Ways to export emails to PDF, compared
Your emails never leave your computer.
Short answer: For one email, Print to PDF is enough. For many emails with their attachments, the choice is between installed desktop converters, eDiscovery platforms that upload your mail, and Emails2PDF, which exports a whole Outlook mailbox or mailbox file in the browser without uploading it.
Side by side
| Method | Many at once | PDF per email | Attachments kept | Index | Install | Where mail is processed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print to PDF (Outlook, Gmail) | No | Yes, one | No | No | No | Your computer |
| Classic Outlook multi-select print | Yes | No, one combined file | No | No | Outlook desktop | Your computer |
| Outlook add-ins and browser extensions | Varies | Varies | Varies | Rarely | Add-in or extension | Varies; some on the vendor's servers |
| Desktop converters (PST/MBOX to PDF) | Yes | Yes | Usually | Some | Windows software | Your computer |
| eDiscovery platforms | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | The vendor's servers (upload) |
| Emails2PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes, original files | Yes, xlsx and csv | No | Your browser; nothing uploaded |
Which to use
- A handful of emails: Print to PDF in Outlook or Gmail.
- A folder or a mailbox, with attachments and an index, without installing anything: Emails2PDF.
- Review, tagging and redaction by a legal team: an eDiscovery platform; expect to upload the mail and pay per gigabyte or per month.
- An offline Windows workflow with many output formats: a desktop converter; one-time licences listed on vendor pages in September 2026 were roughly $39 to $149.
Questions
What is the best way to export many Outlook emails to PDF?
Use a tool that exports a folder as one PDF per email with the attachments kept, such as Emails2PDF (in the browser, nothing to install) or a desktop PST-to-PDF converter (Windows software). Print to PDF only handles one email at a time.
Is there a free way?
Print to PDF is free for single emails. Emails2PDF converts the whole mailbox free and lets you download 5 PDFs per mailbox; the full download needs a paid plan.
Which option keeps my emails private?
Methods that process mail on your own computer: Print to PDF, desktop converters, and Emails2PDF, which converts in the browser and never uploads the mail. eDiscovery platforms and some add-ins process mail on their servers.