **Thunderbird with ImportExportTools NG**: Mozilla Thunderbird (free email client) can import MSG files with the ImportExportTools NG add-on. After importing, you can export emails to PDF via File > Print > Microsoft Print to PDF. **Online MSG converters**: Several online tools accept MSG files and convert them to PDF. Aspose provides a free online MSG to PDF converter. Upload the MSG file and download the PDF. Caution: uploading confidential emails to third-party services carries privacy risks. **LibreOffice**: Some versions can open MSG files directly or through extensions. Quality varies. **Python with extract-msg library**: For developers or IT teams handling large batches: ```python import extract_msg msg = extract_msg.Message('email.msg') html = msg.htmlBody # Get HTML content # Then convert HTML to PDF using a tool like weasyprint ``` This programmatic approach is ideal for automating bulk MSG-to-PDF conversion in document management workflows.
- 1Download and install Mozilla Thunderbird (free) from thunderbird.net.
- 2Open Thunderbird and install the ImportExportTools NG add-on from Tools > Add-ons Manager.
- 3Go to File > ImportExportTools > Import MSG Files and select your MSG file(s).
- 4Once imported, open the email in Thunderbird.
- 5Press Ctrl+P to print, select Microsoft Print to PDF (Windows) or Save as PDF (Mac).
- 6Save the resulting PDF to your chosen location.
Method 3: Convert Email Threads to PDF
A single email is straightforward to convert, but email threads — conversations with multiple replies — require some additional thought. You may want all emails in a thread in one PDF, or you may need to extract just specific messages. **Print the entire thread in Outlook**: In Outlook's email list view, select a conversation thread. Open it, and in the Reading Pane or opened window, use File > Print. Outlook will print all messages in the thread. Select Microsoft Print to PDF to save as a PDF. The result is a multi-page PDF with all messages in the thread, most recent first or last depending on your thread view settings. **Save as HTML first, then PDF**: Outlook allows saving entire conversations as HTML. With the conversation selected, File > Save As > choose HTML format. The saved HTML file contains the full thread. Open it in a browser and use LazyPDF's HTML to PDF tool or print to PDF from the browser to convert it. **For legal or compliance purposes**: When preserving email threads as evidence, include full email headers (From, To, CC, BCC, Date, Subject) in the PDF. In Outlook, before printing, check whether you can view and include headers. Some legal matters require printing the raw email headers separately, which can be accessed via File > Properties in the open email.
- 1In Outlook, select the email conversation in the message list.
- 2Open the email thread by clicking it.
- 3From the open email window, choose File > Save As and select HTML format.
- 4Open the saved HTML file in your web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox).
- 5Press Ctrl+P to print from the browser, select Microsoft Print to PDF.
- 6Save — the resulting PDF contains the full email thread with proper formatting.
Batch Convert Emails to PDF
For compliance, legal discovery, or archiving projects, you may need to convert hundreds or thousands of emails to PDF. Manual conversion one by one isn't practical at that scale. **Outlook Rules with Print Actions**: Outlook rules can automatically print emails that match criteria. Configure a rule to print incoming emails from specific senders or with specific subjects to Microsoft Print to PDF. This automates future emails but doesn't help with existing archives. **Microsoft 365 Compliance Export**: For enterprise email archiving, Microsoft 365 includes compliance tools (Purview) that can export email archives to PST or as individual MSG files. From there, third-party tools handle the PDF conversion. **Commercial batch converters**: Software like 'Stellar Converter for MSG', 'Aid4Mail', or 'Nuix' are designed for exactly this use case — batch email-to-PDF conversion for legal and compliance purposes. These paid tools handle MSG, EML, and PST archives, converting thousands of emails to PDF with proper threading and attachment handling. **Python automation**: The `extract-msg` library plus `weasyprint` or `pdfkit` (Python PDF generators) can be combined in a script to batch-process a folder of MSG files: `for file in *.msg: convert_to_pdf(file)` For IT professionals managing email archiving projects, the Python automation approach offers the most flexibility for custom metadata handling, folder structure preservation, and integration with document management systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I include email attachments in the PDF?
When you print an email to PDF, attachments are generally not included — only the email body and inline images are captured. To include attachments, you have two options: first, save attachments separately and then merge them with the email PDF using LazyPDF's merge tool. Second, use a tool like 'PrintFriendly' browser extension or a commercial email archiving tool that can include attachment previews in the PDF output.
Why do images in my email not appear in the PDF?
Blocked images are the most common cause. Outlook blocks external images in emails by default for privacy and security. Before printing to PDF, click 'Enable downloading of external content' or 'Click here to download pictures' in the Outlook notification bar at the top of the email. After images load, then print to PDF. Also check that your printer settings in the print dialog aren't set to 'Black and white only'.
Can I add a Bates number or timestamp to email PDFs for legal use?
Bates numbering is a sequential numbering system used in legal document production. After converting emails to PDF, tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro or free alternatives like PDF24 can add Bates numbers to the resulting PDFs. Timestamps (showing when the PDF was created or the date the email was received) can be added as custom text in the header or footer during the print/export process, or added afterward using a PDF editor.
What's the difference between MSG and EML file formats?
MSG is Microsoft's proprietary email format used by Outlook. EML is a standard email format used by many clients including Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and others. EML files are text-based and easier to work with programmatically. Most Outlook email archiving and export tools can work with both formats. If you're exporting emails for long-term archiving or cross-platform use, EML is more universally supported than MSG.