How to save an email as a PDF on a Mac
Keep an email as a PDF on a Mac from Apple Mail, Outlook or Gmail in a browser, with the date and sender showing, and keep its attachments with it.
The problem
An order confirmation, an agreement or a complaint is sitting in your inbox, and you want a copy that will still be there, with the sender and date showing, if the account or the thread ever goes.
How do I save an email as a PDF in Apple Mail?
Open the email and choose File > Export as PDF. The PDF shows the header, with the sender, recipients, subject and date, and the message below it. The command is in Mail's File menu on current macOS.
How do I save an email as a PDF in Outlook for Mac?
Open the email, choose File > Print, then open the PDF menu at the bottom left of the print window and choose Save as PDF.
How do I save a Gmail or web Outlook email as a PDF?
Open the email and click its print icon, which opens a clean version without the inbox around it. In the print window, set the destination to Save as PDF.
Does saving an email as a PDF include the attachments?
No. The PDF holds the message only. Save each attachment separately, by dragging it out of the email, then merge the email PDF and the attachments into one file. See combine email attachments into one PDF.
Our take
Export the whole thread, not just the last reply. A dispute usually turns on who said what first, and the last message quotes the earlier ones only as far as the sender chose to keep them. Save each message that matters, oldest first, and merge them.
Keeping it as one file
Merging is free in Simply PDF: the email PDF and its attachments become one file, with a bookmark for each.
Questions
How do I save an email as a PDF in Apple Mail?
Open the email and choose File > Export as PDF.
Does saving an email as PDF include attachments?
No. Save the attachments separately, then merge them with the email PDF if you want one file.