Email Body Doesn't Print in Airmail (macOS) - Troubleshooting Empty Print Output

Some Airmail users on macOS have reported that when printing an email, the printed page (or PDF export) appears blank for the message body, while attachments print correctly. This article walks through the most common diagnostic steps and workarounds.


Who this affects


Users running recent macOS versions (including macOS Tahoe 26.4.x) with current Airmail builds may occasionally see this behavior:


  • The print dialog opens normally.
  • - Attachments embedded in the email print without issue.
  • - Only the body text of the email is missing or blank in the printed output or PDF.
  • - Workarounds such as forwarding the message to the Preview app, using "Save as PDF", or recreating the macOS print system do not resolve the problem.

First, gather the following information


Before troubleshooting, please collect:


  1. The exact macOS version (Apple menu > About This Mac).
  2. 2. The Airmail build number (Airmail menu > About Airmail).
  3. 3. The iOS version and Airmail build on any companion mobile device, if relevant.
  4. 4. Whether the issue occurs with all messages or only specific types (HTML, plain text, with/without attachments, from a specific sender).
  5. 5. Whether the issue occurs across all configured mail accounts or only one provider (iCloud, Gmail, IMAP, etc.).

Diagnostic steps


Step 1 - Switch the message rendering mode


In Airmail, open the affected message and try toggling the message view between HTML and the simplified/plain rendering. Then re-attempt the print. Some rendering edge cases only affect one mode.


Step 2 - Test with another account


If you have more than one mail account configured in Airmail, try printing a message received in a different account (for example, switch from a custom IMAP account to iCloud or Gmail). This helps determine whether the issue is account-specific.


Step 3 - Test in a new macOS user account


Create a fresh macOS test user (System Settings > Users & Groups), sign in, install Airmail, and reproduce the print operation. If the body prints correctly there, the original user account likely has a damaged preference file or a conflicting third-party extension.


Step 4 - Reset Airmail print-related caches


Quit Airmail completely (Cmd + Q), then relaunch the app. If the issue persists, removing Airmail's locally cached message store can sometimes help. Please contact our support team before deleting cache files so we can advise on the safest method for your setup.


Temporary workaround


If you need to print an email immediately while we investigate, you can:


  1. Open the email in Airmail.
  2. 2. Take a screenshot of the message body (Cmd + Shift + 4 on macOS).
  3. 3. Open the screenshot in the Preview app and print from there.

This is not a permanent fix, but it allows you to obtain a hard copy while diagnostics are ongoing.


When to contact support


If the steps above do not resolve the problem, please open a ticket with our team and include:


  • The version information listed in the "First, gather the following information" section.
  • - A description of the steps you have already attempted.
  • - Whether the problem affects only the message body or other elements as well.
  • - Screenshots of the print preview, if possible.

Our team will escalate the case to engineering for further analysis.

Updated on: 05/08/2026

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