How to Download an Email from Gmail (And What Format Works Best for You)

Gmail makes it easy to read and manage email in the browser — but sometimes you need a copy of an email saved locally. Whether you're archiving important correspondence, saving a legal document, or just backing up a thread before deleting it, Gmail gives you a few different ways to download individual emails. The method that works best depends on what you need to do with the file afterward.

Why You Might Want to Download a Gmail Email

There are more reasons to do this than most people expect:

• Legal or compliance needs — saving a paper trail outside Google's servers
• Offline access — reading important emails without an internet connection
• Forwarding via file — sharing a full email thread with someone who doesn't have access
• Personal archiving — keeping records of receipts, confirmations, or contracts
• Migrating to a new email provider — exporting messages before closing an account

Each of these use cases points toward a slightly different format or method, which matters more than most guides acknowledge.

How to Download a Single Email from Gmail

The Built-In "Download Message" Option

Gmail's web interface includes a native option to download any email as a .eml file. Here's how it works:

1. Open the email you want to download
2. Click the three-dot menu (More options) in the top-right corner of the message
3. Select "Download message"

That's it. Gmail will download a .eml file to your device's default download folder.

What is a .eml file? It's a standard email format that preserves the full message — headers, body, attachments, and metadata like sender, recipient, timestamps, and routing information. It's the closest thing to a "raw" copy of the email.

What Can Open a .eml File?

This is where your setup starts to matter. A .eml file isn't a PDF or a Word doc — not every app opens it natively.

If you're on a device that doesn't have a dedicated email client installed, you may need to install one or use a third-party .eml viewer before the file is readable in any meaningful way.

How to Save an Email as a PDF Instead

If you need something more universally readable — a format you can share, print, or store without needing an email client — saving to PDF is often more practical.

Here's how to do it from Gmail in a browser:

1. Open the email
2. Click the print icon (top-right of the message, or use Ctrl+P / Cmd+P)
3. In the print dialog, change the destination/printer to "Save as PDF"
4. Click Save

This creates a PDF that captures the visual layout of the email, including any inline images. However, PDFs don't preserve email metadata the same way .eml files do — information like routing headers, which can matter for legal or forensic purposes, won't be included.

📥 Downloading Email with Attachments

When you download a message as a .eml file, attachments are embedded within the file itself (encoded in base64). They won't appear as separate files until you open the .eml in a compatible email client, which can then extract them.

If you just want the attachment and don't need the email body, you can download individual attachments directly from Gmail by hovering over the attachment preview and clicking the download icon — no need to download the full message.

Downloading Multiple Emails: Google Takeout

If you need to download a large number of emails — an entire folder, label, or your full inbox — the single-message method doesn't scale. Google Takeout is Gmail's bulk export tool.

• Go to myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy
• Select "Download your data"
• Choose Gmail (and optionally filter by label)
• Export as .mbox format

MBOX is a standard format for bulk email archives. It stores multiple messages in a single file and is supported by email clients like Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Outlook (with plugins). It's the right tool when you're archiving entire accounts rather than individual messages.

The Variables That Change Your Approach 🖥️

What works cleanly for one person can be awkward for another, depending on:

• Your device — desktop vs. mobile (the download option behaves differently in Gmail's mobile app vs. the browser)
• Your operating system — macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS each handle .eml files differently out of the box
• What you'll do with the file — archiving, sharing, printing, and legal documentation all have different format requirements
• Whether you use a dedicated email client — users who already use Outlook or Thunderbird have an easier time working with .eml files than those who live entirely in the browser
• Technical comfort level — Takeout and MBOX files require a few extra steps to make usable and aren't intuitive for everyone

A lawyer saving an email thread as evidence has different needs than someone downloading a flight confirmation for offline access on a long trip. Both can use Gmail's built-in tools — but the right format and workflow aren't the same.

The method that fits depends on what you're saving, where you need to open it, and how your current setup handles those file types.