Category: Microsoft

Batch Convert Outlook Emails to PDF Files Using Win2PDF

We recently had the following question submitted to our Win2PDF support site:

I have a folder of Microsoft Outlook emails that I would like to convert to PDF. I want to convert just the one folder (the emails were filtered and sent to the folder by a rule when they were delivered to me). Is there a way to batch convert all emails? The batch convert tool doesn’t appear to include email messages but maybe I am missing something so I thought I should check. Thanks.

Nick

Great question. The Win2PDF Batch Convert feature doesn’t support Outlook emails directly, but it is possible to configure the Win2PDF Auto-name feature to make it easy to convert a folder of emails to PDF from Microsoft Outlook.

To do this, open the Configure Win2PDF Auto-name window and you’ll see the following options:

Enable the “Auto-name files” option, and set the folder name where you want the PDF file (or files) to be placed.

If you want all of the emails to be saved to a single PDF, you should set the following options:

  • (check) Include Document Title
  • (check) Include Date
  • (check) Always Append

If you want the emails saved to separate PDF files, you should set the following options:

  • (check) Include Time (to make each file name unique)
  • (uncheck) Always append

Next, you should make Win2PDF the default printer in the Windows Printers and Scanners folder. This is required because the Microsoft Outlook Quick Print feature only prints to the default printer.

And finally, to create PDFs from the emails in your folder, select the emails in Outlook, right click, and select Quick Print.

Voila! The emails will be sent to the Win2PDF printer and will be automatically named with no user interaction.

This can be extremely useful if you want to archive or collect an email thread that is spread across many different messages, or a folder of messages related to a particular topic, person, or project.

If you have a tip like this for using Win2PDF, please let us know.

New Microsoft Edge Browser To Use Adobe Reader As Default PDF Viewer

Microsoft and Adobe recently announced the inclusion of Adobe Reader as the default PDF reader in its newest Edge web browser. Basically, Microsoft will swap out its own PDF reader with Adobe’s. The result will be “higher fidelity for more accurate colors and graphics, improved performance, strong security for PDF handling, and greater accessibility, including better text selection and read-aloud narration,” Microsoft claims.

This move is expected to streamline the PDF reading experience for Edge users, and make it easier to access and view PDF files directly within the browser.

“This addition will only be available in Edge for Windows 10 and 11 at first, and it will arrive in the form of a browser update that’s delivered next month, in March 2023.”

For years, Adobe Reader has been the go-to PDF reader for most users, but with the inclusion of Adobe Reader in Edge, users will have a more seamless experience reading PDF files without having to download and install a separate application. This integration is expected to benefit users who work with PDF files regularly, such as those in business or education.

Microsoft’s decision to include Adobe Reader in Edge is part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the browser’s functionality and user experience. Having a more reliable and feature-rich native PDF viewer in the Edge browser is positive development for all users of PDF technology, including Win2PDF customers.

Batch Converting Folders of OpenDocument Text (.odt) Files to PDF Using Win2PDF

In last week’s post, we announced details on the latest Win2PDF support of various Word Processing formats like Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), OpenDocument Text (.odt), and Rich Text Format (.rtf).

While MS-Office files have always been an important format for documents, there is an increasing need to support OpenDocument (ODF) files as well, mostly due to its increasing adoption within government and international organizations.  The reason for this is simple:  they’re open and not dependent on changes imposed by a single company.

Microsoft Office Documents (.doc) were originally binary files used by Microsoft as a proprietary format.  Microsoft adapted the format to an standards-based format based on Open Office XML in 2007, and this became the (.docx) format.  Today, both (.doc) and (.docx) formats are maintained by Microsoft.  The OpenDocument format, on the other hand, is an open format that is documented and maintained by an independent non-profit consortium known as OASIS.  

[If you’re interested in more details, here’s Microsoft’s list of differences between (.docx) and (.odt) files].

For these reasons and more, Win2PDF now supports more conversion options with .odt files. 

You can now read .odt files in the Win2PDF Desktop App, and batch convert folders of .odt files into the following formats:

If you want to convert individual files instead of batch converting folders of documents, you can either use the “export to ODT” feature or the “convertto” command line with the source or destination set to an .odt file.

Whether you’re looking to share these documents with others by email or the web, or simply preserve their formatting in another format, Win2PDF can help you batch convert folders of .odt documents to PDF quickly and easily.  If your organization is using OpenDocument Formats and there’s something else you’d like to see in terms of conversion, let us know.  We’re always interested in making the conversion process between different file formats easier and more flexible.