Outlook to Text: How to Convert Outlook Email Messages to Text Files

Converting Outlook emails to .txt files isn't very difficult. In fact, Microsoft Outlook 365/2019/2016/2013/2010 includes this ability out of the box.

To export multiple emails into a single text file with Outlook, you must first select the message or messages in the Outlook mail list.

Select the emails you want to save as text files

From the Outlook menu, choose File > Save As, and then choose "Text Only." Click Save to begin the operation.

Choose Text Only to Export

Outlook's native text export is useful for quickly saving one or more email messages into a single text file.  Messages are arranged in the order they appeared in the mail list.

If you need to manage the file attachments that are included in the email, or if you want to export each email message into a single text file, and give each text file a specific name, you will need an app for Outlook called MessageExport.

MessageExport is an add-in that extends and automates Outlook's export abilities. After installation, it appears as part of the Outlook toolbar.  In addition to text files, MessageExport lets you save Outlook emails to PDF, HTML, MHT, JPG, GIF, TIF, PNG, CSV, and many other formats. You can export a single email, or bulk export selected emails, or an entire folder and sub-folders.

To follow along with the rest of this article, first download a free trial of MessageExport. You'll also need Microsoft Office Outlook 2003/2007/2010/2013. MessageExport works with either 32-bit or 64-bit Outlook.

Begin using MessageExport by first selecting the email messages you want to export, just as you did in the earlier operation with Outlook.  Next, select the export target format from the drop down list.  In this example, we will use "Export to TXT."  Click the "Export" button to start the conversion operation.

Choose the target export format from list

Click Export to start saving Outlook messages as txt files

 Clicking the little "hammer and wrench" icon from the MessageExport toolbar lets you customize how MessageExport's text conversion function works by editing the settings.

Text profile settings can be edited.

Export From:  lets you select where the messages are stored.

Export attachments: lets you choose how MessageExport processes file attachments in the email.

Export Name tab: set specific naming scheme for the text files.

Compress output tab: tell MessageExport to compress all of the text files into a single smaller .zip file. Below is the Compress output tab.  click "Compress all items into same archive," and specify a file name.  From then on, MessageExport will save all of your text-converted emails into a single .zip.

Compress Output tab lets you save text emails to a zip file.

We hope this article has given you an understanding of how you can save your Outlook email messages into simple text files. To learn more about MessageExport, visit the product home page, and connect with us on Facebook!

We also made this short video to accompany this article, where we step you through the process of saving Outlook email to text.

Bulk Converting Outlook email to Text with MessageExport™ add-in

The MessageExport™ add-in is a helpful set of tools for Microsoft Outlook users that improve personal productivity by automating and simplifying e-mail export chores. Today we're going to discuss how to export Outlook emails into text files. 

We will look at how to accomplish the task of exporting email to text first using Outlook's own capabilities.  Next, we'll perform the same task using the MessageExport add-in for Outlook.  By the end of the article you'll understand the limitations of MS Outlook when converting email to text, as well as the added capabilities that MessageExport brings to the Outlook environment.

Exporting Outlook email to Text

Outlook natively includes the ability in Outlook 2013 to save selected emails into a single text document.  Here are the steps to accomplish this with Outlook.

First, select the messages from Outlook's mail list so they are highlighted. You can select one, or many emails.

Next, go to Outlook's File menu, and select "Save As Text."

Outlook "Save As"

Outlook will open a dialog to prompt you for the format type, and the file name.

Save as type, "Text Only"

When you click "Save," Outlook will export all of the selected emails into a single text file.

Header of an email converted to text by MS Outlook 2013.

Outlook 2013 does not provide the ability to export emails as individual text files. To export emails individually requires a separate "save as" operation for each email.

Exporting Outlook Email To Text With MessageExport

Now let's perform a similar email-to-text export operation using the MessageExport add-in for Outlook.

Once gain, the first step is to highlight the messages we want to export in the Outlook mail list. We can select one email, all of the emails in the list, individual messages.

Next, select the "Export to Text" profile from the MessageExport toolbar.

MessageExport add-in toolbar

Click the export button in the MessageExport toolbar, and select a target folder on your hard drive or storage media. MessageExport will begin converting your Outlook emails into individual text files.

An Email Message Saved as Text File with the MessageExport Outlook add-in.

While the email text output looks similar between Outlook and MessageExport, there are benefits to using MessageExport.

First, MessageExport lets you bulk export emails to individual text files, while Outlook will only save selected emails into a single text file.  To export emails to individual text files with Outlook requires saving them individualy, a repetitive task that is very tedious and inefficient.

Second, MessageExport can apply a custom naming scheme to the individual text files it creates.

Third, MessageExport can remember which emails have already been exported, avoiding duplication.

Fourth, MessageExport can process email file attachments as part of your export operation. File attachments can be saved outside of the text file to an appropriately named subfolder.

Fifth, you can automate the export of Outlook email to text files. Unattended operation is supported, and you can also select which folders to export.

MessageExport's Text Export Settings May Be Customized.

MessageExport has many other powerful capabilites beyond those discussed in this article. In addition to text files, it adds other useful formats to Outlook including PDF, CSV (Excel), Gif, Tif, Mbox, Odt, Msg, Eml and others.

MessageExport costs $79.99 for a single license. Download a free trial and use it with no obligation for 15 days.

If you have any questions, please post them below. We'll be glad to respond. You can also email us at [supportline at encrytomatic.com].

MessageExport Add-in Extends MS Outlook's Ability to Export Email to PDF, TXT, and Other Formats

While Microsoft Outlook is rightly the world's most popular email client, getting your email messages out of Outlook can be a challenge.   MessageExport is an add-in that improves the email export functionality of Microsoft Outlook, adding many new capabilities such as export to pdf, csv, text, html, mbox, gif and other useful formats. 

Developed by Encryptomatic LLC, MessageExport tightly integrates with the Outlook user interface to make it easy to export email from Outlook in different formats.

Introducing MessageExport Add-in for Outlook

MessageExport helps you get your email messages out of Outlook.  It is compatible with Microsoft Outlook 2013, 2010, 2007 and 2003, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Outlook, integrating tightly with Outlook's menus.

To use MessageExport, emails are selected from the Outlook email list, an export profile is selected, and then the blue "Export" button is clicked.

MessageExport integration with Outlook main menu toolbar.

How to Save Email from Outlook 2010

Outlook 2010 provides the native capability to convert a selected email message to a text file, an Outlook Template, Outlook Message Format (.msg file),  or a Unicode Outlook Message.  Here's how to do it.

First, find the message you want to convert in the Outlook 2010 mail list, and click on it.

Next go to File > Save As



Saving an Outlook email

This will open the "Save As" Window.

Change the file name if you wish, then select one of the shown formats.

When you're done click "Save" and Outlook will copy your message to the target format.

Here's another way to copy to Outlook email to .msg files.

If you are interested in copying your email message to an individual Outlook email file (called a .msg file), another way to accomplish this is to simply drag and drop the message from your Outlook list to your Windows desktop. This .msg file will be named <email subject>.msg.  You can then attach the message to an email message or copy it to a flash drive for sharing.  The .msg file will contain all of the images, header information, and file attachments that were in the original email.

How can you copy Outlook emails to other formats? 

MessageExport is an add-in for Outlook that expands its ability to manipulate and convert email messages to different formats including .eml, pdf, csv (Excel), msg, gif, tif, mbox, and others.  You can download a free trial of MessageExport and use it free for 15 days.