POST /v1/pdf/convert/from/email
Images and attachments within .eml and .msg files must be publicly accessible. Resources stored on local file systems or gated behind authentication are not supported for processing.
Attributes
Attributes are case-sensitive and should be inside JSON for POST request. for example: { "url": "https://example.com/file1.pdf" }
| Attribute | Type | Required | Default | Description |
url | string | Yes | - | URL to the source file url attribute |
callback | string | No | - | The callback URL (or Webhook) used to receive the POST data. see Webhooks & Callbacks. This is only applicable when async is set to true. |
margins | string | No | - | Set custom margins, overriding CSS default margins. Specify the margins in the format {top} {right} {bottom} {left}. You can usepx,mm,cmorinunits. Also, you can set margins for all sides at once using a single value. |
paperSize | string | No | A4 | Specifies the paper size. Accepts standard sizes like ‘Letter’, ‘Legal’, ‘Tabloid’, ‘Ledger’, ‘A0’–‘A6’. You can also set a custom size by providing width and height separated by a space, with optional units: px (pixels), mm (millimeters), cm (centimeters), or in (inches). Examples: ‘200 300’, ‘200px 300px’, ‘200mm 300mm’, ‘20cm 30cm’, ‘6in 8in’. |
orientation | string | No | Portrait | Sets the document orientation. Options: Portrait for vertical layout, and Landscape for horizontal layout. |
async | boolean | No | false | Set async to true for long processes to run in the background, API will then return a jobId which you can use with the Background Job Check endpoint. Also see Webhooks & Callbacks |
name | string | No | - | File name for the generated output, the input must be in string format. |
expiration | integer | No | 60 | Set the expiration time for the output link in minutes. After this specified duration, any generated output file(s) will be automatically deleted from PDF.co Temporary Files Storage. The maximum duration for link expiration varies based on your current subscription plan. To store permanent input files (e.g. re-usable images, pdf templates, documents) consider using PDF.co Built-In Files Storage. |
embedAttachments | boolean | No | true | Set to true to automatically embeds all attachments from original input email MSG or EML files into the final output PDF. Set it to false if you don’t want to embed attachments so it will convert only the body of the input email. True by default. |
convertAttachments | boolean | No | true | Set to false if you don’t want to convert attachments from the original email and want to embed them as original files (as embedded PDF attachments). Converts attachments that are supported into PDF format and then merges into output final PDF. The supported attachment types for conversion are: .eml, .html/.htm, .pdf, .doc, .docx, and .rtf. Non-supported file types are added as PDF attachments (Adobe Reader or another viewer may be required to view PDF attachments). |
profiles | object | No | - | See Profiles for more information. |
removeHTMLHeadStyleTags | string | No | false | Removes default styles from the <head> section of Outlook emails to ensure accurate PDF rendering. Set to 'true' to enable. |
removeHTMLBodyStyleTags | string | No | false | Removes inline and default styles from the <body> section of Outlook emails to ensure accurate PDF rendering. Set to 'true' to enable. |
CustomScript | string | No | - | Custom JavaScript code executed on the email content before PDF conversion. Use to modify HTML elements, disable links, or apply custom transformations. |
outputDataFormat | string | No | - | If you require your output as base64 format, set this to base64 |
DataEncryptionAlgorithm | string | No | - | Controls the encryption algorithm used for data encryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information. The available algorithms are: AES128, AES192, AES256. |
DataEncryptionKey | string | No | - | Controls the encryption key used for data encryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information. |
DataEncryptionIV | string | No | - | Controls the encryption IV used for data encryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information. |
DataDecryptionAlgorithm | string | No | - | Controls the decryption algorithm used for data decryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information. The available algorithms are: AES128, AES192, AES256. |
DataDecryptionKey | string | No | - | Controls the decryption key used for data decryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information. |
DataDecryptionIV | string | No | - | Controls the decryption IV used for data decryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information. |
Profiles examples
- Remove default Outlook styles for accurate PDF conversion
{
"profiles": {
"removeHTMLHeadStyleTags": "true",
}
}
removeHTMLBodyStyleTags
- Remove inline and default styles for accurate PDF conversion
{
"profiles": {
"removeHTMLBodyStyleTags": "true"
}
}
This example removes all inline and default styles from the <body> section of Outlook emails to ensure accurate PDF rendering.
CustomScript
{
"profiles": {
"CustomScript": "document.querySelectorAll('a').forEach(a => { a.href = '#' });"
}
}
This example disables all active links while keeping the link text visible.
Query parameters
No query parameters accepted.
