Save or Convert Office 365 Emails to PDF Files: Step-by-Step
Quick Answer: You can easily convert Office 365 emails to PDF by simply opening the mail and using Microsoft Print/ Save as PDF (Web/Mac/Windows) native option. However, for bulk Microsoft 365 emails to PDF export with attachments for record keeping or legal needs, an automated & secure Office 365 Email to PDF Converter can prove to be time-saving & reliable in terms of data integrity.
Note: This guide covers detailed instructions on both free & professional ways to export emails stored on Exchange Online (your Office 365 mailbox data) to PDF for offline storage on your hard drive or SSD, not the Outlook desktop client. Read to Save Outlook Email as PDF.
What Is Microsoft 365 and PDF File Format?
Now, before we start with the tutorial on how to convert O365 emails to PDF, let’s have a glance at the terms Office 365 emails and PDF format.
Microsoft 365 (Formerly Called Office 365)
Microsoft 365 (Office 365) is a cloud subscription suite by Microsoft, accessible on both Windows and macOS. Along with productivity apps like MS Word and PowerPoint, it supports user, admin, and shared mailboxes, to be accessed through Outlook applications on desktop, mobile or web. A Microsoft 365 mailbox is also regarded as Office 365, O365, or M365 (same service) where data – emails, contacts & calendars are stored on Exchange Online, Microsoft’s cloud email server, not offline on a local device.
PDF Format Storage
PDF aka Portable Document Format is a widely used platform-independent format. It is a secure format as it comes with a password-protection feature. Moreover, it is not at all easy to alter or corrupt a PDF file. In addition to that, PDF format is the only acceptable format in courts to bring any digital evidence.
Since the emails inside your Microsoft 365 mailbox are stored on cloud- whether accessed via Outlook application or Web app every method to convert Office 365 email to PDF requires connecting to your account via the internet.
Why Convert Office 365 Emails to PDF Format? Actual Scenarios
There can be multiple reasons why a user may need to save Office 365 emails as PDF files. For example: to keep as copy for archival needs or offline access with complete formatting intact that can be easily shared & read across devices easily. Here are real-life user issues:
Need to convert multiple threaded conversion stored on her client’s Office 365 account as PDF to be presented as evidence in court as PDF files preserved every detail and they are tamper-proof.
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4 employees are off-boarding this week and he need to selectively extract important conversions for documentation and record-keeping before deactivating their accounts.
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Wants to print to PDF bulk invoices from my @onmicrosoft account but there is no such option that she can find on my Mac computer.
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Need approval-chain emails bulk archived from multiple user & admin Office 365 mailboxes as PDF for an upcoming quarterly audit without add-in breaking mid-export.
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How to Convert Office 365 Emails to PDF?
There are various methods to convert Microsoft 365 mailboxes to PDF. Here, we will explain 2 topmost methods to you. You can choose whichever fits your requirements.
| Feature | Manual Method (Save as PDF) | Professional Office 365 to PDF Converter |
|---|---|---|
| Who Should Use It? | Download limited 5-10 Microsoft 365 emails to PDF files | Saving hundreds or thousands of O365 emails to PDF |
| Attachment Retention | Separately Save Each Manually | Automatically Saves Attachments |
| Multiple Mailboxes Export | Not supported | Use “I am Admin” mode to bulk export Office 365 emails to PDF from multiple user accounts in one go. |
| Selective Export | Manual selective export | Filter by date, subject, sender, folders, etc. |
| Folder Hierarchy | Not preserved | Preserved |
| Organized Output | Can be difficult to locate specific emails in the output | Has 10+ file naming conventions for easy identification |
| Cost | Free | Paid (Free Trial for 25 emails per folder) |
Let’s now explain each of these methods in detail.
Save Microsoft 365 Emails as PDF with “Print to PDF”
It is a simple method you can use to directly print Office 365 emails and save them into PDF format. Using this method, you can virtually download Office 365 emails as PDF format on your computer hard drive.
Here’s how you can execute the process.
- Access your Microsoft 365 account via Outlook Web or Outlook Classic/New.
- Open the email which you want to convert to PDF.
- Click the File button. This will open the File menu.
- In the File menu, go to Print.
- Select the file type as PDF in the dialogue box must be selected from the drop down.
- Click on Save.
This is an easy way to save Office 365 emails to PDF. However, if you have thousands of emails in Office 365 mailbox that you want to convert to PDF i.e. you want to bulk convert Office 365 emails to PDF, then it is not an easy-to-go method.
Know the Limitations
While manual methods are cost-effective, they contain a few limitations such as:
- You can only convert one M365 email to PDF at a time. This makes the process burdensome.
