How to Attach an Email in Gmail (Forward as Attachment)

A normal forward pastes the old email underneath your new one, and it can get messy fast, especially when you're passing on five separate emails about the same order. Gmail has a tidier option: it can attach whole emails to a new message as files, so the person receiving them can open each one exactly as it arrived.

It's a great way to send a batch of customer queries to a virtual assistant, share the full trail of a dispute with someone helping you sort it, or hand evidence of a scam email to whoever looks after your website. Google's help describes three ways to do it on a computer, and I'll go through each.

Forward as attachment: sending several Gmail emails at once

1. Open Gmail on your computer.
2. Tick the checkbox beside each email you want to send. They can be from different senders.
3. At the top of the list, click More, the three dots.
4. Choose Forward as attachment.
5. Add the recipient in To, plus Cc or Bcc if you want them.
6. Write a subject and a short note explaining what you're sending.
7. Click Send.

Google says you can also right-click an email in your inbox to find the same option, which is the quickest route for a single message.

Dragging an email into a reply in Gmail

If you're already replying to someone and want to include a different email as an attachment, Google's help suggests this:

1. Open the email you're replying to and click Reply.
2. Click the pop-out icon at the top right so the reply opens in its own pop-up window.
3. In your inbox behind it, find the email you want to attach.
4. Drag it into the body of your reply.
5. Finish your message and click Send.

The pop-out step matters. If the reply stays inside the email you're reading, there's nowhere to drop the other email.

Downloading a Gmail email and attaching the file

The third route is handy when you want to keep a copy of the email yourself, or send it from a different account:

1. Open the email.
2. Click the More icon, the three dots, then Download message.
3. Start a new message and click the attach files icon at the bottom of the compose window.
4. Choose the file you downloaded and send.

What the recipient gets when you attach a Gmail email

Google says attached emails become .eml files. Most email apps can open them, showing the original sender, date and content. Google also notes that attachments over 25 MB are sent through Google Drive, so if you're attaching emails that carry large files of their own, the recipient may get a Drive link instead.

Method	Best for	Where to find it
Forward as attachment	Sending several emails in one go	Tick the emails, More, Forward as attachment
Drag into a reply	Adding one email to a conversation you're already in	Reply, pop-out, then drag
Download message	Keeping your own copy or sending from elsewhere	Open email, More, Download message

Attaching an email versus a normal Gmail forward

A normal forward is fine for a quick hand-off. Open the email, click Forward at the bottom, add the person and send. My guide to forwarding emails in Gmail covers that, plus forwarding a whole thread. Attaching is better when the exact original matters, or when you're sending more than one email and don't want a single long chain of quoted text.

Everyday ways small businesses use Gmail email attachments

• Bundling a week of customer questions into one email for a virtual assistant to answer.
• Sending a supplier the full set of emails about a late delivery, so nothing gets lost in quoting.
• Passing a client's approval emails to a designer before they start work.
• Keeping a project's key emails together in one message you can find later.

Attaching emails in the Gmail app on your phone

Google's help for attaching emails is written for a computer, and it doesn't cover the phone app. If you need to send several emails as attachments, do it from a laptop or desktop browser. On a phone you can still forward emails one at a time in the normal way.

Using attached emails as evidence

If you're dealing with a nuisance sender, a suspicious email or an online scam aimed at your business, attaching the original keeps the full details intact for whoever helps you. That might be your web developer, your bank's fraud team through their own official channels, or a colleague. If you feel threatened, report it to the platform involved and, if you're in danger, contact the police.

Once you've shared what you need to, stopping the emails is the next job. My walkthrough on blocking someone on Gmail sends their future messages straight to spam.

If Forward as attachment won't work in Gmail

• Make sure you ticked the checkbox beside the emails, not just opened one.
• Look under More, the three dots at the top of the list, or right-click the email.
• For dragging, pop the reply out into its own window first.
• Use a computer, as Google's steps for this are written for the browser version.
• If an attached email carries an .exe file, remember Gmail blocks executable files.

Frequently asked questions

How do I attach an email to another email in Gmail?

On a computer, tick the email, click More at the top, choose Forward as attachment, add the recipient and send. You can also right-click the email to find the option.

Can I attach more than one email at once in Gmail?

Yes. Tick the checkbox beside each email, then use More, Forward as attachment, and they're all sent together.

What format are attached Gmail emails?

Google says attached emails become .eml files.

Can I forward an email as an attachment in the Gmail app?

Google's steps are written for Gmail on a computer and don't cover the app, so use a browser on a laptop or desktop.

What happens if the attached emails are very large?

Google says attachments over 25 MB are sent through Google Drive.