How to send and receive pictures in e-mail

There are far too many e-mail programs for us to cover them all. This page contains information on how to send and receive pictures in each of the more popular e-mail services. You may have to adapt the following steps to fit the particular application you use.

Note: Not all e-mails have pictures attached to them. Some messages are sent in HTML format, meaning the message can contain images without attachments.

Tips for sending pictures through e-mail

Below are some general tips to consider when sending any attachment through e-mail, including pictures.

• It is common courtesy to send only one to five attachments in a single e-mail. If you have more than five pictures, we suggest you post them online and send a link to that site, or compress all the files into one.
• Moreover, if the file containing your pictures is larger than 15 MB, we suggest you send it using one of the services mentioned above. Most Internet-based e-mail services have a limit of 15 MB or less per message.
• Consider using an image editor to reduce the size of the images. Images often take up a considerable amount space. Not only does this cause longer download times, but it reduces the number of images you can send.
• Convert the images into formats supported by multiple computers. For example, all computers can open JPEG (JPG), PNG and GIF files. Make sure the images you send are in one of these formats.

Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express

Tip: You may drag and drop image files into the body of an e-mail.
Tip: You can also select and attach multiple images at once.

Attaching pictures to a Microsoft Outlook e-mail

1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
2. Reply to an existing e-mail, or compose a new e-mail by clicking on the New icon in the top left portion of the window.
3. In the e-mail, click on the Insert file icon that looks like a small paper clip, or click on Insert at the top of the window and choose a file.
4. Once you've located the file, double-click to attach it.

If the attachment is successful, you should see an icon of the file in the body of your message or on a separate line right below the e-mail subject line.

Alternative method using Outlook:

1. Open My Computer or Windows Explorer and move to the location of where your files are located.
2. Highlight and copy the picture you want to send.
3. Open a new e-mail or reply message, and then right-click in the body portion of the e-mail and select paste.

Viewing pictures in a Microsoft Outlook e-mail

1. Open the e-mail message with the desired picture.
2. Double-click the attachment icon at the bottom of the window, the yellow paperclip icon in the e-mail preview, or the attached file name in the Attachment line right below the Subject line.

Mozilla Thunderbird

Note: If you attach an image by clicking on Insert and then Image, the message becomes an HTML formatted e-mail. In this format, the image may not display properly in some e-mail clients.

Attaching pictures to a Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail

1. Open Mozilla Thunderbird.
2. Reply to an existing e-mail, or compose a new e-mail by clicking on the Write icon in the top left portion of the window.
3. In the e-mail, click on the Attach icon; it looks like a large paper clip and is located at the top of the window.
   
4. Click the Choose File button and browse to the location of the image or photo that you want to attach.
5. Click Ok.

If the attachment is successful, you should see a link and usually an icon with the file name(s) in your message. Once you're ready to send the message, click the Send button.

Viewing pictures in a Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail

1. Open the e-mail message with the desired picture.
2. Many common images types are shown in the message without having to open them.
3. If not, double-click the attachment name at the bottom of the window.

Outlook.com (formerly Hotmail)

In 2013, MSN Hotmail was replaced by a new service called Outlook.com. However, you can still log in with a Hotmail e-mail address if you have one.

Attaching pictures to an Outlook.com e-mail

1. Log into your Hotmail or Outlook account at outlook.live.com/owa.
2. In the upper left-hand corner, click the New link with the plus sign next to it.
3. Select the Attach button with a paper clip next to it.
4. Navigate to the picture you'd like to attach, and then click the check box next to that file(s).
5. Select Next, and then choose whether you'd like to attach as a copy or a OneDrive file.
6. The picture is now attached and ready to send.

If the attachment is successful, you should see a link and usually an icon with the file name(s) in your message. Once you're ready to send the message, click the Send button.

Viewing pictures in an Outlook.com e-mail

1. Log into your Hotmail or Outlook account at outlook.live.com/owa.
2. Open the e-mail with the desired picture.
3. Many common images types are shown in the message without having to open them.
4. If not, click the View or Download link to view the image.

Gmail

Tip: You may attach multiple pictures at the same time by holding down the Ctrl key, and then clicking each file individually.

Attaching pictures to a Gmail e-mail

1. Log into your Gmail account at https://www.gmail.com.
2. Click the Compose link.
3. Click the Attach File link or paperclip icon as shown in the image below.
4. Click the Browse button and navigate to the file you want to attach.
5. Click Ok.

If the attachment is successful, you should see a link and usually an icon with the file name(s) in your message. Once you're ready to send the message, click the Send button.

Viewing pictures in a Gmail e-mail

1. Open the e-mail with the desired picture.
2. Many common images types are shown in the message without having to open them.
3. If not, click the View or Download link to view the image.

Yahoo!

Attaching pictures to Yahoo! e-mail

1. Log into your Yahoo! account at https://www.yahoo.com.
2. Click Compose in the top left-hand corner.
3. Either drag and drop the files you're sending into the message body or click the Paper clip Icon at the bottom of the screen.
4. Select the picture you'd like to attach.
5. Click Open.
6. Repeat for additional files.

If the attachment is successful, you should see a link and usually an icon with the file name(s) in your message. Once you're ready to send the message, click the Send button.

Viewing pictures in a Yahoo! e-mail

1. Open the e-mail with the desired picture.
2. Many common images types are shown in the message without having to open them.
3. If not, click the View or Download link to view the image.

Send picture from iPad

Tip: You can also download pictures from your iPad to a computer, then attach the pictures to an e-mail using your computer.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap on the Photos tab, then tap on the picture you want to send in an e-mail.
3. Tap on the Sharing icon, which looks like a box and a smaller arrow coming out of it.
4. Select the Email Photo option.
5. A new e-mail opens with the picture attached. Fill out the e-mail details and send the e-mail.