Responses
| Parameter | Type | Description |
url | string | Direct URL to the final PDF file stored in S3. |
outputLinkValidTill | string | Timestamp indicating when the output link will expire |
pageCount | integer | Number of pages in the PDF document. |
error | boolean | Indicates whether an error occurred (false means success) |
status | string | Status code of the request (200, 404, 500, etc.). For more information, see Response Codes. |
name | string | Name of the output file |
credits | integer | Number of credits consumed by the request |
remainingCredits | integer | Number of credits remaining in the account |
duration | integer | Time taken for the operation in milliseconds |
Example Payload
{
"url": "https://pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/email-to-pdf/sample.eml",
"embedAttachments": true,
"convertAttachments": true,
"paperSize": "Letter",
"name": "email-with-attachments",
"async": false
}
Example Response
To see the main response codes, please refer to the
Response Codes page.
{
"url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.amazonaws.com/980bc13f061344809c75e83ce181851c/Contact_us.pdf",
"pageCount": 3,
"error": false,
"status": 200,
"name": "Contact_us.pdf",
"remainingCredits": 60637
}
Inconsistent URL Encoding in cURL Output: When using cURL to make API requests, the output JSON may show URL characters encoded as Unicode escape sequences. For example, the ampersand character (&) may appear as \u0026 in the cURL output. This is normal JSON encoding behavior and does not affect the validity of the URL. The URL will function correctly when used, as JSON parsers automatically decode these escape sequences. If you’re parsing the response programmatically, your JSON parser will handle this conversion automatically.
Code Samples
CURL
JavaScript/Node.js
Python
C#
Java
PHP
curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/from/email' \
--header 'x-api-key: *******************' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
"url": "https://pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/email-to-pdf/sample.eml",
"embedAttachments": true,
"convertAttachments": true,
"paperSize": "Letter",
"name": "email-with-attachments",
"async": false
}'
var request = require('request');
// You can also upload your own file into PDF.co and use it as url. Check "Upload File" samples for code snippets: https://github.com/bytescout/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master/File%20Upload/
var options = {
'method': 'POST',
'url': 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/from/email',
'headers': {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
'x-api-key': '{{x-api-key}}'
},
formData: {
'url': 'https://bytescout-com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/demo-files/cloud-api/email-to-pdf/sample.eml',
'embedAttachments': 'true',
'convertAttachments': 'true',
'paperSize': 'Letter',
'name': 'email-with-attachments',
'async': 'false'
}
};
request(options, function (error, response) {
if (error) throw new Error(error);
console.log(response.body);
});
import requests
url = "https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/from/email"
# You can also upload your own file into PDF.co and use it as url. Check "Upload File" samples for code snippets: https://github.com/bytescout/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master/File%20Upload/
payload={'url': 'https://bytescout-com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/demo-files/cloud-api/email-to-pdf/sample.eml',
'embedAttachments': 'true',
'convertAttachments': 'true',
'paperSize': 'Letter',
'name': 'email-with-attachments',
'async': 'false'}
files=[
]
headers = {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
'x-api-key': '{{x-api-key}}'
}
response = requests.request("POST", url, headers=headers, json=payload, files=files)
print(response.text)
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Net;
using System.Threading;
namespace PDFcoApiExample
{
class Program
{
// The authentication key (API Key).
// Get your own by registering at https://app.pdf.co
const String API_KEY = "***********************************";
// Source Email file to convert
// You can also upload your own file into PDF.co and use it as url. Check "Upload File" samples for code snippets: https://github.com/bytescout/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master/File%20Upload/
const string SourceFileUrl = @"https://bytescout-com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/demo-files/cloud-api/email-to-pdf/sample.eml";
// Ouput file path
const string DestinationFile = @"output.pdf";
// (!) Make asynchronous job
const bool Async = true;
static void Main(string[] args)
{
// Create standard .NET web client instance
WebClient webClient = new WebClient();
// Set API Key
webClient.Headers.Add("x-api-key", API_KEY);
try
{
// URL for `PDF FROM Email` API call
var url = "https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/from/email";
// Prepare requests params as JSON
Dictionary<string, object> parameters = new Dictionary<string, object>();
// Link to input EML or MSG file to be converted.
// You can pass link to file from Google Drive, Dropbox or another online file service that can generate shareable links.
// You can also use built-in PDF.co cloud storage located at https://app.pdf.co/files or upload your file as temporary file right before making this API call (see Upload and Manage Files section for more details on uploading files via API).
parameters.Add("url", SourceFileUrl);
// True by default.
// Set to true to automatically embeds all attachments from original input email MSG or EML fileas files into final output PDF.
