
Want to automatically convert Gmail emails to PDF…
Manual conversion every time is such a hassle…
Have you ever felt this way?
Speaking personally, I’m currently working as a freelancer.
When looking for work, I often use crowdsourcing services like Lancers and Coconala. This means that for every job I take, I need to keep the necessary emails as electronic documents, and I frequently find myself thinking, “I wish I could convert these to PDF more easily.”
To improve efficiency, I was searching for a tool to convert Gmail emails to PDF, but surprisingly couldn’t find one that met my ideal requirements, which left me frustrated.
So I thought, “Why not make it myself!” and developed the desktop application (for Windows) I’m introducing today: “GmailToPDF.”


After actually developing it, I created a truly convenient tool, so I’d like to introduce it in detail!
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What kind of app is GmailToPDF?
GmailToPDF is a modern desktop application that converts Gmail emails to PDF.
It’s built with React + Electron + Material-UI, designed to be both beautiful and extremely user-friendly.
Main Features and Development Focus Points
I developed this with “Vibe Coding” as the main focus, which has become popular recently.
Therefore, while I didn’t do heavy programming, I put a lot of effort into functionality and UI development. In this chapter, I’ll introduce these main features and focus points.
- Gmail Authentication System
- Email Search Functionality
- Email Selection System
- PDF Generation Functionality
- Google Drive Integration
- Modern User Interface
- Multi-language Support
1. Secure Gmail Authentication System
Feature Details
- Secure authentication using Google OAuth2
- Requests only send-only access for reading & notification emails
- Local encrypted token storage
For this development, security was the top priority, so I adopted OAuth2 authentication.
At first, you might think “Isn’t authentication troublesome?”, but after a little initial setup during the first login, you can use the automatic generation function just by logging in with your Google account, so it shouldn’t be much trouble.
Moreover, it only authenticates for email reading and email sending (used only for completion notifications), so you don’t have to worry about accidentally deleting emails.



By the way, I’ve prepared detailed explanations for the initial setup steps within the app, so please rest assured!
You can proceed with operations while viewing both the explanation screen and setup screen side by side!
2. Advanced Email Search Functionality


Feature Details
- Search by subject, sender, recipient, date
- Filter by attachment presence, read/unread status
- Exclusion condition settings (exclude specific senders or subjects)
- Search by labels (folders) & save favorite labels
- Save and load search conditions
- Quick search functionality
This is the feature I put the most effort into developing!
For example, if you want to convert only important emails from Mr. Tanaka to PDF, you can extract emails precisely by entering “Tanaka” in the sender field and “important” in the subject field.
Search conditions can also be saved, so once you set up frequently used conditions, you can search with one click from next time. This saves a tremendous amount of time!



Using the quick search function, you can search for “today’s emails” with one click, so it’s very convenient without any hassle!
3. Flexible Email Selection System


Feature Details
- Multiple email selection from search results
- Select all / deselect all functionality
- Detailed display of selected emails
- Deselection functionality
Once search results are displayed, the operation is simple – just select emails with checkboxes.
You can select multiple emails at once, so you can efficiently proceed with PDF conversion. You can also preview the content of selected emails beforehand, reducing the risk of converting the wrong emails to PDF!
4. High-Quality PDF Generation Functionality


Feature Details
- PDF generation including all HTML elements
- Include/exclude attachment information settings
- Email notification sent to Google account when PDF generation is complete
I made it so that emails can be saved to PDF with their appearance preserved as much as possible, so no important information is lost. HTML decorations and images are also included, so you can keep complete records of emails.
I also included an email notification function that sends to your authenticated Google account. Therefore, even when running large-scale Gmail PDF generation, you don’t need to worry about “Is it done yet? Or still going?” You can proceed with other work while just waiting for email notifications.



Furthermore, I included a function to save attachments, which I find very useful for document management as a freelancer with preservation obligations!
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5. Google Drive Integration
Feature Details
- Direct save to Google Drive folders
- Folder selection functionality
- Upload progress display
I made it so you can save directly to cloud storage, making backup extremely easy.
You can also access it from other devices, so you can check PDFs even when out. You can also save local storage space, so it’s a win-win!
6. Modern User Interface


Points
- Modern design
- Dark mode support
- Smooth animations
I think appearance is, in a sense, more important than functionality, so I aimed for an intuitive and user-friendly interface. It also supports dark mode, so it’s easy on the eyes even during long use.


Also, the animations are smooth and designed to feel good when operating.
7. Multi-language Support


Multi-language support is available.
Currently supported languages are:
- English
- Japanese
Actual Usage Scenarios
These are the actual intended usage scenarios for this app.
Business Use
- Meeting record preservation: Convert important meeting emails to PDF for storage
- Legal document organization: Save contract-related emails as legal evidence
- Project management: Organize project-related emails chronologically
Personal Use
- Memory preservation: Save important emails as PDF
- Learning records: Organize emails from online courses and seminars
- Household management: Convert invoice and receipt emails to PDF for storage



The essence of this app is that it can automatically convert large amounts of Gmail to PDF, so I think it will be a very reliable tool for those who need to regularly convert many Gmail emails to PDF!
Setup and Usage
In this chapter, I’ll briefly introduce the setup procedures required during the app’s initial startup.
1. Initial Setup
Authentication Flow
- Download and install the application
- Create a project on Google Cloud Platform
- Enable Gmail API and Google Drive API
- Configure OAuth2 credentials
For initial setup, I’ve prepared detailed procedures within the app, so please rest assured!
If you have any questions, I also accept personal support, so please feel free to contact me through the contact form!
2. Basic Usage Flow
Basic Usage Flow
- Authentication: Login with Google account (first time only)
- Search: Filter necessary emails with search conditions
- Selection: Select emails to convert to PDF
- Generation: Generate and save PDF files



That’s all it takes! PDF conversion work that would take a lot of time manually is completed in an instant!
Summary
I developed GmailToPDF as an application that balances advanced functionality and usability for the demand of easily converting Gmail emails to PDF.
I particularly feel I was able to develop the following points attractively:
- Security: Secure operation possible through OAuth2 authentication and principle of least privilege
- Efficiency: Significant time savings achieved through advanced search functionality and automatic conversion
- Usability: Modern UI and intuitive operability
If you’re having trouble with Gmail email management, please give it a try! I’m sure email organization and storage will become much easier.
I also feel that I’ve created a truly convenient tool after developing it. It saves a tremendous amount of time, so I’m glad I developed it!
In this article, I’ve explained the main features of the GmailToPDF app and its benefits in detail. I’ve also touched on detailed usage methods for each feature and actual usage scenarios, so I hope it will be helpful for those considering introducing the app.
If you have any questions, please feel free to comment or contact me!



Thank you for reading to the end!
\ Purchase on Gumroad !! /
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