An .eml file is the message as it was sent: headers, MIME parts, encoded words, and a body that often exists twice over, once as HTML and once as plain text. Opening one usually means installing a mail client first. This reads it directly and lays it out as a document — subject, From, To, Cc and Date in a header table, the body formatted beneath, then every attachment with its type and size. Pictures that travelled inside the message are placed where they belong; pictures linked from the web are left out and counted, because fetching one would tell the sender that the message had been opened. An .mbox export becomes a list of messages you tick through. It is all read on your device.
Features
Headers, body and attachment list laid out as one readable document
The HTML body or the plain-text alternative, whichever you prefer
Pictures sent with the message placed in the body; picture attachments can become extra pages
The full header list on request — Received chain, Message-ID, authentication results
mbox files split into their messages, with a checkbox for each one
Encoded words, quoted-printable, base64 and legacy character sets all decoded
Page size, margins and page numbers chosen before you convert
Many messages become one PDF each in a ZIP, or a single combined document
How to use the EML to PDF
Drop the .eml or .mbox files onto the page
Tick the messages you want and decide whether to include the full headers
The file is named from the message's own date and subject.
Common errors & troubleshooting
The message came out without its pictures. — They were linked from a web server rather than sent with the message, so they were left out and counted in the notes. Nothing is ever requested from the sender's host.
My .msg file was refused. — Outlook's .msg is a different, binary format. Save or drag the message out as .eml — Thunderbird, Apple Mail, the new Outlook and Outlook for Mac can all do it — and bring that file here.
Characters in another script are missing from the PDF. — The built-in PDF typefaces cover Latin scripts, so characters outside them are dropped and counted. A message in Greek, Cyrillic or a CJK script is better printed from a reader that has those fonts installed.
Only part of my mailbox converted. — An mbox is read up to 300 messages and 200 MB per file. Split the export into smaller files and convert them one after another.
Frequently asked questions
Are the attachments saved out as separate files too?
They are listed with name, type and size, and picture attachments can be added as extra pages. Other files stay inside the .eml: this produces a readable record of the message, not an unpacked folder.
Why are pictures hosted on the web skipped on purpose?
Because loading one is exactly how a tracking pixel works — the request tells the sender that the message was opened and when. Only pictures that arrived inside the message are drawn, and spacer images one or two pixels across are ignored as well.
Does it verify that a signed message is authentic?
No. A digital signature is listed with the attachments and nothing about it is checked. If authenticity matters, verify the message in a mail client that holds the certificate chain.
Can a whole mbox export be converted in one pass?
Yes. The file is split into individual messages, you tick the ones you want, and they come back either as one PDF each in a ZIP or as a single combined document.
Will the layout match what my mail client showed?
Closely, not exactly. The HTML body is re-laid out as headings, paragraphs, lists, quotes, data tables and pictures rather than run through a browser engine, so an elaborate newsletter simplifies while a normal message looks right.
What does including the full header list add?
Every header verbatim after the attachment list, including the Received chain, Message-ID and authentication results — which is what you want when the PDF has to stand as a record of how the message actually travelled.
Related tools
HTML to PDF — Convert HTML markup into a clean, paginated PDF document.
Markdown to PDF — Render Markdown — headings, lists, tables and code — as a PDF.
Word to PDF — Convert a .docx document into a PDF, keeping its structure.
PDF Attachments — List, extract, add or remove the files embedded inside a PDF.
Merge PDFs — Combine multiple PDFs into one, with reordering.