In classic Outlook, you can:
Open and preview attachments | Turn file preview on or off | Save attachments | Edit attachments
Open and preview attachments in classic Outlook
By default, you can preview files from most Microsoft Office/Microsoft 365 programs including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Visio. You can also preview attached Outlook email items, images, and text files.
Most of the time, you'll see attached files in the Reading Pane, directly under the message header or subject. Occasionally, you'll see the attachments in the message body.
Double-click the attachment icon to open the attachment.
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Preview an attachment in classic Outlook
File attachments can be viewed in the Reading Pane or in the body of an email message without opening another program:
Right-click the attachment and select Preview.
Select Back to message (or Show Message)to switch between the preview and the message text.
Note
The attachment previewer feature in Outlook only works if you have the same version of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint installed as the version of Outlook being used to preview the attachment.
The attachment previewer also requires that the User Interface options in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook are configured with the same setting. The options for this setting are Optimize for best appearance and Optimize for compatibility.
An attachment can appear in the Reading Pane or in the message body. In the Reading Pane, select the attachment below the Subject line to preview the file or item. Attachments within the message body can't be previewed. To view these, open the attachment.
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Turn file preview on or off
You can toggle the ability to preview files in classic Outlook's Trust Center.
In Outlook, select File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.
On the left, select Attachment Handling.
To turn off all attachment previewers, select Turn off Attachment Preview.
To turn off a specific attachment previewer, select Attachment and Document Previewers, clear the check box for a previewer you want to turn off, and then select OK.
A note about third-party attachment previewers in classic Outlook
Third-party software vendors may provide their own previewers that support additional attachment file types; you can use your web browser to search the web to find additional information. When available, you can download and install previewers to preview additional file types in Outlook.
To help protect you from malicious code, active content embedded in attachments (including scripts, macros, and ActiveX controls) is disabled during a preview. You should preview or open attachments from trustworthy sources only.
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Save attachments in classic Outlook for Windows
To save the attachment, choose the drop-down arrow to the right of the attachment icon to open the attachment menu.
Choose Save As to save one attachment to your computer or cloud storage location. Choose Save All Attachments to save all attachments from a single message. By default, all of your attachments will be saved in your Documents folder, but you can choose a different location each time you save attachments.
You can also save an attachment by dragging and dropping the attachment from your email message to your desktop.
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Edit and send attachments in classic Outlook
You can use a browser and your OneDrive to view, edit and send attachments. Office files can edited in the browser or the Office app. If you want to edit an attachment that's an unsupported file type, you'll have to download and open the file to edit it.
To view or preview, select the message, calendar item or task that contains your attachment. Click or tap the
and choose Preview.
To edit, tap the
and choose Edit in Browser. If you have Office installed, you will also see the option to Edit in desktop app.
To send, select Reply, Forward or New message, select the paperclip
to choose your attachment.
Tip
Any files you edited in your browser will be in your OneDrive attachments folder.
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