Most of us need to print an email from time to time, whether it’s a booking, a receipt or a letter from the council. In Gmail it’s not always obvious how, and the usual Ctrl + P prints the whole Gmail screen instead of just the email.
In this guide I’ll show you how to print an email from Gmail, how to print without the Gmail header, how to print just a photo or an attachment, and how to take a printout from your phone. Plus what to check if it won’t print.
The Short Version
- Open the email in Gmail.
- Click the Print all icon (a printer) at the top right of the email.
- Check your printer is shown under Destination.
- Click Print.
How to Print Gmail
Pressing Ctrl + P, or choosing Print from your browser’s menu, prints the whole web page: the menu down the side, your inbox and all. To print just the email, use Gmail’s own print icon.
- Sign in to Gmail and click the email to open it, as if you were going to read it.
- Click the Print all icon at the top right of the email. It looks like a printer.
If You Can’t See the Printer Icon
The print icon sits at the top of the email and scrolls out of sight as you read down a long message. If you can’t see it, scroll back up to the start of the email and it’ll be there.
The Print Dialogue Window Will Open
The print window opens with a preview of how your email will look on paper on the left, and the print settings on the right.
The important one is at the top: Destination. Make sure it shows your printer. If it doesn’t, click the drop-down box and choose your printer from the list. Then click Print.
Want a PDF Instead?
Choose Save as PDF as the Destination and click Save. You get a copy you can keep on your computer or send on. How to Download Emails from Gmail covers saving emails as PDFs in more detail.
Print Just One Email From a Conversation
If the email is part of a back-and-forth conversation, the Print all icon prints every message in it. To print just one:
- Open the conversation and find the message you want.
- Click the More icon (three dots) next to the Reply arrow on that message.
- Click Print. Note that you might have to scroll down that menu a little to find the Print option.
How to Print Gmail Without the Header
Sometimes you only want the message itself, without the Gmail logo, your name and the details along the top. The print icon always includes that header, so you have to cheat a little.
How to Print Only the Message Body of an Email
- Open the email and select the part you want to print. Click at the start of the text, hold down the left mouse button and drag to the end.
- Right-click on the selected (highlighted) text.
- Click Print on the menu that appears.
The print window opens as before, but this time the preview has no Gmail header. Your email address still appears at the very top of the page.
Copy and Paste Into a Text Editor
To get rid of your email address too, choose Copy instead of Print, then paste the text into Word or WordPad and print it from there. See copying and pasting text if you need a hand. Use Word if the email has pictures, as WordPad won’t keep them.
How to Print an Image from an Email in Gmail
If someone sends you a photo in the body of an email, you can print the whole email, but that’s not much of a keepsake. It’s much better to print just the picture.
Download the Image
- Right-click on the picture in the email.
- Click Save image as (some browsers say Save picture as).
- Save it somewhere easy to find, such as your Desktop or Pictures folder.
- Double-click the saved picture to open it in the Photos app, then print it from there.
You also end up with a digital copy of the photo to keep.
How to Print an Attachment in Gmail
Attachments are files sent along with an email, such as a photo or a PDF form. They sit at the bottom of the email.
Printing an Email Attachment
Click the attachment once to open it. It opens inside Gmail, with Print and Download icons at the top right. Click Print. To get back to the email, click the back arrow at the top left.
Some files, such as Word documents, are better downloaded and printed from their own program. How to Add, Open, Print and Save Email Attachments explains how.
How to Print an Email From Gmail on Your Phone
You can print straight from the Gmail app, as long as your phone can see a printer. Most wireless printers work with both Android phones and iPhones.
- Open the email in the Gmail app.
- Tap the More icon (three dots) at the top right. If you want just one message from a conversation, use the three dots next to that message instead.
- Tap Print.
- Choose your printer (on Android, tap the printer name at the top; on iPhone, tap Printer), then tap Print.
On Android you can also choose Save as PDF instead of a printer.
Can You Print Multiple Emails in Gmail?
Not separate emails, no. Gmail only prints one conversation at a time. You can tick lots of emails in your inbox, but there’s no print option for them.
What you can do:
- Print a whole conversation. The Print all icon prints every message in it, so a long back-and-forth comes out in one go.
- Print them one after another. Open each email and click the print icon. It’s slow, but it works for a handful.
- Use an email program. Add your Gmail account to a free program such as Thunderbird, select the emails you want, and print them together.
Troubleshooting
It Printed the Whole Gmail Screen
You used Ctrl + P or the browser’s Print option. Close the print window and use the print icon at the top of the email instead.
My Printer Isn’t in the List
Check the printer is switched on and connected. Then click the Destination box, choose See more, and pick it from the full list.
Nothing Comes Out of the Printer
Something may be stuck in the print queue. Turning the printer off and on again often clears it. If not, try clearing the print queue in Windows.
The Text Is Too Small or Cut Off
In the print window, click More settings and look at Scale. Choose Fit to printable area, or type a bigger number to enlarge the text.
There’s No Print Option on a Confidential Email
Emails sent in Gmail’s confidential mode can’t be printed. That’s the sender’s choice, not a fault. Ask them to send it as a normal email.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I print an email from Gmail?
A: Open the email and click the Print all icon (a printer) at the top right. Check your printer is shown under Destination, then click Print.
Q: How do I print a Gmail email without the header?
A: Select the text you want, right-click it and choose Print. Only the selected text prints, without the Gmail header.
Q: Why does Ctrl + P print the whole Gmail page?
A: Ctrl + P prints everything in the browser window. Use the print icon at the top of the email to print just the email.
Q: How do I print just one email from a Gmail conversation?
A: Click the three dots next to the Reply arrow on that message and choose Print.
Q: Can I print multiple emails at once in Gmail?
A: No. Gmail prints one conversation at a time. To print lots of separate emails together, use an email program such as Thunderbird.
Q: How do I print an email from Gmail on my iPhone?
A: Open the email in the Gmail app, tap the three dots, tap Print, choose your printer and tap Print.
Q: How do I print an attachment in Gmail?
A: Click the attachment to open it in Gmail, then click the Print icon at the top right.
Q: How do I print a Gmail email as a PDF?
A: Click the print icon, change the Destination to Save as PDF and click Save.
Summary
Printing a Gmail isn’t difficult once you know to use the print icon at the top of the email rather than Ctrl + P. You can print the whole email, just the text you select, a single photo or an attachment, from your computer or your phone.
And if you’d rather keep a copy than a printout, save it as a PDF instead.
Related Posts
How to Download Emails from Gmail
How to Add, Open, Print and Save Email Attachments
Gmail is Switching Off Gmailify and Check Email From Other Accounts
Nothing has been switched off yet but if you have emails from different services, such as Yahoo, Outlook etc, sent to your Gmail account, you need to check this.
You can find this and other related step by step guides in – At Home Computer Gmail Guides
Written by Jeff Porter. I’ve been fixing Windows PCs since 2010 and I’m CompTIA Network+ certified. More about me