Outlook doesn’t have a one-click “Save as PDF” button. Every version — new Outlook desktop, Outlook on the web, classic Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and mobile — routes PDF creation through the print dialog. The exact clicks differ by version, and a few quirks around attachments and inline images are worth knowing before you archive that tax receipt or email a legal record.

Here’s how to save an email as PDF in every version of Outlook, plus how to batch multiple messages and keep attachments intact.

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1. New Outlook Desktop & Outlook on the Web

The new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web share the same print workflow. Both rely on your browser or the Windows system print dialog to generate the PDF.

Save a single email as PDF

1. Open the email you want to save (double-click it, or use the reading pane).
2. Click the three-dot menu (More actions) at the top right of the message.
3. Select Print. A print preview opens in a new tab or window.
4. In the preview, click Print again.
5. In the print dialog, change the Destination (Chrome, Edge) or Printer (Windows) to:
   • Save as PDF — if you’re in Chrome, Edge, or using Outlook on the web in most browsers.
   • Microsoft Print to PDF — if you’re in the new Outlook desktop app on Windows.
6. Adjust layout, margins, and whether to include headers/footers.
7. Click Save (or Print for Microsoft Print to PDF).
8. Name the file, choose a folder, and click Save.

What gets included

• The email body, subject, sender, recipients, and date header are included.
• Inline images render in the PDF if they’ve loaded in the preview.
• Attachments are not included — you’ll need to save them separately (right-click the attachment > Save As).

Tip: If inline images are missing, make sure Download external images is enabled in the message before printing. Outlook blocks remote images by default for privacy.

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2. Classic Outlook for Windows

Classic Outlook has the most direct path to PDF because it uses the native Windows print subsystem.

Save a single email as PDF

1. In classic Outlook, select the email in your inbox or open it in its own window.
2. Go to File > Print.
3. Under Printer, choose Microsoft Print to PDF from the dropdown.
4. Under Settings, choose Memo Style (prints the email body) or Table Style (prints the inbox list as a table).
5. Click Print Options if you need to tweak margins, fonts, or include attachments in the print job.
6. Click Print.
7. In the Save Print Output As dialog, name the file, pick a folder, and click Save.

Include attachments in the print

In Print Options, check the box labeled Print attached files. Each attachment will be printed to the default printer only. The catch: this sends attachments to your default printer, not to the PDF writer, so it doesn’t actually bundle them into the PDF. To get attachments into a single PDF, you’d need a tool like Adobe Acrobat, pdfFactory, or Foxit, which hook into the print pipeline differently than Microsoft Print to PDF.

Alternative: Save As HTML, then convert

1. Open the email.
2. Go to File > Save As.
3. In Save as type, choose HTML or MHT files.
4. Open the saved file in a browser and print to PDF from there.

This preserves formatting better than the print method in some cases, particularly for emails with complex layouts.

Alternative: Save As .msg, then convert

You can also save the email as a .msg file (File > Save As > Outlook Message Format), then use a third-party converter to turn it into a PDF. This is useful if you need to keep the native Outlook metadata alongside a PDF copy.

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3. Outlook for Mac

Outlook for Mac uses the macOS print dialog, which has a built-in Save as PDF option — no extra printer driver needed.

Save a single email as PDF

1. Open the email you want to save.
2. Press Cmd+P or go to File > Print.
3. In the print dialog, click the PDF dropdown in the lower-left corner.
4. Select Save as PDF.
5. Enter a file name, choose a location, optionally add tags, title, author, or subject metadata.
6. Click Save.

You can also choose Open PDF in Preview from the same dropdown to review the file before saving, then export from Preview.

What gets included

• Email body, headers, and inline images render faithfully.
• Attachments are listed by name in the header but not embedded in the PDF.

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4. Outlook Mobile (iOS and Android)

Both mobile apps support printing, which is how you generate a PDF on a phone or tablet.

iOS

1. Open the email in the Outlook app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu at the top right.
3. Tap Print. The Printer Options screen opens.
4. Pinch out (zoom gesture) on the preview thumbnail to open it as a full-screen PDF.
5. Tap the Share button in the upper right.
6. Choose Save to Files, Mail, or any app that accepts PDFs.
7. Pick a location and tap Save.

