Email Conversion Guide

How to Convert Gmail Emails to PDF The free Save as PDF on every device, plus a whole account with the attachments kept

Convert Gmail emails to PDF free on the web and in the phone app, or save a whole account with the attachments kept. Step by step with Save as PDF, Google Takeout and a batch route.

By 📅 Updated: September 12, 2026 ⏲️ 7 min read ✓ Verified against the app makers' published help pages 🖼️ Free steps, shown with screenshots

To save a Gmail email as PDF for free, open the message, click the printer icon at the top right of the email, set the output to Save as PDF and click Save. It works the same in the Gmail app through the Print option on Android and iPhone. That handles one message at a time. To save a whole label or account, export it with Google Takeout and convert the MBOX file it gives you. You can also connect a converter to Gmail over IMAP, which writes one PDF per message with the attachments kept.

Saving a Gmail message as a PDF gives you a copy that opens anywhere, prints cleanly and files next to your other records. Gmail can do it for free, one email at a time, on the web and in the phone app. When you want a label, a year of mail or the whole account, the free route gets slow and drops the attachments, so this guide covers both: the free Save as PDF on every device, and the faster way to save many Gmail emails at once.

Time1 min for one
DifficultyBeginner
CostFree built-in
Runs onWeb, Android, iPhone
I have one Gmail email A single message to save on my computer or phone. Use the free way → I have a label or a whole account Hundreds or thousands of Gmail emails to save as PDF. Save many at once → The PDF must keep attachments A full record, not only the message text. Keep attachments →

Save a Gmail email as PDF on the web

On a computer, Gmail can make the PDF from its own print window, so one message needs no extra software.

  1. Open the message in Gmail.
  2. Click the printer icon at the top right of the open email, above the message, not the browser menu.
  3. In the window that opens, set the output to Save as PDF.
  4. Click Save and choose where the file lands.

The printer icon inside the message opens a clean print view, without the browser's toolbars around it. Two things help on a long conversation. The icon prints the whole thread, so to save one reply on its own, open that message's three-dot menu and use its Print instead. Gmail also hides older replies behind an Expand all control. Open them first, or a collapsed reply can be missing from the PDF.

In Chrome, Edge and Firefox the print dialog calls it Save as PDF; Safari calls it Export as PDF. Either way the steps are the same.

Gmail on the web · Print > Save as PDF

Open the message, click the print icon inside the email, then pick Save as PDF under Destination and Save.

Save a Gmail email as PDF on Android

The Gmail app on a phone or tablet makes the PDF the same way, through Print.

  1. Open the message in the Gmail app.
  2. Tap the three-dot menu at the top of the email, then tap Print.
  3. At the top of the preview, choose Save as PDF as the destination.
  4. Tap the download button and the file lands in your Downloads or a folder you pick.
Gmail app on Android · Print > Save as PDF

In the Gmail app, open the email, tap the three-dot menu then Print. Choose Save as PDF as the destination and tap the download button.

Save a Gmail email as PDF on iPhone

On an iPhone or iPad the Gmail app makes the PDF through AirPrint and the share sheet.

  1. Open the message in the Gmail app.
  2. Tap the three-dot menu, then tap Print.
  3. Pinch outward on the preview to make it full screen.
  4. Tap the share button and pick Save to Files. The message is saved as a PDF.
Gmail app on iPhone · Print > Save to Files

In the Gmail app, open the email, tap the three-dot menu then Print. Make the preview full screen, use the share button and pick Save to Files.

What Gmail's Save as PDF leaves out

The built-in option is ideal for one or two messages. A few gaps show up once you have more than a handful.

On a work or school Google Workspace account, an administrator can switch off printing and downloading. If Save as PDF is greyed out or missing, that setting is the reason. Only the account owner can change it.

For a handful of emails the steps above are plenty. For a label, a client's history or a legal request, the ways below finish the job faster and keep the attachments.

Save many Gmail emails as PDF

Gmail has no button that turns a group of selected emails into PDFs, so there are three practical ways to handle a lot at once.

A browser add-on. Extensions such as Save Emails as PDF sit inside Gmail and export the messages you tick. They are quick for a small run, but most free versions cap how many you can convert and only work in the browser they are installed in.

Google Takeout, then convert. Takeout gives you the whole account as one MBOX file, which a converter turns into PDFs. This is the free path for a full backup and is shown below.

A desktop converter over IMAP. Sign the tool in to Gmail and it reads every label live, then writes one PDF per message with the attachments kept, no export step first. The complete steps for many mailboxes at once are in the batch guide: how to convert multiple emails to PDF →

Univik Email Converter · Connect GmailScreenshot 1 of 2
Swipe sideways to see the whole screen
Univik Email Converter sign-in screen for Gmail, Google Workspace, Office 365, Microsoft 365 and other IMAP accounts

Sign in to Gmail over IMAP and every label loads, ready to turn into PDFs with nothing exported first.

Export a whole Gmail account with Google Takeout

Google Takeout is Google's own export service, and it is the free way to export an entire Gmail account in one download.

  1. Go to Google Takeout and deselect everything, then choose Mail on its own.
  2. Pick all mail or specific labels, then start the export.
  3. Google emails a link when the archive is ready. Download it and unzip it to find an MBOX file.
  4. Open that MBOX in a converter and export it to PDF, one file per message.

