How to Attach File in Outlook When Replying?

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When you receive an email message in your inbox and have an attachment, and you forward that email to someone, the attachment is also forwarded along with the email content.

In the case of replying to the message, the attachment by default is removed by Outlook itself, the reason is the person who sends you the email along with the attachment, doesn’t need it back, it consumes space in outlook both for the sender as well as the receiver.

If you are trying to keep the attachment in your reply, you will face this issue in normal circumstances, you can surely find out a method and your Outlook reply with attachments.

How To Keep Attachments When Replying in Outlook?

Here in this article, you will learn a couple of methods, on how Outlook Reply with Attachments.

In the first method, you simply need to copy the attachments from the original email message and paste them after you hit Reply.

  • Double Click the Original email message that opens in a different window.
  • Copy the attachment/s, by clicking the right mouse button, and selecting Select All from the right-clicking menu. That will select all your attachments.
How To Keep Attachments When Replying In Outlook
  • Again, click the right mouse button, and select the Copy from the right-clicking menu
How to attach file in Outlook when replying
  • Now click on Reply/Reply all from the message tab.
reply all outlook
  • The next step is to click the Paste button from the message tab above in the reply window, or simply hit “Ctrl + V“
Outlook reply with attachments

Your attachment is added in the reply message, Send the email and your receiver will get the attachment.

Drag and Drop Method

The drag-and-drop method is the shortcut method of copy and pasting the attachment. You need to keep the open message as well as the reply message window simultaneously, or don’t need to open the original message in a new window either – you can drag the attachments from the reading pane.

Then simply drag the required attachments from the read email to your reply.

attach file in Outlook when replying

Forward instead of Reply

This issue only occurs when you try to reply to certain emails with attachments, how about if you “Forward and readdress” method? This keeps your attachment with the mail response.

Enter the email address in the To, CC, and BCC fields of your email, while in replies you need to add the email address of the recipient.

Reply With Attachments using VBA Code

Outlook VBA macros are such external coding that adds some additional functionality in Outlook. VBA macro that can help you reply with original attachments automatically.

Let’s understand how it works:

Below is the predesigned VBA macro-Code for Microsoft Outlook.

Sub ReplyWithAttachments()
    Dim oReply As Outlook.MailItem
    Dim oItem As Object
     
    Set oItem = GetCurrentItem()
    If Not oItem Is Nothing Then
        Set oReply = oItem.Reply
        CopyAttachments oItem, oReply
        oReply.Display
        oItem.UnRead = False
    End If
     
    Set oReply = Nothing
    Set oItem = Nothing
End Sub
 
Sub ReplyAllWithAttachments()
    Dim oReply As Outlook.MailItem
    Dim oItem As Object
     
    Set oItem = GetCurrentItem()
    If Not oItem Is Nothing Then
        Set oReply = oItem.ReplyAll
        CopyAttachments oItem, oReply
        oReply.Display
        oItem.UnRead = False
    End If
     
    Set oReply = Nothing
    Set oItem = Nothing
End Sub
Function GetCurrentItem() As Object
    Dim objApp As Outlook.Application
         
    Set objApp = Application
    On Error Resume Next
    Select Case TypeName(objApp.ActiveWindow)
        Case "Explorer"
            Set GetCurrentItem = objApp.ActiveExplorer.Selection.Item(1)
        Case "Inspector"
            Set GetCurrentItem = objApp.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
    End Select
     
    Set objApp = Nothing
End Function
 
Sub CopyAttachments(objSourceItem, objTargetItem)
   Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
   Set fldTemp = fso.GetSpecialFolder(2) ' TemporaryFolder
   strPath = fldTemp.Path & "\"
   For Each objAtt In objSourceItem.Attachments
      strFile = strPath & objAtt.FileName
      objAtt.SaveAsFile strFile
      objTargetItem.Attachments.Add strFile, , , objAtt.DisplayName
      fso.DeleteFile strFile
   Next
 
   Set fldTemp = Nothing
   Set fso = Nothing
End Sub
Click Here to Download the above VBA CodeDownload
  • Open the email you need to reply to along with the attachment.
  • Click the “Alt + F11” button which opens the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
Project 1 Outlook VBA macro code
  • Double-click on This Outlook Session, which opens the black sheet, copy the above macro and paste it on the sheet.
  • Press the F5 key to run this macro.
  • In the opening Macros dialog box, click RunReplyAllWithAttachments if you want to reply to all with attachments. Otherwise, select RunReplyWithAttachments, then click the Run button.

VBA Macro code is always complicated, it sometimes changes the structure of Outlook, which ends up with Outlook technical glitches. I personally recommended avoiding VBA Macros.

All the above methods are “How to attach the file in Outlook when replying” and avoid the VBA macro method.

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