Attaching a File to Your Email Message

Sometimes, you'll want to send something you can't put into a regular email message. Maybe you have some baby pictures, a MIDI file, or even a collection of email messages you want to send to somebody.

Attaching a file is easy:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+M to start a new email; fill in the To:, Subject:, and other header information.

2. Type a message describing the attachment and any special instructions.

3. Click the Insert File tool on the Standard toolbar, to display the Insert File dialog box.

4. Use Look In: and other controls to find the desired file or files. If you have multiple files to attach, you can use standard Windows selection techniques (click on the first item and then Ctrl+Click on additional items) to select multiple files, as shown in Figure 17.7.

   Figure 17.7. Use Insert File to attach files to email.

   

5. Click the drop-down arrow on the Insert button and observe the choices. The default Insert is the same as Insert As Attachment. The other options are as Text and Shortcut. The Text option inserts the contents of the file into the email. The Shortcut option creates a Windows shortcut. That option might not be useful if the recipient is not on the same network as you. To insert the file as a normal attachment, skip the drop-down arrow and click Insert.

Saving an Attachment

When you receive an attachment, you usually will want to put it into your file system somewhere so that you can use it. You have at least three options for saving an attachment:

• Right-click the attachment and choose Save As.

• Drag the attachment from an open message window to the Windows Explorer (or to the file system when accessed from within Outlook via My Computer or Personal in the Outlook Bar).

• From an unopened message window, choose File, Save Attachments, and click the attachment you want to save.