How to Batch Convert EML to PDF with Attachments in Bulk?

Email communication plays a crucial role everywhere, in professional sectors as well as personal. When it comes to sharing emails and archiving it is important to convert EML to PDF with attachments, to fulfil the needs of data analysis, market audits, legal compliance, and migration. One of the most effective solutions to preserve EML files is by converting them to PDF format as it preserves the entire email in image format.

In this article, we’ll shed light on ‘how to batch convert EML files to PDF with attachments?’. Give information about manual and automated methods to the user in depth and make them aware of the advanced software and tested practices. Secondly, this blog also covers the features and limitations of it.

Nowadays, many users need to print emails that are saved in EML format. The best way to do this is bulk converting EML to PDF with attachments. The reason is obvious: PDF files are the most protective file format. Let’s first understand the reasons for saving EML files to PDF format.

How to Convert EML files into PDF? Quick Answer

There are two ways to convert EML to PDF. These include manual methods and the automated method. Manually, you can convert EML files into Portable Document format using the Print option in Thunderbird & Outlook because both email clients support EML format and allow you to print emails as PDF. And the other way is the automated software through which you can batch convert EML to PDF with attachments without any file size limitations. So, let’s discuss both approaches briefly in the sections below.

Free Methods to Convert EML to PDF

Here, in this section, we will discuss all the reliable manual methods to convert EML files to PDF. These include using applications like Thunderbird, New Outlook, Apple Mail and Web Browser. Follow all the methods properly and choose the right approach.

Method 1 – Using Thunderbird

Make sure you have Thunderbird installed on your system.

Phase1- Install the Plugin

1. Open Thunderbird and go to its Menu.
   
2. Then click on Add-ons & Themes and search “ImportExportTools NG“.
   
3. Tap on the Add to Thunderbird option.
   
4. Lastly, restart Thunderbird to check if it is successfully added or not.

Note: Make sure that the Add-on is updated as per your specific Thunderbird version, if you already installed this application before.

Phase2- Change EML to PDF

1. Open Thunderbird.
2. Go to your desired folder where you want to import EML files or create a new folder.
   
3. Then right-click on the folder > select ImportExportTools NG > Import EML Messages > All EML Messages from a Directory and Subdirectories options.
   
   
4. Choose EML files from your system that you want to convert.
5. Once done, navigate to the folder that holds your EML files.
6. Right-click on it (the folder itself) > select ImportExportTools NG > Export All Messages in Folder > PDF format > Messages and Index with Subfolders.
7. After that, set a destination path and click Save to convert EML file to PDF.

Limitations:

• Thunderbird installation is necessary to perform this approach.
• This approach may take lots of time to set up Thunderbird and enable add-ons.
• It may not work for bulk convert EML files to PDF.

Method 2- Convert EML to PDF via New Outlook

1. Open New Outlook.
2. Go to File > Open & Export > Import > Start Import.
   
   
3. After that select EML files and click on the Import button.
   
4. Thereafter, Navigate to Print > choose Microsoft print to PDF.
5. Click on Print and then Save. That’s it, you have saved your EML files as PDF files.

Limitations:

• This method is not suitable for users having large volumes of data.
• It does not secure attachments and can lead to data loss scenarios.
• This method can be time-consuming in individually printing emails.

Method 3- Through Apple Mail (for Mac)

This method is for Mac users who want to convert their EML files to PDF using the Apple Mail’s inbuilt feature.

1. Open Apple Mail and a folder where you want to import EML files.
2. Then, go to the location of your EML files on your desktop.
3. Simply, drag and drop those files in Apple Mail’s folder.
4. Once done, open it and navigate to File > Export as PDF option.
5. Select a destination path and click Save.
   

Limitations:

• This method is time taking as users are required to convert EML files one-by-one to PDF format.
• It is not a suitable method for Windows users because it only works on Mac systems.
• Dragging and dropping bulk files at once may slow down the system performance.
• Apple Mail only saves EML file text, not the attachments attached to it.

Method 4- Export EML to PDF using Web Browser

1. Navigate to your EML files saved on your system.
2. Right-click > Open with > choose any web browser that you wish.
3. Next, press Ctrl+P and select Microsoft Print to PDF.
4. Click Print > set destination location and press Save.

Limitations:

• EML file formatting, images and layout can be lost.
• The text can appear in non-readable format which is not easy to understand for beginner users.
• This method does not support bulk conversion.
• Attachments are not saved separately due to which they have a high chance of losing.

Step-by-Step Guide for Converting EML to PDF Directly

1. First, launch the EML to PDF converter on your PC and tap on the Next button.
   
2. Then, load files manually by Select Files or Select Folders option that you want to convert.
   
3. Select All, Multiple or Single mailboxes you wish to print.
   
4. Choose the saving format as PDF from the drop-down list.
   
5. Now, set the Destination path by clicking the Folder icon.
   
6. You can select a file naming option to rename your output PDF files.
   
7. Finally, click on “Convert” to batch convert EML to PDF with attachments.
   

Who Should Convert EML to PDF via Professional Way?

• Business Professionals are to keep a record of client handling.
• IT Departments for email archiving and backup.
• Freelancers are to keep a record of all deals with clients.
• This tool helps to ensure Compliance with payroll records to HR & Finance Teams.
• Lawyers & Paralegals to keep a record of court submissions and legal issues.

Conclusion

This article explains the detailed solution on how to batch convert EML to PDF with attachments. We have explained multiple methods including manual and automated along with their procedures, features and limitations. Each method had its own advantages, drawbacks, depending upon the user’s requirements.

If you only need to convert a few EML files then the manual method can be a suitable option. But on the other hand, for bulk conversion it is always recommended to use a professional solution as it offers advanced features and maintains data security throughout. Choose the method that you feel is convenient and quickly convert your EML files.