If you find yourself needing to attach an email in Outlook but are unsure of how to do so, this guide is here to help. In the following sections, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of attaching an email to another email in Outlook
By following these instructions, you can include an email message as an attachment. Sending an email as an attachment keeps its formatting and message details together, which is handy when you need to forward it for a record or a reference. Attaching one message does not automatically attach every separate message in its conversation; select the additional messages if you need the whole exchange.
Attaching an Email in Outlook Desktop
Attaching an email in Outlook Desktop is a seamless process that allows you to share important information with others.
1. To begin, find the email you want to attach in Outlook’s message list and create a new email. Open the draft in its own window and arrange it beside the message list. The screenshot shows an older Outlook layout; keeping the list visible gives you a message to drag.
2. Use the drag-and-drop method to attach the desired email: click and hold its entry in the message list, then drag it into the body of the new message. In new Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com, look for the “Drop messages here” hint. Check that the message appears as a separate attachment before sending; dragging selected text inside an open email only copies that text.
An alternative method in classic Outlook for Windows is forwarding it as an attachment. Select the message in its folder, then on the Home tab use the Respond group’s “More” menu and choose “Forward as Attachment.” The screenshot below shows an older layout with “Other reply actions” under the three dots; menu placement varies between versions.
Outlook then opens a fresh message with the original email already attached, so you can fill in the recipients, write a subject line, and add any extra notes before you hit send. Both methods cater to efficient and organized communication, making Outlook Desktop a convenient choice for email sharing.
For several messages in classic Outlook, hold Ctrl while selecting the individual messages in a folder, or Shift to select a consecutive range, then choose Home > Forward. With multiple messages selected, Outlook attaches them to one new email. For a single message, use Forward as Attachment so its content is not simply placed inline. In Outlook on the web or Outlook.com, open the draft in a new window and drag the selected messages from the list into it. Review each attached message and any included files before sharing the exchange.
Conclusion
Attaching an email in Microsoft Outlook is a valuable feature that can greatly enhance your email communication and streamline the sharing of information. Pick whichever method suits your version of Outlook, and your recipients will get the full context they need without you having to retype or summarise the original message.
