How to Change EML Files to PDF Format Easily

Learn how to change and convert EML emails into PDF format

Nov 03, 2025 - Charlotte Miller

EML is a file that stores a one email message in a single file in plain text or HTML format containing email data, metadata, structure, and attachments. Apple Mail, Outlook, and Thunderbird are the email clients that are supported by it and share or store emails outside of the mailbox. But users frequently face many challenges working with EML files as missing images, inconsistent rendering, and broken layout across email clients due to limited compatibility, difficulty accessing attachments, and unreadable formatting in text editors. And the basic problem is that accessing and managing EML files becomes very time-consuming which delays the work process. Unlike it PDF files offers a swift workflow for presenting, saving, and securely exchanging information as it’s a universal file type that ensures the document’s layout, images, and text across all devices, easier to view, transfer, and print without any extra app. So if you are suffering from all these issues with EML files and want to move to PDF format? Searching for easy ways to change EML files to PDF format? Then this blog is for you. In this article, I’ll mention why and how you can move from EML to PDF, what the procedures are, and the difference between them. So let’s start with the advantages of converting an EML file to a PDF file.

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Benefits of Changing EML Files to PDF Format?

Here are the benefits of converting EML files to PDFs.

Enhanced Storage and Sharing: If you want to move and archive loads of emails in an organized way it’s better to store them in PDF files because thye are compact easy to search, store, or print, and ideal for long term documentation instead of separate EML files that must be opened one by one.


Maintain Structure and Content: EML files are good, but sometimes they are unable to preserve the formatting and display broken images, so if you email a signature and a logo PDF is more capable of giving clean and professional look, as a PDF files ensures to email layout, fonts, colors, embedded images, and attachments, as they were in the inbox.


Better Protection: Sometimes it’s necessary to store user’s emails safe and encrypted. With the help of PDFs you can set a password and restrict copying, printing, or editing of your documents. But it might not be possible with EML formats because they offer minimal security and crucial data can be shared carelessly.


Platform-Independent Access: for convenience, to share and read emails without needing a specific app, you can send an email in a PDF format, as they can be accessed instantly on any device, and even on a web browser, unlike EML files need a specific email client like Apple Mail, Thunderbird, or Outlook for access.

There the advantages to changing EML files to PDF Format to make your work organized, portable, and efficient without any trouble. Now, let’s discuss the procedure to save an EML file to a PDF file and see which one can be the ideal one for the conversion.


Manually Convert EML to PDF

In this part, I’ll explain two manual methods to you, with their steps included. Manual methods are something that you need to handle individually and require support from different email clients and applications, which makes this method unreliable. The best thing is that it’s available everywhere without any charges and anyone can access it but it requires technical expertise to run these procedures. A crucial point that I would like to remind you of is that these methods are time-consuming and prone to risk. There are changes that one minor mistake and you will lose all your important emails.


Method 1. With Mozilla Thunderbird

Before running this process, ensure that Thunderbird is set up, the PDF printer is installed, and EML files are accessible to avoid errors and missing elements.

• Drag and drop the EML file into Thunderbird or import by File>open saved message.

• Analyze whether the formatting, images, and attachments are displayed correctly in the EML files.

• To print the PDF, click File> Print> print to File, choose PDF as output format.

• Select the output folder location and name the file, and save.

• Lastly, examine the PDF file to ensure all the data appears correctly.


Method2. Using Microsoft Outlook

Preinstalled Microsoft Outlook is a must; make sure the EML file is healthy, and the built-in Microsoft print the PDF feature is available only then can you make this process happen.

• Double click the EML file and open it in Outlook.

• Ensures that email formatting, images, and attachments are displayed correctly.

• Print the PDF by clicking File>Print, selecting Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer.

• Set page scaling, orientation, and layout if you want.

• Tap Print, choose a destination folder, and file name, and save it as a PDF.

• Confirm the PDF structure, attachments, and images by accessing the output file.


Drawbacks

Let’s discuss some limitation of manual methods that makes it not so user-friendly.

• Manual method can be time-consuming and slow as the process totally depends on the size of the EML file if the file is heavy it can take hours or days to complete.

• If you want to convert hundreds of EML files you need to handle each file one by one manually which makes the process exhausting, repetitive, and prone to data loss.

• There is a potential for data missing as if the attachments are not backed up before the conversion process there are high chances that you will lose the links, and attachments of the original file.

• If print settings are different manual conversion can result in missing images, inconsistent formatting, or improperly rendered tables and give inconsistent results.

• These methods depend on particular software like Outlook, Thunderbird, and a PDF printer without this software you can’t perform the conversion.

• To run these processes one must have technical knowledge or consult a tech expert as without it you can’t complete them which makes them unreliable.


Change EML Files to PDF Format Automatically

Instead of doing everything manually to ease and speed up the conversion process, you can use the automatic EML to PDF converter method. This method smartly moves bulk and batch of EML files to PDF format all at once while preserving all the structure, metadata, properties, and attachments without losing data integrity. As it saves EML as PDF safely and securely that’s why even experts recommend this method for everyone. For the EML to PDF conversion process the DataVare EML to PDF Converter Tool is ideal for every user as it’s a smart tool with modern, intuitive, and self-explanatory steps which makes it beginner-friendly giving users the flexibility to move fresh and old EML files without any hassle.


Step-By-Step Guide

You just need to follow some simple steps, without any extra software installation, as it’s an independent tool, and save all heavy EML files to PDF all in one go.

Step1. Download the EML to PDF converter tool from the official website.

Step2. Launch the app on your system.

Step3. Select between file and folder mode, and click on Browse.

Step4. Select the EML file that you want to transfer.

Step5. Now select the resultant file's desired path and Browse. 

Step6. Tap on Save Attachments and Convert Now.

You can move batch EML to PDF with the help of this tool in just one go, with a few clicks.


Final Words

In this essay, I have explained what EML and PDF formats are, what the benefits of saving EML to PDF formats are, and three methods by which you can transfer your EML files to PDF seamlessly. The first two methods are manual, which you need to perform manually and one file at a time, which makes the process time-consuming and prone to risk. On the other hand third one is an automatic method that intelligently change EML files to PDF accurately and preserves all the email data integrity and attachments efficiently. All methods are worthy, but a manual is prone to risk, and minor mistakes can lead to loss of entire important data, which makes it unsafe to use and is not preferred by the experts. For better understanding, you can try the free version of the automatic tool, examine the features, and then later on invest in the license version, which is valid for a lifetime and comes with option updates.

 

FAQs

Q1. Is internet connectivity required? 

For the manual method you need to have an internet connection but the automatic tool can run offline.


Q2. Can I export hundreds of EML files at once with any of the manual methods?

With manual methods you can’t export a bulk or batch of files at once you need to do it one by one as it doesn’t support bulk conversion.


Q3. Do I need to install any third-party apps for the conversion process?

The automatic tool is a totally standalone utility but for manual methods you need to install email clients and the PDF Printer.


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