Have you ever tried to attach a folder to an Outlook email and found it more complicated than expected? You’re not alone! Many people struggle with this task, but I’m here to help.
Attaching a folder to an email can be a useful way to share multiple files at once, but it requires a few extra steps compared to attaching individual files. In this article, I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step so you can easily attach a folder to your Outlook email.
By the end of this article, you’ll clearly understand how to attach a folder to an email in Outlook and easily do it.
I will cover two methods in this guide.
Method 1: Compress the Folder
1. Open Outlook and create a new email
To begin, open Microsoft Outlook and start composing a new email message.
2. Locate the folder you want to attach
Next, navigate to the folder you want to attach to your email. Make sure the folder is saved on your computer or external drive and is easily accessible.
3. Compress the folder into a zip file
To attach the entire folder, you’ll need to compress it into a zip file.
To do this, right-click on the folder and select “Send to” and then “Compressed (zipped) folder.” This will create a new zip file in the same location as your original folder.
4. Attach the zip file to your email
Now that you have your compressed folder return to your Outlook email and click the “Attach File” button.
Navigate to the location where you saved your zip file and select it. Once you’ve selected the file, click “Insert” to attach it to your email.
5. Send your email
Finally, double-check your email to ensure everything looks correct, and click “Send” to send your email with the attached folder.
These simple steps allow you to attach an entire folder to your Outlook email easily.
NOTE: Your administrator might block the zip file extensions as email attachments if you use this method on a company email or Office 365 account. Also, even the receiver’s email box can have a specific rule to block .zip, .rar, and other compressed file formats in Outlook attachments. You must consider this while sending and receiving compressed file formats in business emails.
To overcome the earlier restriction, you can follow the below steps to attach a folder to your Outlook email.
Method 2: Attach All Files Inside the Folder
This is not actually attaching a folder; this is to attach all the content inside the folder as files.
1. Open Outlook and create a new email message.
2. Click on the “Attach File” button in the ribbon at the top of the message.
3. Browse to the folder you want to attach and select it. Click “Insert” or “Open” (depending on your version of Outlook).
4. The folder will now appear as an attachment in your email. You can double-click on it to open and view the files inside the folder. Otherwise, please select all the files inside the folder and attach them.
5. Add additional text to your email and hit “Send.”
It’s important to note that some email systems, such as Gmail, do not allow you to attach folders to emails. In this case, you may need to compress the folder into a zip file before attaching it.
To do this, right-click on the folder, select “Send to”, then “Compressed (zipped) folder”. You can then attach the zip file to your email in the same way as described above.
Attaching a folder to an Outlook email may seem daunting initially, but with these simple steps, you’ll be a pro in no time. Whether sharing important documents with colleagues or sending family photos to loved ones, this trick will save you time and effort. So go ahead, try it, and elevate your email game!
