How to save an email as an .eml file

Why .eml, and what about .msg

A screenshot or a forwarded copy drops the technical headers that show who really sent the message. An .eml file keeps them. It is a standard format that most mail programs can open. .msg is the equivalent format used by Outlook.

AntiBait accepts both. CERT Polska also asks for the suspicious email as an EML or MSG file when you report it, because the file keeps the body, attachments and original headers.

Gmail

1. Open Gmail in a browser on a computer and open the email.
2. Click the More icon (three dots) in the message toolbar.
3. Click Download message. Gmail saves the message as an .eml file.

Outlook

Outlook on the web and Outlook.com

1. Open the message and select More actions at the top.
2. Select Download, or right-click the message in the list and select Download.
3. The message is saved as an .eml or .msg file, usually in your Downloads folder. Check the extension of the file you got.

New Outlook for Windows

1. Open the message and, in the message header, select More actions, then Save as.
2. Choose a folder and select Save. The file name defaults to the subject, and you can change it.

Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Double-click the message to open it in its own window.
2. Choose File, then Save As.
3. Pick a folder, type a file name and choose a type from the Save as type list. Choose the Outlook message format to get an .msg file.

Dragging a message from the message list onto your desktop also creates a file in classic Outlook, normally an .msg.

Apple Mail

1. Select the message in Mail on your Mac.
2. Choose File > Save As.
3. In the format menu choose Raw Message Source, pick a location and save. A single message is saved in .eml format.

You can also drag the message to your desktop, which saves it as an .eml file. If you drag a whole conversation, each message is saved as a separate file.

Thunderbird

1. Select the message in the message list.
2. Choose File > Save As > File, or press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on a Mac).
3. Choose a location and save. The result is an .eml file.

Dragging a message from the list into a folder on your computer also creates an .eml file.

What to do with the file

• Upload it to AntiBait to find out whether the message is phishing.
• Attach it to a report if you report the phishing.
• If you only need the headers, view them in your mail client and paste the text.