Guide to Export Office 365 Emails to EML – All Methods Explained
As you know, Microsoft 365 is a popular cloud productivity suite. Under this suite, you will get several products, such as Outlook 365. Just like any normal email client, you can use this to send/receive email messages and also manage them. However, along with the basic functions, it also provides cloud email services that are connected with Office 365. Therefore, Outlook 365 is a better choice for personal as well as enterprise-level email management.
Whereas, an EML file is a simple file format that stores individual email messages. It is the most common format to store your emails and their related attributes. It is such a versatile file that you can open it in several programs, including Thunderbird, Outlook, Notepad, etc. That’s why some users prefer to have their Outlook 365 emails in EML files.
Why Export Office 365 Emails to EML Format?
The reasons why many people decide to download EML file from Outlook.
- It allows users to back up their Office 365 emails securely
- You can transfer emails to other email providers that support EML format
- In case, users want to save emails in separate files
- To save all the contents including attachments, headers, time stamps, and formatting
- If you want to share particular emails without exporting the entire mailbox
- To open their emails in offline mode, even if you don’t have a Microsoft 365 account.
- Use emails for legal or compliance purposes
- Users want to archive their emails to keep as a record
- Keep emails in a common format for future use
How to Save Office 365 Emails as EML Files?
It is not a difficult job to export Office 365 emails to EML, if you follow the process properly. Below are four methods to do it.
- Directly save emails in the EML file
- With Outlook on Web
- PowerShell Method
- Advanced solutions
I am going to explain each method in proper steps, so read it to the end.
Download EML File from Outlook Directly
It is the simplest way to get your emails in EML format. If you have a few emails and you have to connect Office 365 to Outlook, then this method is simple.
- Log in to the Outlook 365 account and go to the inbox or folder where your email is.
- Find the email you want to save and open it.
- At the top of the Window, you can see the three-dot or More option.
- Select the Save As option and choose EML format from the Save As Type option.
- Now, browse a location where you want to keep the file and click on Save button.
Export Outlook 365 to EML File with Outlook Web App
Outlook Web App is a free webmail that you can use. With the help of this, user can easily save their Outlook 365 email as EML.
- In the browser, open the sign-in page of Web Outlook.
- Log in to the account using the correct Outlook 365 credentials.
- Go to the folder where your emails are located. Click on the three dots or more action option.
- Choose the Save As option from the drop-down list and select EML format as a save type.
- Set a location path and save the file in your account.
Both methods are simple and free, but you can download only a handful of emails. For bulk exporting, you can use the following method.
Using PowerShell to Export Emails from Office 365
To bulk export your Outlook 365 emails, you can use PowerShell commands. Properly follow the steps below to avoid any mistakes. In this, I am going to use the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK to get your emails.
- Download the SDK using this command:
Install-Module Microsoft.Graph -Scope CurrentUser. - Then, set the execution policy using this:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser. - Now, I am going to start saving the emails by connecting to Microsoft Graph:
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "Mail.Read". - Retrieve the email message:
$mails = Get-MgUserMessage -UserId $UserUPN -All. - Export the emails to EML files through the loop of retrieved emails:
ForEach ($mail in $mails) {.
# Script for saving each mail as EML
Write-Host "Processing: $($mail.Subject)"
} - Once saving the email, disconnect the Microsoft Graph:
Disconnect-MgGraph.
What Type of Data is Stored During Office 365 to EML Export?
Regardless of the number of emails that you export, it is important to maintain email consistency. The information to be saved includes:
| Email Property | Maintained |
| Subject | Yes |
| Sender & Recipient Details | Yes |
| CC & BCC Information | Yes |
| Attachments | Yes |
| Email Headers | Yes |
| Sent & Received Date | Yes |
| HTML Formatting | Yes |
| Inline Images | Yes |
| Hyperlinks | Yes |
| Read/Unread Status | Yes |
These are the manual solutions to download EML file from Outlook. They are simple, but there are some drawbacks when saving multiple Outlook 365 emails. Let’s see those pointers.
Limitations of Using Manual Methods
While manual steps are good for few emails, it becomes difficult for large Office 365 mailboxes.
- Difficult for multiple emails
- Not possible to export entire mailboxes together
- Folder structure is difficult to maintain
- You need to follow the same steps for every email
- Not suitable for professional work
- High chances of missing some emails while exporting
Then, use the next method, which is recommended by many experts.
Export Office 365 Emails to EML in Bulk- (Advanced Solution)
Using manual options can be difficult for users. That’s why I am introducing you the SysTools Office 365 Export Tool. This is a great tool, as you can save multiple emails in EML files. It is very easy to use, so non-technical users can not only save emails but also other data, like exporting calendars from Outlook 365. The tool comes with several versions of Windows OS, including both the latest as well as earlier versions. To know how this tool works, follow the steps below.
Why to Choose?
- Export large numbers of emails from Office 365 at once
- You can convert multiple mailboxes
- Maintain the structure of folders and email attributes.
- Export emails based on advanced filter option
- Used to store mailboxes from Office 365 for legal purposes
- Saves your time and reduce manual effort
Steps to Export Office 365 Emails to EML Format
- First, download and install the software on your computer.
- Then, in the dashboard, select the Office 365 option from the source tab.
- Click on File System from the destination tab.
- Choose the Email button and choose the Date Filter option to sort your emails.
- Now, provide your Microsoft 365 admin email and application ID. Also, validate the information.
- Provide the destination location for your export file and name the file. Validate the settings
- To choose which user’s email you want to export, add it to the software using the Fetch Users or Import Users options.
- After adding the user account, validate its account. Then, click on the Start Export button.
By properly following these steps, you can easily get your Outlook 365 emails in EML files. Now you can access them from any platform and also share them. So, I have provided you with ways to export your Outlook 365 emails. Let us see what benefits you will get after downloading the data in EML format.
Advantages of Exporting Outlook 365 Emails in EML Format
- In Outlook 365, some emails are very important. So, without saving your entire mailbox, you can use the above method to download selective emails.
- Having your data in EML format allows you to access it on multiple platforms and email clients.
- The EML file preserves all the attributes such as From/To, message IDs, etc. Hence, it is a nice way to securely store your emails.
- You want to store the emails in your local machine for offline access.
- Migrating your account from Outlook 365 to another account or service. Saving the emails in EML helps you to secure your data.
- It is a lightweight and contains one email in one file. So, sharing them with others is easier.
Hence, it is very beneficial to save your Outlook 365 to an EML file. Properly follow the methods mentioned above, and you will get your files.
Manual vs Automated Solution – Difference Table
This is your comparison table section where you can decide which method is best to export Office 365 emails to EML.
| Feature | Manual Export | Professional Tool |
| Export Single Email | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk Email Export | No | Yes |
| Multiple Mailboxes | No | Yes |
| Date Filter | No | Yes |
| Retains Folder Structure | Limited | Yes |
| Export Attachments | Limited | Yes |
| Save Time | No | Yes |
Applications Compatible with EML Files
This is also the key reason why users export Office 365 emails to EML. As, it is compatible with various email clients.
- Windows Mail
- Apple Mail
- eM Client
- Mailbird
- SeaMonkey
Concluding Words
Whenever you want to export Office 365 emails to EML file. Read this article properly. Here, I have provided you with four methods to download all emails from Outlook 365, including manual, PowerShell, and a professional tool. All the solutions will help users to download EML file from Outlook, so follow them properly. Also, I discussed the advantages of saving emails from Outlook 365 to EML files to make you understand.