# Export Apple Mail to Markdown

One file per email on your Mac, by date, by account or by kind, and new mail arrives as it comes in.

[Download for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/exporter-notes-to-markdown/id6741618455?mt=12)

## An email, as a file.

The front matter says who sent it, to whom, from which account and which of Mail's tabs it sits in. Then the subject and the body as clean Markdown.

`2026-09-28 Your order has shipped 491560.md`

```markdown
---
title: "Your order has shipped"
id: "mail-491560"
created: 2026-09-28T14:02:11
modified: 2026-09-28T14:02:15
source_url: "message://%3C8f2c41@mail.example.com%3E"
from: "Example Store <orders@example.com>"
to: "you@example.com"
read: true
account: "you@example.com"
kind: transactions
---

# Your order has shipped

Your package is on its way and arrives **Thursday, October 1**.

| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Walnut desk tray | 1 |

[Track your package](https://example.com/track/491560)
```

## What comes out

One file per email, named by its day, its subject and a short number, in folders you choose: by date, by account or by kind.

- Mail's own kinds: Primary, Transactions, Updates, Promotions and Not Sorted by Mail, the tabs Mail itself sorts by. Untick Promotions and they stay out of your files.
- Accounts by their address: Each account is named by its address, the way you know it. Untick one and its mail stays out.
- The body as Markdown: Headings, lists, tables and links come through as Markdown, so a receipt reads like a receipt.
- What is left out by itself: Updates and Promotions start unticked, and so do Drafts and Trash. Deleted mail, Spam and Junk never sync.
- Organize, and change your mind: By Date, By Account or By Kind. Change it and every file moves at the next sync, with nothing left at the old place.
- New mail as it arrives: Exporter watches Mail's own index, so while it runs a new email becomes a file on its own, with no press.

## How it works

1. Connect Mail: A panel opens on Mail's own folder: press Open Mail Folder and select it. Exporter reads the mail Mail keeps on your Mac, and macOS asks nothing else.
2. Choose emails: Two tabs, Kinds and Accounts. An email syncs when both tick it.
3. It syncs: Press Sync. The newest 1,000 emails come first, in seconds, and the rest after Unlock Mail.

How it works: [Mail docs](https://exporter.dev/docs/mail) · Guides: [Apple Mail in Claude](https://exporter.dev/guides/mail/email-in-claude) · [Save emails as files](https://exporter.dev/guides/mail/save-emails-as-files)

## Questions

### Does this need Full Disk Access?

No. You select Mail's folder in a panel once, and Exporter reads only what is in it. No mail permission, no account sign-in.

### What is free?

Your newest 1,000 emails export and keep syncing free. Unlocking Mail is a one-time purchase in Exporter.

### Are attachments exported?

No, the email's text and links are. Attachments stay in Mail. An email whose body Mail never downloaded says so in its file instead of being left out.

### Can I use the files in Obsidian or Claude?

Yes. They are plain Markdown with front matter, so Obsidian reads them as notes and AI apps read them over Exporter's local MCP server.

### Is anything uploaded?

No. Exporter reads your mail and writes the files on your Mac. No account, no server.

## Against the alternatives

Mail saves one message at a time as .eml or PDF, made to open in another mail app or to print.

| | Exporter | Save As .eml | Print to PDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readable Markdown | Yes | No | No |
| Every email at once | Yes | One at a time | One at a time |
| Sorted by Mail's kinds | Yes | No | No |
| Kept in sync | Yes | No | No |
| Price | 1,000 emails free, then a one-time purchase | Free | Free |

## Let Claude read your email

Exported emails are searchable over Exporter's local MCP server. [Set it up](https://exporter.dev/docs/mcp).

Connect Claude Code. Then ask: “Which subscriptions did I pay for this year, and what did each cost?” Claude reads the receipts as files.

```sh
claude mcp add --transport http exporter http://localhost:8744/mcp
```

## Related

- [Mail](https://exporter.dev/docs/mail): Kinds, accounts, folders and fixes
- [Messages](https://exporter.dev/messages): Every conversation as a file
- [MCP server](https://exporter.dev/docs/mcp): Connect Claude and other agents

---

human version: https://exporter.dev/mail
every page: https://exporter.dev/llms.txt