How to Send Images With iPhone Mail

Attach files to an email on your iPhone to send to anyone

What to Know

  • In the Mail app, tap Compose icon > fill in message > tap and hold where the photo goes.
  • Tap the arrow on the floating menu bar and select Insert Photo or Video.
  • Tap the images to select them and select X. Tap the arrow at the top of the screen to select an image size.

This article explains how to send images with an email using the Mail app on the iPhone. Instructions apply to the Mail and Photos apps in iOS 16 through iOS 12.

How to Send a Photo or Image With iPhone Mail

It's easy to share photos using the iPhone Mail app. You can send one or a handful of pictures with only a few taps. Emailing photos on your iPhone is convenient because the Mail app is part of the iOS operating system. Using the Mail app is quicker than using other file transfer methods such as cloud storage services.

Here's how to insert a photo (or video) into an email using iPhone Mail or iPad Mail:

  1. Open the Mail app on your iPhone and tap the Compose icon to start a new email.

  2. Enter the recipient's name, subject, and text of the email. Position the cursor where you want to insert the images.

  3. Press and hold briefly on the cursor to bring up a floating menu bar.

  4. Tap the arrow on the right side of the menu bar to see additional options.

    iOS Mail app showing floating menu bar in an email
  5. Tap Insert Photo or Video on the menu bar.

  6. Browse through the Photos app images that appear at the bottom of the screen and tap one (or more) to select it. A blue circle with a check mark appears in the corner of the selected image.

  7. Tap the X in the Photos section to close it and return to the email where the selected images are inserted.

    iPhone mail app showing adding image to email setting

    To insert something—such as another file or some text—below an image or video that you attached, tap the right side of the image or video and select Return.

  8. When you're ready to send the email, tap the arrow at the top of the screen and select an image size from the pop-up list. Your email is sent immediately.

    iOS Mail app showing email with image size pop-up menu

How to Send a Photo or Image With the Photos App

Another way to send photos from your iPhone is to start in the Photos app. This might be a more straightforward method if you send lots of photos and videos.

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.

  2. Open the album that has the images or videos you want to email.

  3. Tap Select at the top and tap the files you want to send in an email to place a check mark on them.

  4. Select the Share button on the bottom menu.

    The iPhone Photos app showing a selection of 2 images and the share button

    This share option is also how to email photos or videos from a different app. For example, when images are stored in a cloud storage service and you want to email one of them from your phone, open the picture and use the Share button to open it in Mail to send it.

  5. Choose Mail in the sharing screen.

  6. Fill out the email as usual. Then tap the arrow at the top of the screen to send the email with the photos.

    iPhone Sharing screen with Mail selected and new email screen

Tips for Sending Photos From Your iPhone

If you don't see the photos you want to email in the Photos app, they might be hidden from the current view. Tap the previous screen arrow or the Albums link at the bottom to find all your photo albums, one of which includes the image.

If the photo you want to email isn't stored on your phone, save it to Photos first, which you can do in most apps by holding your finger on the image and selecting Save Image. Other apps might have a specific menu for downloading photos and videos to your iPhone.

To email photos from your iPhone that you took with a camera, transfer them to your phone first.

iPhone doesn't let you send photos that you deleted. To do that, recover them from the deleted folder and then email them using either method described in this article.

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