How to Save an Email?

Saving your emails can be a good idea to keep track of your correspondence, especially when those emails contain important information. And then, in the event of a bug, mishandling, or hacking, this simple action can save you a lot of hassle!

However, the procedure for saving emails varies depending on the email service, but also on the storage medium (cloud, smartphone, or folder on a computer). It's not easy to find your way around all these interfaces!

Let us shed some light on the matter with this detailed presentation of the different methods for saving your emails.

Saving an Email as a Draft

Whether you're Team Microsoft or a Google fan, there is a specific procedure for saving emails as drafts for each email provider. Here's how to do it in Outlook and Gmail.

Saving a Draft Email in Outlook

Microsoft's email service has really thought of everything to make your life easier, including your drafts. When you write an email, an automatic backup is performed every 30 seconds. This short, unchangeable interval ensures that every new version of your future email is saved.

In addition, you have 5 GB of storage space for a free account. That's plenty of space to save your draft messages! And if you're suffering from writer's block, here's how to write a professional email.

Saving a Draft Email in Gmail

There's no reason why Gmail users shouldn't enjoy the same benefits as Outlook users!

In terms of storage space, Gmail offers no less than 15 GB! Perfect for saving all your correspondence and setting up multiple out-of-office messages, for example.

Saving an Email on Different Devices

Want to save your received or sent emails in a specific location? Here's how to save a message on a smartphone, computer, or cloud.

On a Mobile Device

The procedure for saving an email on your mobile device will not be exactly the same depending on the email software, whether it is Gmail or Outlook. In all cases, the message will automatically be saved as a PDF: handy for quick reference and for sorting your saved emails!

To save your email on your phone in Outlook:

1. In your app, open your email
2. Tap the three dots in the menu at the top
3. Select Print, then choose the option to save to your files. This option may look different depending on your smartphone model, but it's always easy to find.

To save your email on your phone in Gmail:

1. In the app, open your email
2. Tap the three dots in the top right corner
3. Select Print, then the option to save to your files. Again, this varies depending on the type of smartphone.

On a Computer

To save an email to a folder on your computer (for example, on your desktop or in My Documents), the process varies depending on your email service.

On the desktop version of Outlook (including the new Outlook for Windows), follow these steps:

1. Go to Mail, then select the email you want to save.
2. In the header, choose Other Actions, then Save As.
3. Select the folder on your computer where you want to save your email.
4. Choose Save.

The procedure is the same on Outlook.com, with the only difference being that your message is saved in the Downloads folder on your computer.

To save your emails to your computer with Gmail:

1. Open the email you want to save
2. Select the small vertical dots in the top right corner, then choose Download message
3. Your email is automatically saved in EML format

Note that there is another, less conventional method for saving your emails to your computer: screenshots!

This is a quick and convenient way to isolate certain parts of your email. Again, the commands are not the same depending on your computer model.

On a PC, you will need to use the following key combination: Windows logo key + Shift + S. On a Mac, press Cmd+Shift+4, then select the area you want to capture.

In the Cloud

You also have the option of saving your emails in the cloud, i.e., your email's online storage space.

Here are the steps to follow to save an email in Outlook's OneDrive cloud:

1. Select the message you want to save in Mail
2. In the header, click Other actions, then Save as or Save to OneDrive
3. Choose the cloud location you want to save it to
4. Click Save

To save an email in the Gmail cloud, simply archive it. To do this:

1. Open the email you want to save
2. In the toolbar at the top left, click on Archive

You can find your archived email in the drop-down menu on the left by selecting More then All Messages.

EML and PDF: The Two Main File Formats

Saving an Email in EML Format

When you save your emails from Gmail and Outlook.com to your computer using the methods described above, they are automatically saved in EML format. So just follow the steps described above and your email will be saved in this format by default!

How to Save an Email as PDF (Export Email to PDF)

To export an email to PDF with Outlook:

1. Open the email you want to save
2. Select the three dots in the top right corner
3. Click on Print
4. In the Destination menu, choose Save as PDF
5. Click on Save
6. Select your save location

This email print to PDF method works on both the desktop version and the new Outlook for Windows.

To save an email as a PDF in Gmail:

1. In the top right corner of the email, click on the printer icon; a new tab will open
2. On the left, click on the Destination drop-down menu, then Save as PDF
3. Click Save at the bottom of the column
4. Choose your save location and confirm

How to Convert an EML Email to PDF?

‍Have you already saved a number of emails in EML format and want to have them as PDF files? Rather than going through the whole process of saving them in this format again, you can simply convert them.

To do this, there are many free online converters, such as FreeConvert or PDFConvertOnline. Just import your email in EML format, and the converter will do the rest!

Saving a File Received by Email

Whether it's photos of Grandma's cats or an important PowerPoint presentation made by your colleague, you may also need to save files received by email.

You know the drill: the procedure depends on... your email service!

To save a file received by email in Outlook:

1. Open the email containing the file
2. Click on the drop-down arrow
3. Select Download to save the file to your computer, or Save to OneDrive to store it in the cloud

To save a file received by email in Gmail:

1. Open the email containing the file
2. Click on the attachment at the bottom of the email
3. Select Download

How to Back Up the Contents of My Email Inbox

Want to save time and back up the entire contents of your email inbox? No problem! Here's how to do it in Outlook and Gmail.

1. In Outlook, click on File, then Options
2. Click on Import/Export
3. Select Export to a file, then Outlook Data File (.pst)
4. Choose the folder to export, for example, the inbox
5. Select your save location, click on Finish, and set up an access password if you wish

To save the contents of your Gmail inbox, you can use Google Takeout. This feature allows you to download your Google data, including your emails. To do this:

1. Go to Google Takeout
2. Sign in to your Google account
3. Select Mail
4. Click Next Step
5. Select your file type and size
6. Click Create Export
7. You will be able to access your file via a download link sent by email

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With these tips, your emails will be safe from bugs and other inconveniences! Want more tips on how to master your email correspondence? Find out how to delete a sent email, as well as some professional email examples.