How to Attach an Email to Another Email in Outlook | Steps

Why People Attach One Outlook Email To Another

Many work threads depend on the full history of what someone said, not just a copy and paste of a few lines. When you attach a message, the whole email travels along intact, including headers, time stamps, and any files that came with it.

Teams use attached emails to hand off support cases, move a conversation between departments, or show proof of what was agreed. Legal, finance, and human resources teams often need the untouched original message for records, so a normal forward is not enough.

There is also a practical angle. An attached email stays bundled as a single file, so your recipient can open it, reply, or forward again without digging through long threads. Once you learn how this works, you can tidy up complex inbox situations in a few clicks.

Forwarding an email in the normal way keeps the text in the body but strips away some pieces that matter in audits. With an attached message, the headers, routing details, and any changes stay packaged together. That extra structure helps help desks, auditors, and managers trust that the copy matches what left the sender’s outbox.

How to Attach an Email to Another Email in Outlook Step By Step

If you came here asking how to attach an email to another email in outlook, you are mainly dealing with one of two places. You are either using the Outlook desktop app on Windows or Mac, or Outlook on the web in a browser.

Both versions support forwarding a message as a file. Outlook turns the original email into a small .eml attachment that behaves like any other file. The steps look a bit different on each screen, so walk through the method that matches your setup.

Attach An Email In Outlook Desktop

On the desktop app, Microsoft gives you a menu option that does the work for you. You do not have to drag anything around unless you want to.

1. Select the original message — In your inbox or folder list, click once on the email you want to forward as a file.
2. Open the more actions menu — In the ribbon or message toolbar, select the three dots or the More command next to the Reply and Forward buttons.
3. Choose Forward as attachment — Pick the option named Forward as attachment. Outlook opens a new message window with the first email already attached as a .eml file.
4. Add recipients and subject — Type the address, adjust the subject line, and write any context you need in the body of the new message.
5. Send the message — Press Send so your contact receives the new mail plus the attached original.

You can also attach several emails in one go. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac, click all the messages you want, then use the same Forward as attachment command. Outlook adds each one as a separate item in the new email window.

Attach An Email In Outlook On The Web

Outlook on the web offers the same idea, with buttons that sit in slightly different places. The Forward as attachment wording still appears in the expanded reply menu on many recent builds.

1. Open Outlook in a browser — Sign in at outlook.office.com with the account you use for mail.
2. Click the email you need to attach — Stay in the message list view and single click the item so it is selected.
3. Open other reply actions — In the toolbar above the message list, select the three dots next to the Reply options.
4. Choose Forward as attachment — Pick Forward as attachment so Outlook creates a new draft with the selected email attached as a .eml file.
5. Edit and send — Add the recipient, subject, and your note, then send the message.

There is one more handy method. Start a new email or reply, then drag an email from the message list straight into the compose window. When you drop it onto the body, Outlook attaches it as a file at the bottom of the draft.

Extra Ways To Attach Outlook Messages

Once you know the menu option, you can add a few extra tricks that save time in busy inboxes. These methods rely on drag and drop or simple keyboard shortcuts.

Drag And Drop From Your Inbox

The drag method feels natural if you work with a mouse all day. It also lets you attach several emails at once.

1. Start a new message or reply — Open the email where you want the other message or thread attached.
2. Select one or more emails to attach — In your inbox, hold Ctrl or Command if you need multiple items.
3. Drag into the compose window — Hold the mouse button on the selection, drag it onto the new message, and release. Outlook turns each selected email into an attached file.

If you prefer the keyboard, some Outlook setups also allow copy and paste. Select the messages, press Ctrl+C, click inside the new draft, and press Ctrl+V. The selected items appear as attached emails at the bottom of the message.

Compare Outlook Attachment Methods

This short table sums up where each approach shines so you can pick the path that fits your task.

Method	Best Place To Use	Best For
Forward as attachment	Desktop app or Outlook on the web	Sending one or many original emails with full detail
Drag and drop	Desktop or browser with mouse or trackpad	Quickly attaching several messages to a new draft
Copy and paste	Some Outlook web and desktop setups	Keyboard heavy users who prefer shortcuts

What To Do On The Outlook Mobile App

Many people try to attach one email to another from a phone and run into a wall. The Outlook mobile app on iOS and Android does not yet support attaching an email message as a .eml file in the same way the desktop and web versions do.

The mobile app only attaches files, photos, and cloud items. There is no Forward as attachment command for messages. When you tap the paperclip, you can pick from phone storage, camera, or services such as OneDrive and Dropbox, but not from your inbox.

There are still ways to handle the same need while you are away from your desk. One simple approach is to forward the original email directly to the person who asked for it, then send a separate short message from your phone with context.

1. Forward the original mail — On your phone, open the message and use the normal Forward command to send it to the right contact.
2. Add a follow up note — Create a fresh email to the same person that explains why the earlier message matters and how they should read it.
3. Use the desktop later — When you reach a laptop or desktop, you can still use the full desktop method to attach the original message for formal records.

Some users also save the email as a PDF from a desktop session and store it in OneDrive or another cloud drive. That file then appears in the mobile app attach menu, so you can send a readable copy even when you cannot attach the raw message.

Troubleshooting When Email Attachments Do Not Work

Every now and then, attaching an email fails or behaves in a way that looks odd. A few checks clear most cases without a call to support.

Check Conversation View And Message Selection

Outlook sometimes groups several emails into one conversation line. If you click the wrong part of the thread, you may attach the whole chain instead of one entry or nothing at all. Expand the thread, pick the exact message you want, and then try the Forward as attachment command again.

It also helps to confirm which window has focus. The method only works when the inbox or message list is active. If your cursor sits in the draft window, Outlook might assume you want to attach a document from the file system instead.

Watch Size Limits And Filters

Many mail servers cap total message size, including all attachments. If you stack a long message with large files, or attach several long threads, the draft can bump into that ceiling and refuse to send.

1. Trim extra attachments — Remove large files that do not need to travel with the attached email.
2. Split into several messages — Send one email that holds a few attached threads instead of pushing everything into a single send.
3. Use cloud links — Move heavy files into OneDrive or another service and attach them as links instead of direct files where your company policy allows it.

Company security rules can also block forwarding certain items. Some organizations mark messages as internal only or apply encryption that prevents forwarding as a normal attachment. When that happens, check the banner at the top of the email for a notice about restrictions.

Tips To Keep Attached Emails Clear And Secure

Attaching messages is about more than clicking the right buttons. A few habits keep your messages easy to read and safe for the people who receive them.

1. Write a clear subject line — Instead of leaving the auto filled text, add a short phrase that explains what the attached email covers.
2. Add context in the body — Use a few lines to say who the original email came from and why you are sharing it.
3. Check for private data — Before you send, scan the attached message for personal, health, or payment details that should not leave your company.
4. Organize by topic — If you attach several emails, group them by case or project so the person on the other side does not have to guess how they fit together.
5. Store records safely — For long term storage, save the .eml files or a PDF copy into a secure folder with the same naming pattern every time.

When you use how to attach an email to another email in outlook as part of a tidy routine, your future self and your team both gain time. The right people see the full thread, your records stay complete, and you avoid forwarding chains that confuse everyone.

Good habits around attached mail also reduce back and forth messages. When someone gets the exact thread you see, they spend less time asking what is missing or where a decision happened. That saves attention for real work instead of inbox detective work, which keeps projects moving at a steady pace. That helps everyone stay on the same page every day. Colleagues then share context with far less friction.