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 Bulk Extract File Attachments from .EML Email Files

Software screen image showing how to select email file attachment extraction.

Email messages are often stored or archived as individual EML files. They contain the email message, sender and receiver information, the internet header data, and any file attachments that were appended to the message.

What if you have a directory filled with hundreds or thousands of  EML files and you want to save a copy of all email file attachments to a folder on your hard drive?

One way to approach this project would be to open each .eml file individually, and extract the attachments manually. This labor intensive method doesn’t appeal to me, and probably not to you either (or you wouldn’t be reading this article).

A faster and much more efficient method to bulk extract file attachments from EML files would be to use the “Only Attachments” export operation found in EML Viewer Pro email viewer (download a free 15 day trial).

Download Eml Viewer for email.
15 Day Free Trial. No credit card required. Install/Uninstall support included.

EML Viewer Pro is a viewer for email content including EML, MSG, PST, OST and MHT files. In addition to accurately rendering your emails, it allows you to perform useful tasks, such as searching, print, exporting to PDF and other formats, and even Reply and Forward our .eml email messages.

To extract file attachments from EML files with EML Viewer Pro, start the software and select the folder containing your .eml files.

In the email list, type CTRL-A to select all of the files.

Select “Only Attachments” from the Export Profile setting, and click the Export Button to start the process (the export button is the green down arrow).

Toolbar for bulk extracting .eml file attachments to a folder.
Select “Only Attachments” and click the Export button

When the operation completes, EML Viewer Pro will have saved a copy of all email file attachments to the folder you selected. You can see your email file attachments, and open them up for viewing, printing or editing in the appropriate software.  Note that the original .eml file remains intact and are unchanged; only a copy of the file attachments have been saved to your folder.

We’ve also created this step by step video to show you exactly how to use EML Viewer Pro to bulk extract file attachments from your .eml files.

To try it yourself, you can download a free trial of EML Viewer Pro from this website. The trial lasts 15 days, and will let you export up to 50 emails in a single batch operation.

Any further questions, please just leave a comment below. You can also contact our support team.