How to Attach an Email in Outlook

To attach an email in the new Outlook app, open a new message and drag the email from the message list into it. The recipient can then open the original email as a separate attachment.

Drag a message into new Outlook or the web draft

Microsoft documents attaching an existing email as a separate item. Start a new message, reply or forward, then use the route for the Outlook edition open on the computer.

Status: Attachment controls for new, classic and web Outlook verified in Microsoft's documentation, October 29, 2026. No email was sent during these checks.

In new Outlook, drag the existing message from the message list into the draft. Release it when the compose area shows Drop messages here.

In Outlook on the web, first choose Open in new window in the draft. Arrange that window beside the inbox, then drag the required message into the draft's message area. Several selected messages can be attached together.

Look for the attached message item in the draft before sending. Merely copying visible text into the message body does not attach the original email.

Use Attach Item in classic Outlook

Open the draft and select Attach file > Attach Item. Browse to the folder containing the email, select the required message or messages, then choose Insert.

Check the subject and sender of the item selected. A conversation can contain several similar-looking replies, so the most recent item is not automatically the one the recipient needs.

Save the message first when dragging is awkward

Microsoft says an email can also be saved as a message file. Save the original, then attach that file to the draft.

• New Outlook: Use the message's More actions > Save as, or right-click the message and select Save as.
• Web: Choose More actions > Download, or right-click and choose Download.
• Classic: Open the message, then use File > Save As and select an appropriate message format.

The saved message may be an .eml or .msg file depending on the Outlook route. Keep the message format when attaching an email. For a printable copy instead, use the Outlook email printing controls.

Attach the saved file through the draft's file-attachment control. For new Outlook, this includes Attach File > Browse This PC; the web version offers a computer-file choice under Attach.

Review the contents before sending

Our recommendation is to open the attached message from the draft when possible and check the included conversation. An original email can contain earlier correspondence that the new recipient does not need.

Microsoft states that Outlook blocks some attachment types. If the draft reports a blocked file or organization restriction, ask the mail administrator for an approved way to share it.

For a size problem, use the large-file sharing choices appropriate to the material. Do not repeatedly send the same oversized message and expect an attachment method to remove the account's limit.

The Short Version

Use dragging in new Outlook or a separate browser draft window, and Attach Item in classic Outlook. Verify that the intended email appears as an attachment, then review its contents and recipient before sending.