How to Attach an Email to Another Email in Gmail | Tips

If you have ever tried to show a full email thread to a manager, a client, or an IT team, you know that simple forwarding can get messy fast. Quoted text stacks up, formatting breaks, and key headers vanish. When you attach the original message as a file instead, the full record stays intact, including subject line, sender details, and attachments.

If you search for “how to attach an email to another email in gmail”, you are likely trying to send a clean record of one or several messages, without copying and pasting anything. Gmail makes this possible on desktop with a couple of quick methods. Once you know them, you can pass threads around without losing context or spending time stitching messages together.

Why Attaching One Gmail Email Helps

Attaching one Gmail message to another keeps the original email frozen in time. Headers, timestamps, and attachment names remain untouched inside a small .eml file that the recipient can open in Gmail or another mail app. That makes it ideal for anything that may be reviewed later, like phishing reports, billing questions, or HR records.

Plain forwarding tends to bury older content deep inside a chain. When a message arrives as an attachment, the person on the other end can open it in a separate window and read it as if it had just landed in their inbox. That view is much easier to scan, and it keeps any follow-up notes you add in the main message clearly separated from the original mail.

Another benefit is control. You decide which exact messages to attach, even if they sit in different labels or folders. You can attach several messages at once, group them into one outbound email, and keep your own sent mail tidy instead of firing off a stream of single forwards.

How to Attach an Email to Another Email in Gmail: Quick Steps

The desktop version of Gmail gives you two main ways to attach an email to another message. Both send the original as a .eml file that the recipient can open with one click.

1. Use Forward As Attachment — Select one or more emails in your inbox, click the three-dot More menu, and choose Forward as attachment to open a fresh draft with .eml files already attached.
2. Drag Email Into The Draft — Open a new message, then drag the email you want from the message list into the compose window to attach it.
3. Reply With An Attached Email — Pop out your reply, then drag another email from your inbox into that window so it lands as an attachment.

These options live in the desktop interface. In the Gmail mobile app, there is no direct way to attach one email as a .eml file, so you will rely on a simple workaround that turns the original message into a PDF before you attach it.

When you share these attached messages, keep size in mind. Individual Gmail messages, including attachments, can go up to roughly 25 MB. Larger content may be better through Google Drive or another storage service instead of stacking many heavy .eml files in one mail.

Attaching One Email To Another In Gmail For New Threads

On desktop, Gmail lets you create a brand-new thread that includes one or more attached emails. This works well when you want to brief someone new who was never part of the original chain. You can give them a short summary in the main message, then add the raw emails behind it.

Method 1: Forward As Attachment From The Inbox

This method is neat when you already know exactly which messages you want to send, and you do not need to open them first.

1. Open Gmail On Desktop — Sign in through a web browser so you see the full toolbar with the three-dot More menu above your message list.
2. Select The Emails — Tick the checkboxes next to each message you want to attach. You can pick one email or several at once.
3. Click The More Menu — At the top of the list, choose the three vertical dots to open extra actions.
4. Choose Forward As Attachment — Click Forward as attachment to create a new message with every selected email attached as a .eml file.
5. Address And Send — Add recipients, a clear subject line, and a short note that explains why you are sending these attached messages, then press Send.

This approach keeps everything in one sweep. You stay in the inbox view, gather the exact messages you need, and open a new draft that already holds them as files, ready to send.

Method 2: Drag And Drop Into A New Draft

Dragging messages is handy when you already have a draft open or when you like to build a new message first and add attached emails afterward.

1. Start A New Message — Click Compose to open a draft, or open an existing thread and click the pop-out button so the draft sits in its own window.
2. Locate The Email To Attach — Move back to the main Gmail window or tab and find the message you want in your inbox or label.
3. Drag Into The Draft — Click and hold on the email row, then drag it over the draft window until the border highlights, and release the mouse button so Gmail attaches it.
4. Repeat For More Messages — Drag extra emails one by one into the same draft if you need several attachments.
5. Finish Your Message — Add your text above, then send when everything looks right.