// Set to false if you don’t want to embed attachments so it will convert only the body of input email.
parameters.Add("embedAttachments", true);
// true by default.
// Converts attachments that are supported by API (doc, docx, html, png, jpg etc) into PDF and merges into output final PDF.
// Non-supported file types are added as PDF attachments (Adobe Reader or another viewer maybe required to view PDF attachments).
// Set to false if you don’t want to convert attachments from original email and want to embed them as original files (as embedded pdf attachments).
parameters.Add("convertAttachments", true);
// Can be Letter, A4, A5, A6 or custom size like 200x200
parameters.Add("paperSize", "Letter");
// Name of output PDF
parameters.Add("name", "email-with-attachments");
// Set to true to run as async job in background (recommended for heavy documents).
parameters.Add("async", Async);
// Convert dictionary of params to JSON
string jsonPayload = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(parameters);
// Execute POST request with JSON payload
string response = webClient.UploadString(url, jsonPayload);
// Parse JSON response
JObject json = JObject.Parse(response);
if (json["error"].ToObject<bool>() == false)
{
// Asynchronous job ID
string jobId = json["jobId"].ToString();
// URL of generated JSON file available after the job completion; it will contain URLs of result PDF files.
string resultFileUrl = json["url"].ToString();
// Check the job status in a loop.
// If you don't want to pause the main thread you can rework the code
// to use a separate thread for the status checking and completion.
do
{
string status = CheckJobStatus(jobId); // Possible statuses: "working", "failed", "aborted", "success".
// Display timestamp and status (for demo purposes)
Console.WriteLine(DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString() + ": " + status);
if (status == "success")
{
// Download output file
webClient.DownloadFile(resultFileUrl, DestinationFile);
Console.WriteLine("Generated PDF file saved as \"{0}\" file.", DestinationFile);
break;
}
else if (status == "working")
{
// Pause for a few seconds
Thread.Sleep(3000);
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine(status);
break;
}
}
while (true);
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine(json["message"].ToString());
}
}
catch (WebException e)
{
Console.WriteLine(e.ToString());
}
webClient.Dispose();
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine("Press any key...");
Console.ReadKey();
}
/// <summary>
/// Checks Job Status
/// </summary>
static string CheckJobStatus(string jobId)
{
using (WebClient webClient = new WebClient())
{
// Set API Key
webClient.Headers.Add("x-api-key", API_KEY);
string url = "https://api.pdf.co/v1/job/check?jobid=" + jobId;
string response = webClient.DownloadString(url);
JObject json = JObject.Parse(response);
return Convert.ToString(json["status"]);
}
}
}
}
import java.io.*;
import okhttp3.*;
public class main {
public static void main(String []args) throws IOException{
OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient().newBuilder()
.build();
MediaType mediaType = MediaType.parse("application/json");
// You can also upload your own file into PDF.co and use it as url. Check "Upload File" samples for code snippets: https://github.com/bytescout/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master/File%20Upload/
RequestBody body = new MultipartBody.Builder().setType(MultipartBody.FORM)
.addFormDataPart("url","https://bytescout-com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/demo-files/cloud-api/email-to-pdf/sample.eml")
.addFormDataPart("embedAttachments","true")
.addFormDataPart("convertAttachments","true")
.addFormDataPart("paperSize","Letter")
.addFormDataPart("name","email-with-attachments")
.addFormDataPart("async","false")
.build();
Request request = new Request.Builder()
.url("https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/from/email")
.method("POST", body)
.addHeader("Content-Type", "application/json")
.addHeader("x-api-key", "{{x-api-key}}")
.build();
Response response = client.newCall(request).execute();
System.out.println(response.body().string());
}
}
<?php
$curl = curl_init();
// You can also upload your own file into PDF.co and use it as url. Check "Upload File" samples for code snippets: https://github.com/bytescout/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master/File%20Upload/
curl_setopt_array($curl, array(
CURLOPT_URL => 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/from/email',
CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
CURLOPT_ENCODING => '',
CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS => 10,
CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 0,
CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION => true,
CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1,
CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => 'POST',
CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => array('url' => 'https://bytescout-com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/demo-files/cloud-api/email-to-pdf/sample.eml','embedAttachments' => 'true','convertAttachments' => 'true','paperSize' => 'Letter','name' => 'email-with-attachments','async' => 'false'),
CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => array(
'Content-Type: application/json',
'x-api-key: {{x-api-key}}'
),
));
$response = json_decode(curl_exec($curl));
curl_close($curl);
echo "<h2>Output:</h2><pre>", var_export($response, true), "</pre>";