Software & Apps > MS Office Create Attachments Using Drag and Drop in Outlook To use drag and drop, the file must reside on your computer By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 13, 2020 MS Office Outlook Word Excel Powerpoint Trending Videos Close this video player Outlook offers different ways to attach files to an email. One easy way is to drag and drop the file into an email. Instructions in this article apply to Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010; and Outlook for Microsoft 365. To attach a file swiftly using drag and drop in Outlook: Open Outlook and go to the Inbox. Go to the Home tab and select New Email. Open File Explorer and then the folder that contains the file you want to attach to an Outlook email. Drag the file you want to attach from File Explorer to the new message window. The attachment appears at the top of the email message in the Attached section. To do this on a Mac, follow the same steps using Finder to locate the file. Automatically Open a Message An even faster way to create attachments using drag and drop in Outlook is to simply drag the file straight into your Inbox. When you drag a file from File Explorer (or Finder on a Mac) and drop it on the Outlook Inbox, Microsoft Outlook automatically opens a new email message window with the file attached. Then, enter the address, subject line, and content, and send the email. Can I Attach Multiple Files With Drag and Drop? The drag-and-drop method for attaching documents works with multiple files. Press and hold the Ctrl key (or Command on a Mac) to select multiple files, then drag the files to your Outlook Inbox or a new message. Sending Links to Documents on a File-Sharing Service The drag-and-drop method works only with files on your computer, not with files that reside on a file-sharing service. You can send a link to those files, but Outlook doesn't download the document and send it as an attachment. When you copy the share link and paste it into your email, the email recipient clicks the link to view the attachment. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit