Glossary

What Is an EML File?

An EML file is a single email message saved to disk. It follows the MIME standard, so the sender, subject, date, body text, and any attachments all sit together in one plain-text file. Because the format is open, almost every email program can both create an EML and open one.

TL;DR

EML is a single saved email message. Convert it to PDF to open and share it anywhere on Windows.

What an EML email file contains and how it converts to PDF..

What Is Inside an EML File

Open an EML in a text editor and the structure is readable:
  • Headers: who sent it, who received it, the subject, the date, and the routing path.
  • Body: the message itself, as plain text, HTML, or both.
  • Attachments: any files, encoded in Base64 inside the same file.

Because an EML is plain text, you can inspect the raw headers in Notepad to trace where a message really came from. That is handy when you are checking a suspicious email.

What Opens an EML File

Most desktop mail clients read EML directly. Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and the old Outlook Express all open it, and Windows can preview one with the Mail app installed. Drag an EML onto an open client and it shows like any other message.

EML vs MSG vs PST

These three formats get mixed up, but they are not the same.

EML holds one message in an open standard. MSG is Outlook's own single-message format. PST is Outlook's database for an entire mailbox. EML is the most portable of the three, which is why forwards and exports so often arrive as EML.

How to Convert an EML File

When you need to read or archive a message without an email app, convert it to PDF. A batch tool keeps the attachments and turns a folder of messages into searchable documents.

What you'll need
  • EML to PDF Converter: converts EML and other mail formats to PDF on Windows
  • A Windows PC, version 10 or 11
  • The EML files you want to keep

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