How do I send email attachments? (Emailing files and pictures)

Aside from sending and receiving text emails, that may contain embedded pictures or not, you will often find yourself the need to send files by email; these files or pictures attached to a given email are called "email attachments". In this tutorial, we will explain what email attachments are, how to send files attached to emails from either a free webmail service like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or Gmail, and how to email attachments from full-fledged email programs like Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, or Thunderbird and Outlook.

Email a file attachment from an email program

A common way to send files by email is to attach them to a new email or an email reply, right from an email program. The actual way in which you attach the file varies slightly based on which email client you are using, but the basic principle is the same.

When you compose a new email, or write an email reply, you can choose at any point to attach a file through email editor window - here are a few examples:

• In Outlook 2007, click on the Insert tab, and choose "Attach File" - you then pick a file, click OK, and the attachment is now part of the email.
• In Windows Live Mail, you can either click on the Attach button and pick a file, or perform the same action by going to Insert > File as attachment.
• In Mozilla Thunderbird, you can also click on the Attach button to pick a file or picture to send by email.
• Outlook Express, here too, includes an Attach button.
• Etc. As you can see, attaching files to an email functions the same way regardless of the email program you use, and all follow the same mechanism to, first, browse your computer to locate a file, and then attaching the file to the email.

Send email attachments from a webmail client (online email service)

The way you attach a file from an webmail service like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, AOL Mail, and others - is slightly different. Unlike an email program that will "embed" the file or picture inside your email, as soon as you attached it, the email editor for webmail services will instead upload the file to their server, and then let you send your email.

From your end, and the email recipient's end, it makes little difference.

If you are trying to send large files as attachments, it would be a good idea to start uploading the file or files, and while the upload is in progress, start typing your email in Notepad (or another text editor), and then paste your email content (text) inside the email editor when the attachment upload has completed.

Increasingly so, the file upload will actually happen behind the scenes, and allow you to keep composing your email message at the same time.

Email attachments and online security

To close on email attachments, always be careful only to open attached files when (1) you know the email sender and/or (2) you expected to receive this particular attachment. If you are running an up-to-date anti-virus software, you are pretty safe, but it is even safer not to open attachments from unknown senders, as well as unexpected email attachments!