How to attach an email in Gmail

You’ve probably attached a PDF or image to an email before, but did you know you can also add an email as an attachment to your message? That’s right — you can attach an email to another email. 

Your recipients get the attached message as a downloadable file, just like any other email attachment. When they open it, they’ll see the original email message as it appeared in your inbox. 

Sending emails as attachments is a handy way to let others see your messages, especially compared to typical methods like sending screenshots or copying and pasting the text. 

In this blog, you’ll learn how to attach an email in Gmail. 

But, we’ll also explain why you shouldn’t need to do this anymore and explore another option for sharing emails that’s even more convenient: Streak Share. 

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When might you attach an email?

Attaching emails to your messages is useful when you want to share the information with another contact or a group all at once. 

If, for example, you receive an email with details from a sales prospect that one of your colleagues should be aware of, sending the email as an attachment is an excellent way to keep them in the loop. Or, attach an email thread to show your manager how a conversation went. 

Forwarding vs. Attaching emails

You might wonder why you would attach an email when you can forward messages to someone. Though forwarding and attaching emails allow you to share messages with other contacts, there are some differences between these options. 

A forwarded email appears just like any other email in the recipient’s inbox. By contrast, an attached email appears as a downloadable .eml file on your message. You can also attach several emails to a single message which isn’t possible with forwarding. It may be easier for the recipient to sort through and organize attached emails. 

Still, forwarding an email arguably puts more emphasis on the forwarded message compared to attaching it. Your recipient won’t have to check for attachments or open a file to see the email you’re sharing by forwarding it — the message will just be in the body of the email. 

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How to attach an email in Gmail

To attach an email, start by opening the desktop version of Gmail (you can’t send an email as an attachment through the Gmail mobile app). Then, use one of these two options for how to attach an email in Gmail:

Replying with an attached email

1. Open the email you want to reply to and click “Reply.”
2. Write your email as usual, then click the “Pop out reply” button in the top right-hand corner of your draft.

3. With your reply popped out, go back into your inbox and find the email you want to attach. Click, drag, and drop that email over your reply to add it as an attachment. 

4. The attached email will appear as a .eml file with the same name as the original subject line. 

5. Look everything over, and if you’re happy with your email, click “Send.”

Creating a new message with an attached email 

If you want to create a new message with an attached email, follow these steps on how to attach an email in Gmail:

1. Find the email you want to attach to your new message in your inbox. Select this email by ticking the box to the left of the sender. 

2. With this email selected, head to the options bar above your inbox and click the three stacked dots to view more options. 

3. Choose “Forward as attachment” from the menu that pops up.

4. Gmail will automatically create a new message draft with the email you selected as an attachment. Fill out the rest of the draft with recipients, a subject line, and the email body. 

5. When your email is ready to go, click “Send.”

Use either of these methods to send emails as attachments to other email messages in Gmail. 

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Streak Share: A better option for sharing emails

Attaching and forwarding emails aren’t your only options for sharing messages with other people. Use Streak Share to share emails from your inbox with anyone — no forwarding or attachments necessary. 

Streak Share is a free feature included in the Streak browser extension that creates a unique read-only link for any email thread. Paste this link anywhere you’re chatting or collaborating with others, like in your Slack channels, text messages, project management apps, or even Google Docs.

The shared email conversation will update in real-time to include new responses, and you can revoke access at any time with a single click.

Create your own Streak Share

Ready to share emails using Streak Share? Start by installing the free Streak extension (click the orange button at the top of this post) and then open up Gmail on your desktop. In one click, you can create your own Streak Share link for any email thread in your inbox.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the email thread you want to share. At the bottom of the thread, next to the “Reply” and “Forward” buttons, click the button that says “Get link.”

2. You’ll get an alert telling you that Streak created the link to your thread. Streak also automatically copies this link to your clipboard. Now, it’s ready for you to paste wherever you want to share the link!

3. To see how the link will look when your recipients open it, click “Open” in the alert or paste the link into a new tab in your browser. 
4. On the Streak Share page, you’ll see all the emails in the thread you just created a link to. Click on an email to expand it. You’ll also see your name at the top, indicating that you’re the one who shared the thread. 

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Why use Streak Share over attaching an email?

Streak Share is the modern, sleek alternative to sending emails as attachments. No cumbersome files or attachments — just a convenient, easy-to-use hyperlink. The read-only link updates in real time as the thread continues, meaning you never have to go back and send out copies of the new messages. 

Your Streak Share link is much easier to share than attached emails - just paste the link wherever you want to share it. If the conversation becomes private or you no longer need to share, toggle off Streak Share with a single click. Access to the link will be immediately revoked.  

Create Streak Share links for any of your email threads in seconds. Download the free Streak extension for Google Chrome today.