How to Save an Email as a PDF in Gmail. Any new browser has made it possible to basically “print” email in a PDF file if you want to save email from Gmail for offline use. Here’s how to do that on both Windows and Mac.
How it works
A PDF printer is included for both Windows and Mac. Both files sent to this virtual printer are translated to PDF format, a lightweight format that retains the document’s formatting. Of course, these files will not be printed on physical paper unless you later decide to print a PDF file from an actual printer.
On Windows, how do you save an email as a PDF?
Because almost all web browsers support printing, you can use Chrome, Edge, or Firefox to print PDFs of your emails. To begin, go to the Gmail website in your preferred browser. Then, if you haven’t already, log in to your Gmail account.
After that, open the email you’d like to export to PDF. Then, in your email window, click the three-dot menu in the right corner and select “Print.”
The option to print in more Gmail menus on Windows
In the “Print” window, click on the drop-down menu next to “Destination” and select “Save as PDF.” Then, if necessary, create other options such as layout and margins.
When you’re ready, click “Save” to start creating your PDF.
Print Windows on Windows
After a brief moment, the Save dialogue window will appear. In this window, enter your PDF name in the “File Name” field, select a folder to save your PDF to, and press “Save.”
Windows Safe File dialog box.
Your email will now be stored in the folder you mentioned as a PDF file. Very easy. You can actually “print” as many emails as you want.
On a Mac, how do I save an email as a PDF?
You can use your browser’s built-in PDF printer to save emails in the Gmail web app as PDF files on your Mac, much like you can on Windows. To do this, open the Gmail site in your favorite web browser and log in to your account.
Pick the email you’d like to file as a PDF next. Then, in the email window, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner and select “Print.”
Tip: If a popup blocker message appears after clicking “Print” in Firefox, go to “Preferences” at the top of the Gmail window and pick “Allow mail to popup for Google.com.” Then hit “Print” once more.
Print option in more Gmail menus on Mac
Select “Save as PDF” from the “Destination” drop-down menu in the print browser. Adjust other settings if you wish. Then click “Save.”
Standard print window on Mac
If you’re using Safari, click the “PDF” drop-down menu at the bottom of the print window and select “Save as PDF.”
Select Save as PDF from Safari’s Print dialog box.
In the box that appears, enter the file’s name for your PDF in the box above. Then, select a folder to save your PDF and click “Save.” (The saved window in Safari looks a little different than shown below, but the options in the window are the same.)
Save window on Mac
And that’s it! The PDF you saved will appear in the space you specified. Repeat this process until you want to print another email in PDF format.
