EML code refers to the raw source content of an EML file - a standard file format for storing individual email messages. An EML file contains the complete email in plain text, including MIME headers (From, To, Subject, Date), the HTML body of the email, any plain text alternative, and Base64-encoded attachments. The 'code' inside an EML file is a mix of email headers and HTML markup that email clients render into the formatted email you see in your inbox.

EML Code: How to View Email HTML from Gmail, Yahoo & Outlook

Q: What is the difference between EML and HTML?

EML is a file format that wraps an entire email message, including headers, metadata, and one or more body parts. HTML is a markup language used to format the visual content of the email body inside that EML file. In other words, EML is the container and HTML is the content inside it. When you open an EML file in a text editor, you will see the email headers at the top followed by MIME boundaries separating the plain text and HTML parts of the message.

Q: How do I view the HTML of an email?

To view the HTML of an email in Gmail, open the email, click the three-dot menu, and select 'Show original' - then click 'Download original' to save the EML file. In Yahoo Mail, click the three dots and select 'View raw message'. In Outlook on the web, click the three dots, select 'View', then 'View Message Source'. Once you have the EML file, open it in any text editor to see the raw HTML, or use Campaign Cleaner's free EML to HTML converter at campaigncleaner.com/tools/emltohtml/ to decode and render it.

Q: How do I convert an EML file to HTML?

To convert an EML file to HTML, use Campaign Cleaner's free EML to HTML Converter at campaigncleaner.com/tools/emltohtml/. Upload or paste your EML file and the tool decodes Base64-encoded content, extracts the HTML body, and renders it as a readable web page. This is especially useful for viewing the HTML source of emails received in Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook without needing a separate email client or text editor.

Q: How do I view email as HTML in Gmail?

To view an email as HTML in Gmail: open the email, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and select 'Show original'. This opens the raw message page. Click 'Download original' to save the .eml file, then open it in a text editor to see the HTML source, or paste the content into Campaign Cleaner's EML to HTML Converter to render the HTML visually. You can also click 'Copy to clipboard' on the Show Original page and paste the content directly into the converter.

By Henry Timmes · Email Deliverability Consultant · Named contributor to RFC 7489 (DMARC)

EML Files Email HTML Email Source Code Gmail Outlook

Free EML tools: EML to HTML Converter Mail Tester

Whether you want to inspect how an email was built, debug rendering issues, or analyze the HTML structure of a received message, viewing the EML code is the starting point. This guide explains what EML code actually is, how it relates to HTML, and how to access the raw email source from Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook.

What is EML Code?

An EML file is the standard file format for storing individual email messages. The term "EML code" refers to the raw text content inside that file - everything from the message headers down to the HTML markup of the email body.

When an email arrives in your inbox, your email client downloads and renders it. The EML file is what gets stored. It contains:

MIME headers - From, To, Subject, Date, Message-ID, and routing information
Content-Type declarations - telling the email client whether the body is plain text, HTML, or multipart
The email body - usually both a plain text version and an HTML version separated by MIME boundaries
Attachments - encoded in Base64 within the file

EML files are created by email clients like Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and Mozilla Thunderbird, and are the format you get when you export or download a message from Gmail or Yahoo Mail. Opening the raw EML code lets you see exactly what was sent - headers, HTML structure, tracking pixels, and all.

Why email senders view EML code: Inspecting the HTML inside an EML file is the most reliable way to audit what your subscribers actually receive. It reveals hidden tracking pixels, broken CSS inlining, unexpected header fields added by your ESP, and Base64-encoded content that may affect deliverability. Campaign Cleaner's EML to HTML Converter decodes and renders EML files in one step.

EML vs HTML: What's the Difference?

EML and HTML are related but serve different purposes. The simplest way to understand the difference is: EML is the container, HTML is the content inside it.

EML	HTML
File format for storing a complete email message	Markup language used to format the email body
Contains headers, metadata, body parts, and attachments	Contains only the visual structure and styling of the message
Opened by email clients (Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail)	Rendered by email clients and web browsers
Extension: .eml	Extension: .html or .htm
Can contain multiple body parts (plain text + HTML)	Is one of those body parts - the formatted version

When you open an EML file in a text editor, you see raw EML code - a mix of headers and MIME structure. When an email client opens the same file, it extracts the HTML part and renders it visually. The HTML inside an EML file follows the same syntax as web HTML but is typically limited to inline styles and table-based layouts for cross-client compatibility.

