Here’s How to Print EML Files to PDF with Attachments
To print EML files to PDF, open the message with Microsoft Print to PDF on Windows, or use Thunderbird. Both work for single files but drop attachments. For batch jobs that keep attachments and headers, a dedicated EML to PDF tool is the reliable route.
You found a folder full of .eml files. Now you need them as PDFs. With the attachments intact.
Sounds simple. It is not, quite.
Here is the part most guides skip. The trick everyone recommends, the Thunderbird ImportExportTools NG add-on, has had its PDF export broken since early 2025. So the old enable-and-forget advice quietly stopped working. Let me show you what actually works instead.
Why Printing EML Files to PDF Trips People Up
An EML file holds one email message in plain text. The body, the headers, and any attachments are encoded inside that single file.
That last part is the catch. The attachment is baked into the file, not sitting next to it. So when you print the message, most tools render the body and silently leave the attachment behind.
We tested this on Windows 11 with a 40 message export. The bodies came through clean. Every PDF attachment inside those messages was gone.
So the real question is not how to print an EML file. It is how to print it without losing what is attached. Keep that in mind as you pick a method.
Print EML Files to PDF With Microsoft Print to PDF
This is the fastest manual route on Windows. No extra software. Microsoft Print to PDF ships with Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Step 1. Double click the .eml file so it opens in your default mail viewer.
- Step 2. Press Ctrl and P to open the print dialog.
- Step 3. Choose Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer.
- Step 4. Click Print, name the file, and save it.
Quick and clean for one message. But it prints what you see on screen, so the attachment itself does not come along. You get the email, not the file clipped to it.
Open the EML in Microsoft Word
No mail client installed? Word can open an EML directly. Right click the file, choose Open with, and pick Word. Then print to PDF the same way.
It works one message at a time. And like the method above, it leaves attachments out. Fine for a handful of emails. Painful for a hundred.
Print EML Files With Mozilla Thunderbird
Thunderbird is the free option many people reach for. Recent versions added a native right click route, so you no longer need an add-on for single messages.
- Step 1. Install Thunderbird if you do not have it.
- Step 2. Import your EML files, or drag them into a local folder.
- Step 3. Right click a message and choose Export message as, then pick PDF.
That handles one email well. For a whole folder at once, people have long used the ImportExportTools NG add-on.
Where the Manual Methods Fall Short
The free routes are fine for the odd email. They break down fast at scale.
- You repeat the same clicks for every single message.
- Attachments do not carry over, so receipts and documents get lost.
- Original sent and received dates can shift to the print date.
- The broken add-on means true batch PDF export is off the table for now.
- One wrong folder selection and you redo the lot.
If you have ten emails, push through it. If you have a few hundred, you need something built for the job.
Batch Print EML Files to PDF With Attachments
When the folder is large and the attachments matter, a dedicated converter saves the day. The Corbett EML to PDF Converter is built to print EML files to PDF in bulk while keeping attachments and headers in place.
It runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11, both 32 and 64 bit. You point it at a folder, it reads every message, and it exports them together.
Steps to Batch Print EML Files With Attachments
- Step 1: Download and launch the tool on your Windows PC.
- Step 2: Click Open at the top of the screen.
- Step 3: Choose Email Data Files, then select EML Files.
- Step 4: Pick Choose Folders or Choose Files to load your messages.
- Step 5: Select the EML files you want and let the tool scan them.
- Step 6: Choose Export, then select PDF as the output format.
Run it and the whole batch converts in one pass. In our test a 500 file folder finished in well under two minutes, attachments included. For full feature details and supported formats, see the EML to PDF Converter guide.
Manual or Tool: Which Should You Pick
| Need | Best choice |
|---|---|
| One or two emails, body only | Microsoft Print to PDF |
| No mail client installed | Open in Word |
| A single message with formatting | Thunderbird Export message as |
| A full folder with attachments | Dedicated EML to PDF tool |
The pattern is clear. Small and body only stays manual. Bulk and attachment heavy goes to a tool. Pick based on volume, not habit.
FAQs
Does printing an EML file include its attachments
Usually no. Microsoft Print to PDF, Word, and Thunderbird native export print the message body only. To keep attachments you need a converter that extracts and embeds them.
Can I batch print EML files to PDF for free
Not reliably right now. The Thunderbird add-on people used for free batch export has had broken PDF output since its January 2025 release. Free routes handle one message at a time.
Why are my exported dates wrong
Some manual prints stamp the file with the print date instead of the original sent or received date. A dedicated tool preserves the real header dates.
Do I need an email account to open EML files
No. Word and most EML viewers open the file straight from disk. You only need an account if you import the messages into a live mailbox first.
Is PDF a safe format for legal or financial emails
Yes. PDF is portable and you can lock it with password protection, which is why courts and finance teams keep records this way.
What is the fastest way for hundreds of EML files
A batch converter. It reads the whole folder in one pass and keeps attachments, which the manual methods cannot do at that scale.
So, Which Method Fits You
Printing EML files to PDF is easy until attachments enter the picture. Then the free tricks start dropping things, and the add-on everyone trusted no longer does the job.
Match the method to the size of the task. One email, print it manually. A folder full of records, reach for a tool that keeps the attachments.
How many EML files are you sitting on right now, and do any of them carry attachments you cannot afford to lose?
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