Written by Jennifer Walsh. Reviewed for technical accuracy by Shubham Dixit, Independent Expert in Email Forensics and Data File Conversion.
Shubham is an independent external reviewer and not an employee of PCDOTS.
Quick answer. EML is a single email saved as a portable file, and how you make one from Outlook depends on your version. New Outlook and Outlook on the web can save or download a message straight to .eml, classic Outlook saves .msg instead and a converter turns a whole mailbox into EML in bulk. Pick by whether you need one email or the lot.
On this page
It depends which Outlook you have
First thing to know, because it saves a lot of hunting. An EML file is a single email saved on its own, in the portable MIME format that email itself is built on (RFC 5322), so it carries the headers, body and attachments and opens in almost any mail app. That portability is the whole point, an .eml is easy to archive, to share a single email or to move into another client like Thunderbird or Apple Mail, while a .msg only opens in Outlook. Whether Outlook can hand you one directly comes down to your version. The new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, which is what you use with Office 365 and Outlook.com, can save a message straight to .eml. The classic desktop Outlook saves to its own .msg format instead. So sort out which one you are in, and the right step below follows.
Your Outlook version decides whether you get .eml or .msg.
“People get stuck because the answer changed. The new Outlook and Outlook on the web will save a message as .eml right from the three-dot menu, but the classic desktop app saves its own .msg, so if you are in classic you convert or you use the web version of the account. One thing worth knowing for anyone keeping mail as evidence, the .eml the new Outlook writes can leave out some of the original headers, so where the full header trail matters I would save as .msg or run it through a proper converter. And for a whole mailbox, do not click one email at a time, point a tool at the folder and let it export the lot.” Shubham Dixit, Email Migration reviewer (draft, pending approval)
New Outlook and the web, save as EML
This is the free, built-in route for most people today. In the new Outlook for Windows, click the email to open or select it, click the three dots for More actions, choose Save as, then Save as EML and pick where to save it. Quicker still, in new Outlook you can just drag the email from the list to a File Explorer folder and it drops in as a .eml file. In Outlook on the web, the Office 365 or Outlook.com version in your browser, open the email, click the three dots, choose Download, then Download as EML. Outlook for Mac has the same idea, open the message, use the three dots, then Save As and pick EML. Either way you get a clean .eml file on your computer. It handles one message at a time, which is fine for a few, and one small caveat, the .eml saved this way can leave out some of the original headers, so if you need the full header trail, save as .msg instead or use a converter.
Three dots, then Save as or Download, gives you an EML file.
Classic Outlook saves MSG
If you are on the classic desktop Outlook, the older app with the File menu, there is a catch worth knowing. When you drag an email to a folder or use Save As, classic Outlook saves it as a .msg file, its own format, not .eml. So to get EML from a classic mailbox you have three simple options. Open that same account in Outlook on the web and download the message as EML there. Save it as .msg and convert the .msg to .eml. Or, for anything more than a handful, point a converter at the mailbox and export straight to EML. The next two sections cover those bulk routes.
MSG stays inside Outlook, EML travels to any mail client.
Many emails at once, free
The native save works one email at a time, so for a folder full you want a bulk route, and there is a free one through Thunderbird. Install Thunderbird and the free ImportExportTools NG add-on, then use Thunderbird’s built-in Import to bring your Outlook mail in, Tools, Import, Import from Outlook. Once your messages are in a Thunderbird folder, right-click that folder, open ImportExportTools NG and choose to export all the messages as EML. You get one .eml per message for the whole folder, free, without clicking each one. It is a couple more steps than a dedicated tool, but it costs nothing and stays on your computer.
A whole mailbox, a converter
When you want the whole mailbox or a PST turned into EML in one pass, without Thunderbird in the middle, a converter is the direct route. The PCDOTS Outlook Converter reads your Outlook mailbox or a PST file and exports every message to EML, keeping your folder structure and attachments, and it does not need Outlook installed to do it. It runs on Windows with a free trial so you can preview the result first. For one or two emails the native Save as EML above is quicker, this is for bulk, a full folder or an entire account in a single run.
The tool route, a whole mailbox turned into EML in one run.
The tool follows four short steps.
Step 1. Install and run the software, then click Open.
Step 2. Load your Outlook account or a PST file.
Step 3. Open Export and choose EML.
Step 4. Pick a destination and save.
Related reading, our guides to convert EML files to CSV and convert a PST file to CSV. To open a saved message, the free EML viewer reads a .eml without any client.
The methods compared
Pick by your Outlook version and how many emails you need out.
| Method | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| New Outlook or web, Save as EML | One or a few emails | Free, one at a time |
| Thunderbird add-on | A folder, no cost | Free, import then export |
| Converter tool | A whole mailbox or PST | Windows, folders kept |
Frequently asked questions
How do I save an Outlook email as EML for free?
In new Outlook, open the email, click the three dots, choose Save as, then Save as EML. In Outlook on the web, use the three dots, Download, then Download as EML.
Why can’t I save as EML in classic Outlook?
Classic desktop Outlook saves emails as .msg, its own format, not .eml. Use Outlook on the web for that account, convert the .msg or a bulk converter to get EML.
How do I export Office 365 emails to EML?
Open the mailbox in Outlook on the web, open a message and use the three dots, Download, Download as EML. For the whole account, a converter exports it all to EML at once.
Can I export many Outlook emails to EML at once?
Yes. Import the mail into Thunderbird and export the folder as EML with the free ImportExportTools NG add-on, or use a converter to turn a whole mailbox or PST into EML in one run.
Does EML keep attachments and formatting?
Yes. EML uses the MIME standard, so it holds the body, formatting and attachments. Note that EML saved from new Outlook may drop some original headers.
What opens an EML file?
Most email clients, including Thunderbird, Apple Mail and classic Outlook, plus a free EML viewer. That portability is the main reason people export to EML.
Your Outlook mail stays put
Nothing here empties your mailbox, so you can do this with confidence. Saving or exporting to EML makes a copy, a full one with the body, formatting and attachments in the portable MIME format, while your original mail stays exactly where it is in Outlook. So try the route that fits, the three-dot Save as EML in new Outlook or the web for a message or two, Thunderbird for a free folder export or a converter for a whole mailbox, and know that whatever you pick, your Outlook mail is untouched and your new .eml files are yours to keep.
