How to Convert E-Mail from EML to XML

MailDex logo.

XML files store data in the form of hierarchical elements. XML files can be read by computer and the information easily integrated into a computer application or database. If you’re reading this, you arrived here for a reason and we scarcely need to tell what an XML file is, so let’s get right into the “How.”

MailDex by Encryptomatic LLC is a Windows application that makes it easy to convert eml formatted emails into machine readable xml files. MailDex can convert a single email to XML, or even a folder with thousands of email messages.

The first step is to install the MailDex free trial, then create a “Project” to contain your .eml or other emails. You can have as many projects as necessary, and you can put as many emails into a project as you want. MailDex supports many different email file formats, including Outlook PST, OST, MSG, and also MBOX, EML, EMLX and MHTML files.

The next step, following the indexing of your emails, is to search to create a set of emails that you want to export to XML format. Exporting to XML is as easy as choosing “XML” from the “Export” tab drop down list.

Exporting EML emails to XML files.

Click the “Export” button and MailDex begins the process of converting emails into XML documents. Within minutes, you’ll have a folder containing your XML files, and you can do with them what you please.

For more information, visit the MailDex home page on the publisher’s website, and try it free for 15 days. You can also contact the Encryptomatic LLC support team with any questions you have.

MailDex is also available through the Microsoft Windows App Store.

How to convert .eml emails into an Excel spreadsheet

Download Eml Viewer for email.

What is a .Eml File?
.EML files are individual email messages (RFC-822) created by Outlook Express, Thunderbird, or other email clients. .EML files contain all of the information in the email, including the sender and recipient email addresses, subject, internet header, message text, and more.

If you have a folder filled with many .EML files, it may be convenient to convert them into an Excel spreadsheet. Having the contents of the .eml files organized in a spreadsheet grid might make it easier to search the contents for key words, quickly sort them by date, analyze sender and receiver information, and to collect the email addresses for use in marketing campaigns or other purposes.

So how can you convert many .eml files, perhaps thousands of them, into a single Excel or Calc spreadsheet? This is not a capability that is natively available in Outlook Express or any other email client that I am aware of.

One way I have found to accomplish this is to use a EML file viewer like PST Viewer Pro that can export the messages to a .csv or comma separated values file. .CSV files can easily be imported into Microsoft Excel.

PST Viewer Pro (also marketed as EML Viewer Pro) is a tool for managing .eml formatted emails, as well as .pst, .ost, .msg, .mht and winmail.dat emails. These steps will work to convert any of the aforementioned email content to a .CSV file.

Let’s take a step-by-step look at how to export .eml files to .csv using the PST Viewer Pro email viewer.

First, install a free trial of PST Viewer Pro from the product website, then start the software.

Use the folder navigation in Pst Viewer Pro to select the file folder that contains your .eml files.

Navigation in PST Viewer Pro software for opening Outlook .pst files.
Select folder with .eml files

Next, select the files you want to export to a .csv file.  Hold the ctrl key and click on an email to select individual messages. To select all messages, click ctrl-A.

Selecting .eml file in Eml Viewer Pro.
Select .eml files you want to export to .csv

Now that the messages have been selected, all that remains is to start the export process. Click on the “Export” button.

Location of the Export button on the software toolbar.
Click the export button

This will bring up Pst Viewer Pro’s Export Manager from which you can select export file type. Pst Viewer Pro lets you choose from many different target formats. Let’s select .CSV.

Email export manage with "CSV" format selected.
Email export manager.

Click Start to begin the process.  You will be asked for a target folder. Choose a place where you can easily find the .csv file.  I named my file “Eml-files-converted.csv” and saved it to my Windows desktop. If you have Microsoft Excel on your computer, look on your desktop for a file like this:

Email export manage with "CSV" format selected.
Xls file.

To open this .CSV file in Microsoft Excel, all I have to do is double click on it. If the file doesn’t open for you, you may need to start Excel, and then go to File >Open and select the .csv file manually.
Excel will open the .csv file, and display the .eml file contents in the spreadsheet grid.

Email was exported to .csv and imported to MS Excel using PstViewer Pro.
Email exported to MS Excel spreadsheet.

Now that your .eml files have been converted into an Excel spreadsheet, you have full control over the data. Organizing email messages in this way can allow you to search the text very easily. It can also allow you to gather email addresses in a format that can be exported into other applications for marketing or customer service purposes.

And that’s how you convert .eml into Excel or .csv using Pst Viewer Pro!