How to View Email HTML in Gmail

Gmail's "Show original" option exposes the full EML code for any received message, including all headers and the raw HTML body.

1

Open the email - Log in to your Gmail account and open the specific email whose HTML code you want to view.
2

Access "Show Original" - Click the three-dot (More) menu in the top-right corner of the email and select Show original. This opens a new page with the raw email content.
3

Download the EML file - On the "Original Message" page, click Download Original to save the email as a .eml file.
4

Copy to clipboard - Alternatively, click Copy to clipboard on the same page to copy the entire raw content including headers and HTML.
5

View the HTML - Open the .eml file in a text editor to read the raw code, or paste it into our EML to HTML Converter to decode Base64-encoded content and render the HTML visually.

How to View Email HTML in Yahoo Mail

Yahoo Mail provides a "View raw message" option that displays the complete EML source code directly in the browser.

1

Open Yahoo Mail - Go to Yahoo Mail in your browser and log in to your account.
2

Open the email - Navigate to the inbox or folder containing the email and click to open it.
3

View raw message - Click the three-dot (More) menu in the top-right corner and select "View raw message". This shows the full email source including HTML code.
4

Download the EML file - Right-click the page and select Save as, then name the file with a .eml extension (for example: email-name.eml).
5

View the HTML - Open the saved file in a text editor, or use our EML to HTML Converter to decode and render the HTML.

How to View Email HTML in Outlook

Outlook on the web provides a "View Message Source" option. The desktop app uses a slightly different path but exposes the same raw EML content.

1

Open Outlook - Launch the Outlook desktop app or open Outlook.com / Office 365 in your browser.
2

Open the email - Go to your inbox, find the email, and double-click to open it in a new window.
3

View message source (Outlook on the web) - Click the three-dot (More) menu in the top-right corner, select "View", then "View Message Source". This displays the full raw email source including HTML.
4

Download as EML file - Click the three-dot menu, select "View", then "Save as" to save the message as an EML file.
5

View the HTML - Open the EML file in a text editor or paste the content into our EML to HTML Converter to render and inspect the HTML.

How to Convert EML to HTML

Raw EML files contain Base64-encoded content that is not human-readable in a text editor. The HTML body of an email is encoded in Base64 inside the EML file, which means you see a long string of random-looking characters rather than actual HTML tags.

An EML to HTML converter decodes that Base64 content, extracts the HTML part of the email, and renders it so you can read and inspect the actual markup. This is the fastest way to view email HTML without manually decoding the Base64 string.

Free EML to HTML Converter

Upload or paste your EML file. Campaign Cleaner decodes the Base64 content, extracts the HTML, and renders it immediately - no signup required.

Open EML to HTML Converter

Once you can view the email HTML, you can also run it through Campaign Cleaner to identify HTML issues that affect deliverability - oversized code, missing ALT tags, broken CSS inlining, spam-trigger phrases in the HTML, and more. Understanding the raw EML code is step one; making sure that code is clean and deliverable is step two.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is EML code?

EML code refers to the raw source content of an EML file - a standard file format for storing individual email messages. It contains MIME headers (From, To, Subject, Date), the HTML body of the email, a plain text alternative, and any Base64-encoded attachments. The HTML inside an EML file is the actual markup that email clients render into the formatted email you see in your inbox.

What is the difference between EML and HTML?

EML is the container format that wraps the entire email - headers, metadata, and body parts. HTML is the markup language used to format the visual content of the email body inside that container. When you open an EML file in a text editor you see the full EML code including headers. When an email client opens it, it extracts and renders just the HTML part.

How do I view the HTML of an email?

In Gmail: open the email, click the three-dot menu, select "Show original", then "Download original". In Yahoo: click the three dots and select "View raw message". In Outlook on the web: click the three dots, select "View", then "View Message Source". Once you have the EML file, open it in a text editor or use the free EML to HTML Converter at campaigncleaner.com/tools/emltohtml/ to decode and render it.

How do I convert an EML file to HTML?

Use Campaign Cleaner's free EML to HTML Converter. Upload or paste your EML file and the tool decodes the Base64-encoded content, extracts the HTML body, and renders it as a readable web page. This is faster than manually decoding Base64 in a text editor and works for emails from Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and any other email client.

How do I view email as HTML in Gmail?

Open the email in Gmail, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and select "Show original". On the Original Message page, click "Download original" to save the .eml file, or "Copy to clipboard" to copy the raw content. Open the file in a text editor to see the HTML source, or paste it into the EML to HTML Converter to render it visually.

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