How to Send Email Attachments

Email attachments allow you to send files along with your email messages. An attachment can be any type of file, but the most common ones are text documents and images (photos etc).

Before you send an attachment, you need to know where it is located on your computer. Usually you will have saved the file using Windows Explorer or some other software. Whenever you save a file to use as an attachment, select "Save As..." and make a note of where you save it. If you can't find a file, use the Windows search function.

Once you know where the file is you can create the email message.

• Create a new email message and enter the usual details (recipient address, subject, etc).
• Look for an icon in your toolbar which looks like a paper clip and click it.
• A "Browse" window will open. Locate and select the attachment file.

The file will now be attached to the email. Send the email in the normal way.

Important: before you send an attachment, you must be sure the person receiving it will be able to open it. Not all attachments will work on someone else's computer!

In order to open your attachment the recipient must have the appropriate software. Some types of files are very common and most people can open them, but other types can be rare or require expensive software.

These files are quite common and safe:

• .txt - Plain text file
• .jpg (or .jpeg) - Image file for photos etc
• .gif - graphic file

These files are often used for attachments, but they also cause a lot of problems:

• .doc - MS Office document
• .xls - MS Excel Spreadsheet
• .pub - MS Publisher document