Where is my e-mail attachment saved after it is opened?
The location where an e-mail is saved after it is opened depends on the e-mail service or program. Choose yours from the list below and follow the instructions to locate your downloaded e-mail.
After an e-mail (online services only) is downloaded, it can be accessed via the Downloads folder in any major browser by pressing Ctrl+J.
Online services: Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and Outlook.com
For online e-mail programs like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail (Outlook online), if a message contains an attachment, it looks similar to one of the images below.
After downloading the attachment, you may view it by pressing Ctrl+J in any major browser. Once the attachment is open, move or save the file to a folder on your computer, so you can easily find and open it later.
Outlook, Eudora, IncrediMail, and Thunderbird
Many e-mail programs (e.g., Microsoft Outlook, or Thunderbird), use a dedicated folder for storing message attachments. This folder may be located in C:\Users\<yourUserName>\. The folder is a temporary storage location, meaning that the files may be removed by the program at any time.
If you need to edit or move the attachment, make sure to choose the Save As option and save the file to a more permanent location.
Attachment security concerns
If you receive an e-mail attachment from someone you do not know, don't open any attachments without scanning it for viruses or malware with an antivirus program. If a file contains malware, it infects your computer once it's opened. The best practice for e-mail attachments is to not open the file from senders you do not know or attachments you are not expecting.