When you get an email with an attachment, you can download the attachment to your device.
Downloading options
Open & download attachments in Gmail
For this same video with audio descriptions, go to Open & download attachments in Gmail .
Download an attachment to your computer- On your computer, go to Gmail .
- Open a message.
- At the bottom of the message, hover over the attachment.
- Click Download
.
Tips:
- If you use Google Chrome, learn how to download a file on Chrome .
- Your browser saves attachments to a download folder. Check your browser’s settings to find your downloads.
- If your computer supports it, you can also drag photos and attachments to your desktop.
Important:You can’t add certain attachments to Google Drive. Learn about files you can store in Drive .
- On your computer, go to Gmail .
- Open a message.
- At the bottom of the message, hover over the attachment.
- Click Add to Drive
.
Some photos are sent inside an email message, and not as attachments.
Here are a few ways to save photos from inside emails:
- Download:Right-click the photo and choose the option to save the photo.
- Save to Drive:Download the photo to your computer and then upload to Google Drive .
- On your computer, go to Gmail .
- Open an email with an Office file attachment.
- Hover your mouse over the thumbnail.
- Click Edit with Google Docs / Edit with Google Sheets / Edit with Google Slides.
- Edit
- Share
- View version history
- Collaborate in real time
For other email options, click File Email.
Include attachments when replying or forwarding
Attachments are included when you forward a message, but aren’t automatically included when you reply to a message.
To include the original attachments when replying:
- On your computer, at the bottom of the reply box, click More options
.
- Click Include original attachments.
To remove original attachments when you reply to or forward a message, on the right of the attachment, click Remove attachment.
Attachments won't open or download
Important:If the sender turned on confidential mode, you won't be able to copy or download the message text and attachments.
If attachments won't upload or download, try these steps in order:
- On your computer, check that you're using a supported browser .
- Try turning off extensions you have on your browser one at a time.
- Clear your browser's cache and cookies .
Learn about suspicious attachments
To protect your account from potential viruses and harmful software, Gmail notifies you about suspicious attachments in the email. An attachment may be suspicious because:
- The attachment allows unverified scripts:We can't confirm that the message's attachments are safe to open. If you open the attachments, there's a chance malicious software will run on your computer or device.
- The attachment is encrypted:Some attachments, like documents that require a password to open, are encrypted and can't be scanned for viruses.
- The attachment includes emails (.eml): While we check the message and .eml attachments for spam and viruses, we can't confirm that the sender in the .eml files actually sent those emails. Learn more about authentication .
If the email looks suspicious, don't reply and don't download the attachment. You can:
If the email is from someone you know and trust, ignore the warning.
