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About this lesson

Attaching files to emails within Outlook is as easy as clicking a button, or clicking and dragging.

Exercise files

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2.04, Handling Attachments - Exercise File.docx
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Quick reference

Handling Attachments

Attachments are a reality with emails. Learn how to quickly handle them with this lesson.

When to use

When an attachment is required, when sending or receiving, you'll be able to quickly view and save the file with a simple click and drag.

Instructions

Sending an Attachment
  • In a new email window, click the paperclip button on the Message ribbon.​​​​​

  • Choose from the Recent Items list,
  • or at the bottom of the list click Browse this PC for older files, or choose Attach Item to find an email, calendar appt, or contact item
  • You will see a confirmation of the attachment on the email screen.

Tip:  If your document is on your desktop, click and drag it into the message window and it will attach automatically.

Receive and Preview an Attachment
  • If an email arrives with an attachment, a paper clip will be on the message.
  • You can click the attachment name in the inbox and a preview of the attachment will appear in the message window. (This is to give you an idea of what you are opening; a virus protection feature.)
     
Saving / Opening an attachment
  • Right-click the Attachment and choose Open or Save as.

  • If your desktop is in view, you can also save an attachment by clicking and dragging the attachment from the email screen onto your desktop or into a desired folder.
     
  • With other Microsoft programs, you will see an Email Button, sometimes on your Quick Access Toolbar. 
    When you click it, the document you are working on will instantly be attached to a new email screen.
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  • 00:05 It's always worth doing a review on how to attach files and also Outlook items.
  • 00:10 In this screen, I've got a brand new message open.
  • 00:14 And I'm going to go ahead and
  • 00:15 come over here to the middle of the Message ribbon where it says Attach File.
  • 00:19 So when I click the drop-down,
  • 00:21 it shows me most of my recent items with a scrollbar so I could scroll down.
  • 00:25 This came out in 2016, and it's wonderful.
  • 00:27 I don't have to dig and dig and dig to find the last thing I saved,
  • 00:31 it's right at the top.
  • 00:32 I'll go ahead and choose one of these, and there it is, the screenshot's on there.
  • 00:35 Instead of using that Attach button, I can click and
  • 00:39 drag any file into the email area.
  • 00:41 I'm going to collapse this area and notice I've got my files in the center of
  • 00:45 the screen and I've got a little picture hanging out right over here.
  • 00:48 I can literally take this picture out of my desktop and
  • 00:52 watch, click, and drag it, zoom right over here to the email.
  • 00:56 That little square on my mouse is called a lasso.
  • 00:59 That means something is attachment dragging it along.
  • 01:01 I'll go ahead and let go, and there it is.
  • 01:03 The picture popped into the attachment section of the email.
  • 01:07 I could do the same thing.
  • 01:08 I could drag something from my folder system right over to the email.
  • 01:11 And I think this is faster all day long to do this if it's not on your attachment
  • 01:15 list, maybe it's just hanging out on your screen.
  • 01:18 All right, let's go back in here.
  • 01:20 You can also click and drag any file into your folder area.
  • 01:24 I'll go ahead and click this invoice and
  • 01:26 drag it right back out here onto my desktop and drop it right out here.
  • 01:29 Again, faster than downloading and picking a place to save it,
  • 01:32 just click and drag it.
  • 01:33 The next thing I want to show you is about Outlook items.
  • 01:39 But what is an outlook item.
  • 01:40 On the Attach File button, again, brand new email looking for
  • 01:45 an attachment, and way at the bottom it says, Attach Item.
  • 01:49 This is specifically a business card from a contact or
  • 01:53 an Outlook item like an email.
  • 01:56 So if I click Outlook Item, these are all my recent emails.
  • 02:01 I could literally click on any one of these and attach an email to an email.
  • 02:06 Now, why in the world would I want to do that?
  • 02:08 I'll hit OK so you can see what it looks like.
  • 02:10 See, I have an email here.
  • 02:13 Maybe you want to forward all the parts of a conversation about one topic in
  • 02:18 one email.
  • 02:18 Instead of forwarding someone four emails,
  • 02:21 just tag up all the emails into one email and send it.
  • 02:25 That is why we would do that.
  • 02:28 And as a quick side note, just to show you that if you're in Microsoft Word or Excel,
  • 02:32 which I have both open on my screen,
  • 02:34 there happens to be a little Email button on the Quick Access Toolbar.
  • 02:38 It might be at the top, you might have to hit a drop-down arrow and
  • 02:42 turn the email on.
  • 02:43 But you can attach the document you're looking at or
  • 02:46 the spreadsheet you're looking at directly to an email just by hitting this button.
  • 02:49 I'll go ahead and click it, and there's my email with the attachment on it,
  • 02:54 incredibly fast.
  • 02:55 And it does attach the most current document that you're working on or
  • 02:59 the most current Excel spreadsheet.
  • 03:01 Now, in Excel, right up here,
  • 03:03 that same button happens to be on the Quick Access Toolbar.
  • 03:06 If you can't find it at all, click on File, click on Share, and
  • 03:11 here you have Attach the Excel Workbook.
  • 03:17 This is all about attaching files, clicking and dragging files,
  • 03:21 removing files.
  • 03:22 It's actually very simple if you just know that click and drag secret.

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