Classic outlook

Question

I'd like to pick people's brains please.

We have had a SAR request and therefore I have to send around 3000 emails from my inbox to the individual who has requested them. I have classic outlook, the emails are in numerous folders and range from 2023 - Feb 2026. My legal guy would like to look at them in word format before we send them to the person.

We are all at a loss on how to do this - when I try to save as in txt form I can only see the heading of the email message and the full email isn't showing. I have also tried to save them as a pdf from the option of file print.

Legal want me to save the emails as txt and then copy and paste them into word for him to be able to redact if need by.

Help! we are all at a loss. :-)

Answer 1

Hi @Ali L, 

Thank you for clearly explaining your goal and for outlining what you have already tried.  

Based on the details you shared, you need a practical way to convert about 3,000 emails from classic Outlook, across multiple folders and dates, into a Word friendly format so your legal team can review and redact the content before you send it to the requester. 

This behavior is expected because saving an email as a plain text file can strip the message body formatting and may not reliably capture the full content the same way you see it in Outlook.  In addition, classic Outlook does not provide a direct “Save as Word document” option, so the most consistent approach is to save in an intermediate format that preserves the full body and then convert it in Word.  

Option 1: Save each email as HTML, then convert to a Word document (best when Legal needs a true Word file per message)  

• Open the email in its own window, then select File, then Save As, and choose HTML as the save type. 
• Open Microsoft Word, select File, then Open, and open the saved HTML file.  
• In Word, select File, then Save As, and save it as a Word Document (.docx) so it is ready for review and redaction. 
• Reference: Save an Outlook message as a .eml file, a PDF file, or as a draft  

Option 2: Print emails to PDF using Microsoft Print to PDF (best when Legal can redact using PDF tools)  

• Open the email, then go to File, then Print.  
• Select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer, then select Print and choose where to save the PDF.  
• Repeat for the set of messages that require review, keeping them organized by folder or date range for easier legal handling. 

Option 3: Export in bulk first for completeness, then convert only what Legal needs to Word (best for 3,000 emails across many folders)  

• Export the mailbox content to a PST from classic Outlook using the Import and Export wizard, ensuring Include subfolders is selected so folder content is captured.  
• If your organization uses Microsoft Purview eDiscovery, exports can also be created as PST files or as individual messages, which is commonly used for Data Subject Request style responses.  
• After the bulk export is available, select the subset of emails Legal wants to review first, then use Option 1 to convert only those messages into Word documents to reduce manual effort. 
• References: 
  • Export emails, contacts, and calendar items to Outlook using a .pst file - Microsoft Support 
  • Export search results in eDiscovery | Microsoft Learn 
  • Office 365 Data Subject Requests Under the GDPR and CCPA - Microsoft GDPR | Microsoft Learn 

If you want the fastest path for 3,000 messages, Option 3 is usually the most efficient because it secures a complete export first, and then limits Word conversion to only the emails your legal team truly needs to redact. 

I hope this response has helped address your question and clarify the behavior you're experiencing. Please feel free to reply if you have any further questions, I would be happy to assist further.   

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. I look forward to continuing the conversation.  

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Answer 2

Classic Outlook cannot save messages directly as Word documents, but they can be converted reliably via HTML, which preserves full content and formatting for later redaction in Word.

For each email that needs review in Word format:

1. In Classic Outlook, open the email.
2. Select File > Save As.
3. In Save as type, choose HTML.
4. Choose a folder and file name, then select Save.
5. Open Word.
6. In Word, select File > Open, browse to the saved HTML file, and open it.
7. In Word, select File > Save As and choose Word Document (*.docx) as the file type, then save.

This method:

• Preserves the full body of the email, including formatting, images, links, and header information (From, To, Cc, Subject).
• Produces a standard Word document that legal can redact directly, without needing to copy/paste from .txt.

For a large volume (around 3000 emails), consider:

• Doing the above on batches of the most relevant emails first.
• Using Outlook rules or search folders to collect the SAR-related messages into a single folder, then processing them systematically.

Using .txt is not required for redaction; Word documents created from HTML will generally be easier to review and redact while preserving context.

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References:

• Save an Outlook message as a .eml file, a PDF file, or as a draft