- You can only convert a few emails using this method because it is tiring, lengthy and time-consuming.
- It is not possible to convert emails to PDF with attachments in bulk using this method.
Hence, to avoid getting stuck in the limbo of converting one O365 message to PDF at a time, we suggest you use a professional automated solution to convert your O365 emails to PDF. Using a professional tool will allow you to carry out the task in a matter of minutes.
Method 2: Convert Office 365 Mailboxes to PDF with an Automated Solution
If you wish to convert Office 365 emails to PDF in batch and with full security then according to numerous experts, using an automated tool is the preferred choice. A tried and tested tool as Office 365 Backup Software is the best option among all.
How to Export Office 365 Mailbox to PDF? Working Steps
- Launch Office 365 to PDF Converter on your Windows and Mac machines. Enter your Office 365 email address and press Login. Don’t forget to check the “I am Admin” option if you want to save Office 365 emails as PDFs from multiple user accounts at once.
- Thereafter, the software will ask for the Microsoft 365 password, enter it, and press Sign In.
- Now you can see all Office 365 folders under the software panel. Select the required folders accordingly.
- After that choose PDF as the saving option from the available options.
- Use relevant file naming style for renaming the exported PDF documents.
- Set the advanced filter options if you wish to convert only a few selected Microsoft 365 emails to PDF.
- Office 365 to PDF Converter automatically sets Desktop as the default destination path. You can set a different destination folder by clicking the Change button. Hit the Backup button to initiate the conversion process.
- The live progress of the conversion process is displayed on the software panel. Please wait for a few minutes for the process to complete.
- The process to convert Office 365 emails to PDF has been completed successfully. You can see the flash pop-up message about it. Click on the Ok button.
- The tool generates a log report file named SavingLog.txt, containing all the information about the converted data.
- At last, the software will automatically open the destination path where the resultant PDF documents are saved.
Once your Office 365 emails are converted to PDF, you can open and view them using any standard PDF reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, without requiring access to your Microsoft 365 account or an email client – on mobile or desktop.
Office 365 to PDF Converter Features
I am Admin: You can see this option on the welcome screen of the software. After checking this option, the software allows you to choose specific O365 users to convert Office 365 email to PDF documents. You can choose multiple user accounts at once and save crucial time.
Secure Login: We know the value of data as we have been serving this industry since 2011. The software will ask for Microsoft Office 365 credentials but it doesn’t store your credentials. We designed this software to never store any account credentials of users. Thus, don’t worry about this.
Select Folders: As we all know that Microsoft 365 may have some unnecessary folders. Thus, we have developed this software to preview O365 folders into the software panel in the file explorer view style. This allows users to easily check or uncheck the required folders for conversion.
Advance Filters: BitRecover Office 365 to PDF Converter comes with multiple advanced filters. Hence, users can easily convert Microsoft 365 emails to PDF by date, by email address, and by email subject. Users can even exclude required folders while completing the task.
10+ File Naming Options: BitRecover Microsoft 365 to PDF Converter allows export in a structured way. Multiple file naming options enable you to better search & locate desired Office 365 email in output.
100% Accurate Conversion: Save Microsoft 365 emails to PDF with attachments & complete folder hierarchy along with all email attributes such as header, metadata, formatting and signature preserved.
FAQs
Q1. Can I save attachments along with emails when converting to PDF?
Ans. Yes, using the above mentioned tool you can save Office 365 emails to PDF along with attachments while maintaining data integrity and formatting.Q2. Does Office 365 to PDF Converter support selective folder conversion?
Ans. Yes, the software supports selective folder conversion, to allow users preview files and folders before Office 365 to PDF conversion.Q3. Can I convert encrypted or secured Office 365 emails to PDF?
Ans. Yes, you can convert encrypted and secured Microsoft 365 emails to PDF using the Backup software instructed above, offering multiple advanced features.Q4. Is it possible to convert emails from multiple Office 365 accounts at once with this tool?
Ans. Yes, the software offers the “I Am Admin” option. It enables you to enter office 365 admin account credentials to convert Office 365 emails to PDF format in bulk with ease and at once without any data loss. It is specifically useful for managing organization email exports, saving time and efforts.
To Wrap Up
In this article, we guided you on how to convert Office 365 emails to PDF. We shared two ways, one manual and one with an automated solution. Choose whichever you feel serves your needs better. According to experts, if you want to export a large number of Office 365 emails to PDF documents, then go for the automated solution.
Recommended: Steps to Transfer Office 365 Account to Another Account
