Bulk Extract File Attachments From .EML Files

Software screen image showing how to select email file attachment extraction.
For people who have work to do with email content, EmlViewer Pro, is a helpful tool that delivers many specialized functions. Some of these functions are very specific, and are not used very often, but when you need them it’s good to know they are there.  

One of the special functions is the ability to process a large number of .eml files, extract email file attachments, and save them outside of the email in a single folder where they can be indexed and easily accessed by the Windows operating system.

Let me rephrase that last paragraph slightly for clarity. Although I said it will “extract” file attachments from .eml files, in practice that’s actually not a 100% correct statement. Here’s why:
 

EmlViewer Pro will not actually delete or remove the file from within the .eml file. Rather, it will create a copy of the file attachment and save it to a folder you designate.  The file attachment will remain within the unaltered .eml file; only a copy of the attachment will be stored in a Windows folder. EmlViewer Pro operates this manner to to preserve the integrity of the original email. It will only read email files (including .msg, .eml, .pst, .ost files), and it will never modify or otherwise alter the original message.

Extracting File Attachments From EML Files

 
The process to bulk “extract” file attachments from .Eml files is simple and straight forward using EmlViewer Pro. We invite you to download a free 15 day trial of EmlViewer Pro and follow along.
 
When EmlViewer Pro starts, you select the folder that contains your .eml files. EmlViewer Pro will load the .eml files into a list that you may search and sort. 
 
EmlViewer Pro lets you add a function to sort emails in the list by whether or not they contain file attachments. You’ll can add this column to the mail list.
 
 
Select the messages in the list that you want to process. Selected emails are highlighted. To select all of the emails in the list, click on the first email and then type “Control-A” on your Windows computer keyboard. You could also select a range of emails by holding down the shift key and and clicking the first and last emails in the desired range.
 
When the messages are selected (highlighted) in the mail list, go to EmlViewer Pro’s “Export” operation tab, and select the export profile called “Only Attachments.” 
 
Image is a screenshot of the Export tab in EmlViewer Pro, with "Only Attachments" selected.
To extract attachments from .eml files use the “Only Attachments” export profile.
Click the “Export” button begin and the operation will start.
 
When EmlViewer Pro finishes, all of the file attachments within the selected .eml files will be saved to a folder.  
 
If you have any questions about EmlViewer Pro, please chat with us, or open a support ticket. We’ll be glad to help.

How to Find Email File Attachments in .eml Emails?

envelope and paper clip illustrating email file attachments.

A great new feature in Eml Viewer Pro software (also known as PstViewer Pro) is its ability to analyze thousands of emails and extract specific types of files.

Not only can EmlViewer Pro extract all file attachments to a Windows folder, it can extract specific types of email file attachments.

For example, if you have a folder with 10,000 .eml files, and you need to find all of the Excel spreadsheets that attached to some of of those emails, EmlViewer Pro can save you a lot of time.

You will find this capability on EmlViewer Pro’s “Export” tab, by choosing the “Only Attachments” profile.

Choose the editor for the “Only Attachments” export profile, and from the “Attachment File Types” list, select the type of files you want EmlViewer Pro to find.

You can choose All files, pictures, movies, MS Office files, other email files, PDF’s, spreadsheets, documents and presentation files.

This capability saves you lots of time over manual searching, allowing you to quickly gather a prospective list of files that may be of interest.

Download the Free Trial of EmlViewer Pro. It will run for 15 days!

If you have any questions or comments, please post them below.