Current mail export options are inadequate. They all need improvement, and a bulk export option needs to be added to the web, phone app and desktop apps:
EXPORT ONE EMAIL AT A TIME
Web only (no app or desktop option): Select and export one mail at a time. No option to select several emails or a folder. The output is an *.eml file with the filename automatically given as email subject line first then date/time stamp (real example: The eccentric investment strategy that beats the rest 2025-10-02T16_09_30-04_00.eml).
BATCH EXPORT (*.eml and *.json for each email):
Proton Bridge (paid only): Current output is totally useless to me because I have no clue what the date is nor the subject, never mind not knowing with whom I was emailing (sender/recipient). Here is a real example of an exported email filename: 0__6JeRA8qTodR1eReangQJ_HCCeumVoKhzNdQ5BFOZ2bOUYh3PxFQewMWxzhEV6_Df8EeN5iQY1IEVu6k6S1NUg==
Command line export function: Output is *.eml and *json for each individual email. Filenames are similar to Proton Bridge output. (Not sure if this is only available for Windows.) Real filenames for one email:
__aB9WlXYX8q1FkH7VihvjD1wcNWANZbegCN4zba8cUsyfjzn_JmsoSk4xHfn6TgFDeI00bVg8CxJ7i4MELIuw==.eml
__aB9WlXYX8q1FkH7VihvjD1wcNWANZbegCN4zba8cUsyfjzn_JmsoSk4xHfn6TgFDeI00bVg8CxJ7i4MELIuw==.metadata.json
REQUEST 1: Please allow bulk export of emails as *.pdf or *.eml, with or without *.json files. I would like to be able to select more than 1 email from any folder, or all emails within a folder, or even a set of nested folders (that then download with the same nested folder structure with individual emails in each folder). If bulk download is restricted to paid accounts, I think that is fair but I think we should be able to download emails as *.pdf or *.eml. If there are email attachments, they should be downloaded with the email.
REQUEST 2: Please give us the option to customize the filename for the output. We should be able to choose the order of subject and date/time (at a minimum). I need to be able to sort my emails by date, and don't have the time nor computer skills to write a program to rename each file so the date comes first. It would be nice also to have to option to add to the output filename the name/email of the person with whom I am emailing.

Looks like this is possible now:
https://protonmail.com/support/knowledge-base/how-to-export-emails-from-your-protonmail-account/

It would be nice to have the ability to download an MBOX archive of all emails directly from the webapp instead of having to install software to do so. It could include a password prompt for security. It could be limited to 1 download per month?/year? for free users and not limited for paid users, although my main concern is to have it available to paid users as an option to the current system.

I suggest we consolidate our votes into the following feature request:
https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/284483-feedback/suggestions/7198618-option-to-download-all-emails-as-single-encrypted

Let's try and consolidate our efforts to get this implemented. See the following feature request:
https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/284483-feedback/suggestions/7198618-option-to-download-all-emails-as-single-encrypted

We're coming up on the big 5-year anniversary since this feature was marked as PLANNED. Will it finally become a reality? At long last, let's let all ProtonMail users own their data! Please.

Much agreed. Though I've entrusted Protonmail to safeguard my data; I would really like the means to download my mailbox to an opensource format. Stuff happens, things break, companies suddenly shutdown, I'd like to insure I've further safeguarded myself.

Download as an encrypted file - an email could be sent containing a relevant key to allow decryption.

It's 2019 now.

Has there been any progress on making this available to those with subscriptions? I would like to be able to backup my files to my external hard drive in case something happens to your company and we are unable to get to our emails

Any further movement on this? August 2015 is a loooooong time ago in Internet time.

Now with ProtonMail Bridge, free users' messages are being held for the ransom of a paid account. This does not make new users feel comfortable or secure.

Agreed

Protonmail should provide a means of downloading emails en masse to an offline backup, perhaps in an encrypted archive that may be decrypted and decompressed into a format that may be read by apps like Thunderbird or Outlook (.pst or .eml).

To prevent freeloading, it can be made available only for paid subscriptions, and to enhance security, it can have encrypted download as a default setting, but it needs to be available. Without that capability, I find it too risky to make Protonmail my primary email.

Guys, we really need some info/comment/statement here as this is essential feature (it's definetly not nice to have).

- We'd like to keep our own backups (or copies)
- We don't want to be locked and depend 100% on one service/solution provider

As you are Open Source and mention here and there about freedom, you probably know...

Any plans to work on this?

Thanks!

This is an ESSENTIAL. Planned 2015? Its now 2017?
Using Protonmail as main mail client depends on this for us.
When is this happening please.

I thak God

Planned in Aug 2015?? So when is it HAPPENING?

Could you add this feature:
Download emails as .eml archives.

A feature I saw in Autistici Inventati email service

Hello PM - I up vote this since I have already used up 1/3 of the space.
Thank you in advance,

Great idea