How to Export Gmail Emails to EML Files? A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Summary: Want to export Gmail emails to EML files on your computer? Whether you need to create a local backup, access individual messages offline, or move emails to another email application, exporting Gmail messages to EML can be a useful option. In this guide, we’ll explain the available ways to export Gmail emails to EML format and introduce a simple approach for completing the process with less effort.
Gmail is a popular email service from Google and can be accessed through web browsers as well as Android and iOS applications. It also works with various third-party email clients through standard protocols such as IMAP and POP, allowing users to manage their mailbox data outside the Gmail web interface.
Over the years, Gmail has expanded its storage and email capabilities significantly. Today, Google provides 15 GB of free storage that is shared across services such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Gmail also supports large messages and attachments, making it suitable for both personal and professional communication.
EML, short for Electronic Mail, is a commonly used file format for storing individual email messages. An EML file can preserve important email information, including the message body, sender and recipient details, subject, date, and attachments. Because EML is supported by many email clients, it can be useful when backing up or transferring individual emails.
But why would someone need to export Gmail emails to EML files? There can be several reasons, such as creating an offline backup, preserving important messages, migrating emails to another supported application, or keeping selected correspondence for future reference. In the sections below, we’ll explore these reasons and explain a straightforward way to download Gmail emails in EML format.
Why Save Gmail Emails as EML Files?
There are several reasons users may want to export Gmail emails to EML format:
- Legal purposes: EML files can help preserve important emails for legal investigations, audits, or documentation.
- Email backup: Saving Gmail messages as EML files creates a local copy that can be used as a backup.
- Easy organization: Individual EML files can be arranged into folders, making important emails easier to manage and find.
- Email migration: EML is supported by many email clients, so it can be useful when moving emails from Gmail to another platform.
How to Export Gmail Emails to EML Files Manually?
There are three ways to export Gmail emails to EML files. The first method is suitable for exporting individual messages, as emails are saved one at a time. The second approach lets you download emails from a selected folder, although it involves a few additional steps. Both methods are useful for limited data, while the third option provides a more direct solution for users who want to export multiple Gmail emails efficiently.
Let’s explore each method step by step.
Method 1: Save Gmail Emails as EML Files
- Sign in to your Gmail account.
- Open the email you want to save.
- Click the More (⋮) option.
- Select Download message.
- Gmail will download the email in .eml format to your computer.
- After selecting the destination folder, save the email. Gmail will download the message as an EML file.
Although this method is simple, it has a few limitations:
- Only one email can be downloaded at a time.
- The same steps must be repeated for every message.
- It is not practical when you need to export a large number of emails.
- Google Takeout can export Gmail data in bulk, but it saves the mailbox in MBOX format, which requires another conversion step to get EML files.
Method 2: Export Gmail Emails Using Thunderbird
Thunderbird provides another way to save Gmail messages as EML files. This process can be completed in two stages.
Phase 1: Add Gmail to Thunderbird
- Open Thunderbird on your computer.
- Go to Tools > Account Settings and add your Gmail account.
- Sign in and allow the required Google permissions.
- Make sure the account is configured with IMAP, then complete the setup.
Phase 2: Save Emails as EML
- Open the required Gmail folder in Thunderbird and select the messages you want to export.
- Right-click the selected emails and choose the Save Selected Messages or Save As option.
- Select EML as the output format.
- Choose a destination folder and save the messages.
This method works well for a limited number of emails, but handling a large Gmail mailbox manually can still take considerable time.
Method 3: Export Gmail to EML in Bulk Using a Professional Tool
For users who need to save a large number of Gmail emails, a dedicated backup tool can simplify the process. CubexSoft Gmail Backup Tool is designed to export Gmail mailbox data to EML and other supported formats.
It allows users to process multiple emails in a single operation instead of saving messages individually. The software also provides a straightforward interface, making it suitable for users who want a quicker alternative to manual methods. A free trial can be used to evaluate the software before completing the full migration or backup.
Note: This is a shareware tool. The free version of CubexSoft Email Backup Tool, allows you to export up to 25 emails per Gmail folder in EML format. To export an unlimited number of emails, you need to purchase the full version.
Key Features of the Tool
- Secure login: The tool uses OAuth 2.0 authentication to connect with Gmail without storing your account password or email data.
- Easy to operate: The simple interface makes it easy for both technical and non-technical users to export Gmail emails to EML.
- Keeps email details intact: Email content, attachments, sender and recipient information, subject lines, images, and hyperlinks are retained during the export.
- Selective export: You can apply filters to export only the emails you need instead of processing the entire mailbox.
- Supports Gmail folders: Emails can be exported from folders such as Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Spam, Trash, and other user-created labels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How can I save a single Gmail email as an EML file?
Open the email in Gmail, click the three-dot menu, and select Download message. The message will be saved in EML format.
Q: How can I export multiple Gmail emails to EML?
For a small number of emails, Thunderbird can be used to save messages as EML. If you need to process a large mailbox, an automated tool such as CubexSoft Tools can make the task easier.
Q: Is CubexSoft Tools safe to use?
Yes. The tool uses OAuth 2.0 authentication and is designed not to store Gmail login credentials or mailbox content in its database.
Conclusion
Gmail emails can be saved as EML files using both manual and automated methods. The manual approach works well when you only need to save a few messages, while an automated solution is more convenient for handling a large number of emails.
CubexSoft Tools provides a simple way to export Gmail messages to EML from different folders and accounts. It can be useful when you need to save a large amount of email data without downloading each message individually.
