Need to save an Outlook email as a PDF for your records, a legal matter, or to share with someone outside your organization? Here is how to do it on Outlook desktop, Outlook web, and Outlook mobile — plus a faster method that produces cleaner results.
Free — 3 PDFs per month. No credit card required.
Three methods covering Outlook desktop, web, and mobile.
The Outlook desktop application on Windows has the most straightforward PDF export path, thanks to the "Microsoft Print to PDF" virtual printer built into Windows 10 and later.
Note for older Windows versions: If "Microsoft Print to PDF" is not available, go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners > Add a printer or scanner, and look for the option to add it. Alternatively, install a free PDF printer driver like CutePDF Writer.
On macOS, Outlook uses the system print dialog which includes a built-in PDF option.
Outlook web does not have a dedicated PDF export feature. You use the browser's built-in print-to-PDF functionality instead.
Be aware that this method captures the full Outlook web interface — the folder pane on the left, the ribbon at the top, and the reading pane borders. The email content is buried within the interface chrome.
Each method works, but they all have the same core problems.
Outlook desktop's print engine often mangles HTML-rich emails. Newsletters with multi-column layouts, background images, and styled buttons lose their design when printed — columns collapse, backgrounds disappear, and button styling reverts to plain text links.
Outlook web's print output includes the full OWA interface — the folder pane, ribbon, and reading pane borders all appear in the PDF. The email content you want is only a fraction of the printed output.
Every email prints with the same basic formatting — there is no way to choose a font, apply a professional template, or add branded headers and footers. The output always looks like a printed email, never like a designed document.
Outlook's print engine sometimes cannot resolve embedded images, particularly in HTML newsletters and marketing emails. Images may appear as broken icons, blank spaces, or red X placeholders in the PDF output.
There is no built-in way to export a folder of emails as individual PDFs. You can select multiple emails and print them in Outlook desktop, but they merge into a single continuous document — not separate files per email.
Three clicks. No interface clutter. Professional templates.
Navigate to the email in Outlook web (outlook.com or outlook.office.com) in Chrome. Pretty PDF works on any email visible in your browser.
The extension automatically extracts just the email content — stripping the OWA interface, folder pane, ribbon, and all surrounding chrome.
Pick from Clean, Minimal, Corporate, Academic, or Dark Mode templates. Click Generate PDF and your email is a polished document in seconds.
| Feature | Outlook Print | Pretty PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Steps required | 5-8 steps | 3 clicks |
| Interface removal | Included in output | Automatic |
| HTML email rendering | Often broken | Preserved |
| Templates | None | 5 professional templates |
| Custom branding | Not available | Logo, headers, footers (Pro) |
Free — 3 PDFs per month. No credit card required.
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