Takeout itself does not make PDFs, so the MBOX to PDF step is where the download becomes readable records. The converter link for that file sits at the end of this guide.

Keep Gmail attachments in the PDF

Losing the attachments is the part people notice later, because Gmail's own Save as PDF keeps only the message body. A converter closes that gap in two ways.

It can put each message's files into a folder kept right beside its PDF, so the invoice or photo stays with the email it came on. It can also add the header details, the sender, date and subject, onto the page, which the quick print route often trims off. The result is a complete record rather than the text alone.

Univik Email Converter · PDF optionsScreenshot 2 of 2
Swipe sideways to see the whole screen
Univik Email Converter PDF export options with include properties and save attachments in a folder switched on

Switch on include properties and save attachments so each Gmail message keeps its files and header details.

Save a whole Gmail account as PDF

Univik Email Converter connects to Gmail over IMAP and turns every label into its own PDF files, with the attachments kept and nothing exported first. Try it free on your own inbox.

⬇️ Download Free Trial See All Features →

Free trial converts the first 10 emails per folder. Runs on Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7.

The one thing people miss with Gmail is the thread. Open Expand all before you print, or the older replies will not be in the PDF at all.
Leena Taylor Paul, Univik email team

Which way to save Gmail as PDF?

Pick by how much Gmail you need to save.

MethodBest forAttachmentsHow many
Gmail print, Save as PDF (free)One messageLeft outSingle message
A browser add-onA few tagged emailsSometimesA small set, often capped
Google Takeout, then convertA free full backupKept after convertingWhole account
Univik Email Converter over IMAPA label or account with attachmentsKept in a folderEvery message in one run

Turn an exported Gmail file into PDF

Once Gmail mail lands on your disk as a file, the converter made for that format is the fastest way to PDF:

Turn a Gmail export into PDF
Takeout MBOX
A Google Takeout download arrives as an MBOX file. Feed it to the MBOX to PDF converter.
Saved EML messages
Single messages you dragged out of Gmail. See the EML converter.
Outlook PST or OST
If Gmail already syncs into Outlook. Try the PST converter or the OST tool.
Any mailbox at once
Files and live accounts together. See the Univik Email Converter.

The short version

  • For one email, click Gmail's printer icon then Save as PDF, on the web or in the app.
  • Open Expand all first so a long thread saves in full.
  • Gmail's Save as PDF leaves the attachments behind.
  • For a label or the whole account, use Google Takeout or a converter over IMAP, which keeps the attachments.

Gmail to PDF FAQ

How do I save a Gmail email as PDF for free?
Open the message in Gmail and click the printer icon at the top right of the email, then choose Save as PDF in the window that opens and click Save. It is built into Gmail, so nothing extra is needed for a single message. For a whole label or account, a converter over IMAP or a Google Takeout export handles the volume.
How do I save a Gmail email as PDF on my phone?
In the Gmail app, open the message, tap the three-dot menu and tap Print. On Android, choose Save as PDF as the destination and tap download. On an iPhone, pinch outward on the preview to open it full screen, then tap share and choose Save to Files. Either way the message is saved as a PDF.
How do I save multiple Gmail emails as PDF at once?
Gmail cannot batch selected emails on its own. A browser add-on can export a small set, but most free ones cap the count. For a label or the whole account, export it with Google Takeout and convert the MBOX file it gives you. A converter signed in to Gmail over IMAP can also write one PDF per message in a single run.
Does saving a Gmail email as PDF include the attachments?
No. Gmail's Save as PDF keeps only the message body, so the attached files are left in the email. A converter can keep each message's files in a folder alongside its PDF, or you can download them from the email by hand. Switch on the save attachments choice before converting to hold the whole record together.
How do I save my entire Gmail account as PDF?
Two ways. Google Takeout exports the account as an MBOX file that a converter turns into PDFs, which is free. Or connect a converter to Gmail over IMAP, which reads every label live and writes the PDFs with attachments kept and no export step. Both keep the folder names, so the PDFs match how the account was arranged.
Will the PDF look the same as the Gmail email?
Yes. Fonts, colours, spacing and inline images all carry across, so the PDF matches what you saw in Gmail. A converter can also add the sender, date and subject to the page, details a quick print sometimes trims from a long thread.
Why is my Gmail PDF missing some messages from the thread?
Gmail collapses older replies in a long conversation, and a collapsed message can be left out when you print. Open the thread's Expand all control, or open each reply, before you save as PDF. That puts the whole conversation in the file.
Why is Save as PDF greyed out in my Gmail?
On a Google Workspace account for work or school, the administrator can turn off printing and downloading with a rights or data-loss rule. When that is on, the print and Save as PDF options are blocked. Only the account owner can change the setting.
About This Guide

Written and maintained by and the Univik team, developers of Windows data conversion and recovery software since 2013. The free Gmail steps and the IMAP export here are checked on real Gmail and Google Workspace accounts before publishing. Last verified September 12, 2026. Need a hand? Contact our support team.

Sources checked: Google: print emails in Gmail · Google: download your data with Takeout · Google: read Gmail messages over IMAP

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