If you collaborate on projects, chances are good that you have emails with important information about files saved on your computer/cloud. Wouldn’t it be great if all of that information could live together in the same folder without copying and pasting the text into a document? There is!
Depending on how you access your email, the process differs. Please note that this process saves only the content of the email message, not the attachment(s). Attachments must be saved separately.
Web-Based Email
If you use Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook Web, or another email platform through your web browser, this is the method to use.
- Open an email message and click the print icon in the message toolbar/upper right corner (depending on the email platform)
- Do not send it to a physical printer. Scroll down the print options until you see a “Save as PDF” or “Print to PDF” option listed among the printers and select it
- Click the Save (or Print) button
- Select a location to save the file. Gmail has an option to save to Google Drive.
You will find the email saved as a PDF in your selected location. Links will still be clickable, but attachments will not carry over. Save any needed attachments before deleting the message.
Desktop Outlook
If you use the desktop version of Outlook installed on your computer to manage email, you can use the above process to save the email as a PDF. However, there is an additional option to save your message in message format, rather than PDF. When accessed later, it opens as an Outlook email message. It cannot be opened on a computer without Outlook installed.
- Highlight the message in the message list by clicking once. Do not open the message.
- In the top toolbar, select File, then Save As from the left menu
- Choose a save location
- Edit the name of the email, if desired
- Save as type – select .msg or HTML. The text-only choice will strip out images and fonts
- Save
When you open it again later, it will open as a message in Outlook and display all of the usual options available when opening messages from Outlook.
Summary
Your relevant emails don’t need to be separated from the documents they reference. These tips will help you keep all relevant information about a topic together, whether they are emails or files.