Both of these desktop methods place the attached messages at the bottom of the draft, just like regular files. The recipient will see .eml icons and can open each one in a separate window inside Gmail or in another compatible mail client.

Reply With An Attached Email In Gmail

Sometimes you are already working inside an existing conversation, yet you need to bring in a separate email as proof, context, or a record. In that case you can reply as normal, then attach another Gmail message to that reply so everybody in the thread can see it.

Steps To Attach An Email To A Reply

1. Open The Thread You Are Answering — In your inbox, click the conversation where you plan to add the attached message.
2. Click Reply And Pop Out — Hit Reply, then press the pop-out icon so your draft moves into its own floating window.
3. Find The Email To Attach — Switch back to the main Gmail window and locate the message you want to add to this reply.
4. Drag It Into The Reply — Click and hold that email, drag it over the reply window, and release when the border highlights.
5. Check The Attachments — Confirm that the .eml file appears under the reply box along with any other attachments.
6. Send Your Reply — Add your text, then send the reply with the attached email included for everyone on the thread.

This drag-and-drop reply method works well for security reports. You can write a short summary above and attach the suspicious email so an IT team can inspect raw headers, links, and embedded content in a safe way.

Once you know how to attach an email to another email in gmail, you can rely on the same drag action in many parts of the interface. The habit stays the same whether you are starting a new thread or responding inside an existing one.

Attach Multiple Emails And Manage .eml Files

Gmail does not limit you to a single attached message. You can attach several emails at once when you use Forward as attachment, or you can drag several emails one after another into a draft window. Each one arrives as a separate .eml file that the recipient can open in its own tab.

Those .eml files behave like regular attachments. Recipients can download them, store them as records, or open them in another mail client that understands the format. When a .eml file opens in Gmail, it appears as a normal message view, with any original attachments still visible at the top of that view.

Tips For Working With Multiple Attached Emails

• Name The Subject Clearly — Use a subject line that explains what the attached messages relate to, such as “Invoices March” or “Security review originals”.
• Add A Short Index — In the body of your message, list the attached emails in plain language so the recipient knows what each file contains.
• Watch Attachment Size — Large attachments inside the original emails count toward the total size, so split messages across several mails if the draft gets heavy.
• Keep Personal Data In Mind — Before you send attached messages, skim them for private details that do not need to be shared, and remove any that feel too sensitive for the audience.

With a little structure like this, even a long list of attached messages stays readable. The person on the other end does not have to guess why each file is there or open them in a random order.

Mobile Workarounds And Attachment Tips In Gmail

The Gmail app on phones and tablets does not yet include a direct way to attach one email as a .eml file. When you tap the three-dot menu on mobile, you can forward, print, or move the message, but there is no Forward as attachment option. When you need a close match to that behavior while away from a desktop, you can send a PDF version instead.

Save An Email As PDF And Attach It On Mobile

1. Open The Gmail App — Tap the message you want to attach later.
2. Use The Print Option — Tap the three-dot menu in the upper corner of the message view and choose Print.
3. Choose Save As PDF — In the print view, pick Save as PDF as your printer, then save the file to local storage or a cloud folder on your device.
4. Start A New Email — Go back to Gmail, tap Compose, and start your message to the person who needs the email.
5. Attach The PDF — Tap the paperclip icon, browse to the saved PDF, and attach it like any other file.
6. Send As Usual — Add context in the body so the recipient knows this PDF mirrors the original email, then send.

This PDF method does not include raw headers, but it preserves text and layout, which is enough in many day-to-day cases. When you require the full .eml file, wait until you can reach the desktop interface and use Forward as attachment or drag and drop instead.

Attach behavior is the same across personal Gmail accounts and most Google Workspace accounts, as long as admins have not restricted features. If you do not see Forward as attachment in the More menu on desktop, check that the browser is not stuck in a simplified view or an outdated interface. Switching to a current browser and the standard Gmail view usually fixes that.

Once you build the habit of using these methods, how to attach an email to another email in gmail becomes something you hardly think about. You will send clean records, keep threads tidy, and make life easier for anyone who has to read, track, or archive your mail later on.

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