Need help? Reach us at 
+1 (855) 418-2323
Need help? Reach us at
+1 (855) 418-2323
File ConvertersYou need to share email records with an external party but do not want the text to be copied, indexed by search engines, or processed by text-mining tools. A standard PDF stores text as selectable characters — anyone can copy-paste the content or run a full-text search. A non-searchable PDF renders each page as an image, so the text is visible but cannot be selected, copied, or found by search tools. Total Outlook Converter reads Outlook PST files and converts emails to non-searchable PDF in batch — one email per file or all emails merged into a single document.
Quick answer: To convert Outlook emails to a non-searchable PDF, open the PST file in Total Outlook Converter, tick the emails, click the PDF button, then under Document and Properties enable the Non-searchable document option and click Start. Each page is rendered as an image, so the email stays readable to people but cannot be copied, indexed, or text-mined when shared outside your organization.
Text is stored as Unicode characters. You can select text, copy it to the clipboard, use Ctrl+F to search within the document, and full-text indexing tools (Google Desktop, Windows Search, e-discovery software) can read every word. This is the default output of most PDF creators.
Risk: The recipient can copy email content into other documents, forward text extracts, or run automated data extraction on hundreds of files at once.
Each page is rendered as a raster image (like a scanned document). The text is visually readable but cannot be selected, copied, or found by search. PDF viewers show the content as a flat image layer with no underlying character data.
Benefit: The content is protected from casual copying, text mining, and automated indexing. The email is readable by a human but not by a machine.
Launch Total Outlook Converter. The left panel shows Outlook folders from your default PST file: Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, Deleted Items, and any custom folders. To open a different PST file, use File → Open PST.
Click on a folder (e.g., Inbox). The email list shows Sender, Subject, Date, and a preview of the message body. Tick the emails you want to convert. Click Check All to select every message in the folder.
Click the PDF button on the toolbar. The conversion wizard opens with multiple tabs:
Go to the Document → Properties tab. Check the Non-searchable document checkbox. This tells the converter to render each page as an image instead of storing selectable text. You can also fill in Author, Creator, Keywords, Subject, and Title fields for the PDF metadata.
Press Start. Total Outlook Converter reads each email from the PST file, renders it as an image-based PDF page, and writes the output. A progress bar shows the status. The result is a set of non-searchable PDF files — readable by any PDF viewer but resistant to text extraction.
Total Outlook Converter includes a command-line interface for automated processing:
OutlookConverter.exe "C:\Mail\archive.pst" -cPDF -dNonSearchable -o "C:\Output\"
Parameters: PST file path, -cPDF sets the target format, -dNonSearchable enables image-based rendering, -o specifies the output folder. Save this in a .bat file and schedule it with Windows Task Scheduler. Automate monthly email archival to non-searchable PDF without opening the GUI.
| Mode | Output | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| One PDF per email | Separate file for each email | Individual email sharing, per-message access control |
| All emails into one PDF | Single file with all messages | Complete folder archive, court submissions, audit bundles |
| Searchable PDF | Text-based PDF (default) | Internal archives where text search is needed |
| Non-searchable PDF | Image-based PDF | External sharing, security-sensitive distribution |
| Feature | Standard (Searchable) PDF | Non-Searchable PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Text selection (Ctrl+A) | Yes — all text selectable | No — content rendered as image |
| Copy-paste | Yes | No |
| Full-text search (Ctrl+F) | Yes | No |
| Indexed by search engines / e-discovery | Yes | No |
| Readable by humans | Yes | Yes — visually identical |
| Editable in PDF editors | Text can be changed | No text layer to edit |
| File size | Smaller (text-based) | Larger (image-based) |
| Suitable for sharing outside organization | Higher risk | Lower risk |
Total Outlook Converter opens PST files without requiring Microsoft Outlook to be running. Point it at any PST file — active or archived — and browse the folder structure, preview messages, and select emails for conversion.
Select 10 emails or 10,000. The converter processes the entire batch with the same settings. No need to open each email individually. Combine all messages into one PDF or create separate files — your choice.
Choose exactly which fields appear in the output: From, To, CC, BCC, Date, Subject, Body, and Attachments. Hide fields you do not want in the exported document. Set custom headers and footers with page numbers, dates, or company branding.
Email attachments can be embedded into the PDF, saved as separate files alongside the PDF, or excluded entirely. Inline images are rendered as part of the email body.
Total Outlook Converter also exports emails to DOC, HTML, XHTML, TXT, TIFF, JPEG, EML, and MSG formats. Switch the target format with one click. The non-searchable option is available for PDF output.
Download the free 30-day trial — no email or credit card required. A personal license costs $49.90 and includes one year of free upgrades. Works on Windows 7/8/10/11.
Download Free Trial Buy License — $49.90
"External auditors request email evidence quarterly. Our policy requires all exports to be non-searchable to prevent the content from being indexed into third-party systems. Total Outlook Converter handles the entire Inbox — 2,000+ emails — in one batch. The non-searchable checkbox is all it takes. Exactly what we needed."
Richard Donovan Compliance Manager, Financial Services
"We produce email records for discovery. Opposing counsel gets non-searchable PDFs so they cannot run automated text extraction across thousands of pages. Total Outlook Converter merges emails per custodian into one file, adds page numbers in the footer, and marks them non-searchable. Saves our litigation support team hours per case."
Catherine Alvarez Paralegal, Corporate Law Firm
"When we share project emails with subcontractors, non-searchable PDF is mandatory per our IP policy. The command-line mode lets me script the conversion for specific PST folders on a schedule. File sizes are larger than regular PDFs, but the trade-off is worth it for the protection."
Niels Brouwer IT Security Officer, Engineering Firm
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