what to know
- Outlook 2010 and later: Go to Home tab > More response actions > Forward as attachment .
- Forwarding includes all contents of the complete email, such as headers and routing information.
- Instructions are different for Outlook 2007 and earlier versions and Outlook.com.
This article explains how to forward emails as attachments in Outlook 2007 to 2019 and Outlook.com. It also explains how to set all forwarded emails to be sent as attachments by default in Outlook.
Sometimes you may want to forward an email you receive to someone as an attachment so they know you haven't edited the message. Or you might want to attach an email to your message to send them a transcript of the conversation.
Any email you forward will be attached as an EML file, which some email programs (such as OS X Mail) may display inline with all subject lines.
The steps to forward an email as an attachment are the same in Outlook 2010 to 2019 (including Outlook for Microsoft 365). Screenshots are from Outlook 2016, and any minor differences from this version are noted.
Select the email you want to forward and go to the Home tab.
To forward multiple emails as attachments in a single message, hold down Ctrl and select each email you want to attach.
In the Response group, select More response actions . In Outlook 2010, select More .
Select Forward as Attachment .
Or use the Ctrl + Alt + F keyboard shortcut to forward the email as an attachment.
In the To text box, enter the recipient's email address. In the body of the email, explain why you are forwarding the email as an attachment.
Select Send .
Older versions of Outlook have a slightly different process for forwarding emails as attachments. The screenshot is from Outlook 2007. The screen may be slightly different in 2003, but the steps are the same.
Select the email you want to forward as an attachment.
Select Actions > Forward as attachment.
The keyboard shortcut for forwarding an email as an attachment is Ctrl + Alt + F. Use this shortcut after selecting a message to forward.
A new forwarded message will open with the selected email attached.
Enter the recipient's email address and any messages in the body of the message.
Click Send when finished.
The process for forwarding an email as an attachment is different from the Outlook desktop application. There is no specific option for forwarding as an attachment. However, you can follow the steps below to send an email as an attachment on Outlook.com.
Select New Message .
In the Inbox pane, drag the email you want to send as an attachment to a new message. In a new message, a "Put message here" box will appear. Put your email in this space.
Deleted emails will be added as attachments to new messages.
Enter the recipient's email address, the subject of the message (which lets the recipient know it contains a forwarded email), and any messages in the body of the email.
Select Send to send the message with an email attachment to the recipients.
You can set all forwarded email messages in Outlook to be sent as attachments by default.
Go to file .
Select options .
Select Mail .
In the Reply & Forward section, select the When forwarding message drop-down arrow, and then select Attach original message .
Select OK .
Follow the steps below to change the forwarding default options in Outlook 2007 and 2003.
Click Tools > Options .
Click the Preferences tab, and then click Email Options in the Email section.
In the When replying and forwarding section, click the When forwarding message drop-down arrow and select Attach original message .
Click OK to close the Email Options dialog box.
Click OK to close the Options dialog box.
To recall an email in Outlook, go to the Sent Items folder. Double-click the message you want to recall, and then select Messages tab > Actions drop-down arrow > Recall this message.
To create a signature in Outlook, go to Settings . Select View all Outlook settings . In the Settings window, select Mail > Compose and Reply . In the Email signature section, compose and format your signature.
To schedule an email in Outlook, compose the message and select Options . Under More Options , select Delayed Delivery . Under Properties , select "Not before" and select a time and date. Return to your email and select Send .