Android

1. Open the email in the Outlook app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu at the top right.
3. Tap Print Conversation.
4. At the top of the print screen, change the printer to Save as PDF.
5. Tap the PDF (download) button.
6. Choose a folder and tap Save.

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5. Save Multiple Emails as a Single PDF

This is where methods diverge sharply by platform.

Classic Outlook for Windows

1. In your inbox, Ctrl+click to select individual emails or Shift+click to select a range.
2. Go to File > Print.
3. Under Printer, choose Microsoft Print to PDF.
4. Under Settings, choose Memo Style — this prints each selected email’s body in sequence.
5. Click Print Options if you want to include attached files or tweak formatting.
6. Click Print.
7. Name the combined PDF and click Save.

All selected emails are bundled into a single PDF, one after another.

New Outlook, Web, and Mac

These versions don’t support multi-select printing into a single file. Two workarounds:

• Export each email separately, then merge with:
  • Preview on Mac (open all PDFs, drag thumbnails into one window, export as PDF).
  • Edge or Chrome (use an online merger or an extension like Smallpdf).
  • Adobe Acrobat or PDF-XChange if you have them installed.
• Export the mailbox to a PST file (File > Open & Export > Import/Export in classic Outlook), then use a dedicated tool like Aid4Mail or SysTools to convert the PST into PDFs in bulk.

Outlook Mobile

Mobile apps don’t support multi-email PDF export. Do it on desktop or the web.

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Preserve Attachments and Inline Images

The print-to-PDF method has real limits. Here’s what to watch for:

• Attachments are not embedded. The print dialog will list attachment filenames in the email header but won’t include the actual files. Save attachments separately (right-click > Save As in desktop, or tap and download in mobile), then package them with the PDF in a ZIP if you need everything in one bundle.
• Inline images need to load first. Outlook blocks remote content by default. Click the Download pictures banner at the top of the message before printing, or enable Always download external images in Trust Center settings (classic Outlook) or Settings > Mail > Junk email (new Outlook).
• Encrypted or rights-protected emails (IRM, S/MIME) may block printing entirely. You’ll need to be the owner of the message or have print permissions granted by the sender.
• Long emails can break awkwardly across pages. Adjust margins or choose Shrink to fit in the print dialog if rows or signatures get cut off.
• Third-party tools preserve more. Adobe Acrobat’s Outlook add-in, MessageExport, and pdfFactory can embed attachments directly into the generated PDF as file annotations — useful for legal discovery or archiving.

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Quick Reference

Method	Preserves attachments?	Multi-email support?	Available in
New Outlook / Web — Print to PDF	No (save separately)	No	New Outlook, Outlook on the web
Classic Outlook — Microsoft Print to PDF	Partial (prints to default printer only)	Yes (Memo Style)	Classic Outlook for Windows
Classic Outlook — Save As HTML	No	No	Classic Outlook for Windows
Classic Outlook — Save As .msg + converter	Yes (with right converter)	Depends on tool	Classic Outlook for Windows
Outlook for Mac — Save as PDF	No (save separately)	No	Outlook for Mac
Outlook Mobile — Print to PDF	No	No	iOS, Android
Adobe Acrobat add-in	Yes (embedded)	Yes	Classic Outlook for Windows

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Which Method Should You Use?

• One email, fastest path? Use your version’s native print dialog — Save as PDF (Mac/browser) or Microsoft Print to PDF (Windows).
• Multiple emails into one file? Use classic Outlook for Windows with Memo Style. Everything else requires a merge step.
• Legal or compliance archiving? Use a third-party tool (Adobe Acrobat, MessageExport) that embeds attachments directly and preserves original metadata.
• Best formatting fidelity for a complex email? Save as HTML first, then print to PDF from a browser.
• On mobile? Expect a single-email export only; do bulk work on a desktop.

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Automate the Emails You Send

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More on Outlook: How to export emails from Outlook · How to archive emails in Outlook · How to recover deleted emails in Outlook · How to create folders in Outlook · How to schedule an email in Outlook · How to create an email template in Outlook · How to add a signature in Outlook

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