Cannot attach files to email in Outlook.com or Desktop app [Fixed]

If you are unable to attach files to email in Outlook, this article might help you get rid of that issue. Many people face it while sending a file to someone as an attachment via Outlook. It doesn’t matter if you are getting this problem in Outlook.com or the desktop app, you can follow this tutorial to troubleshoot it.

Cannot attach files to email in Outlook

If you cannot attach files to email in the Outlook app or Outlook.com, you need to follow these suggestions:

Verify the file size
Compress the attachment in a ZIP file
Use the drag-and-drop method
Disable your antivirus
Disable add-ins
Create a new profile
Change sharing preferences
Clear your browser cache and cookies
Change or update your browser
Repair Office

Below, we have explained all these fixes in detail.

1] Verify the file size

Every email provider comes with some limitations, and almost all of them have one thing in common – limited attachment size. It doesn’t matter whether you use Gmail or Outlook as your email management tool; you can face this problem everywhere. Therefore, it is better to verify the attachment size before trying to add or upload it.

If you see The attachment size exceeds the allowable limit error, then you can change the default attachment size limit in Outlook.

2] Compress the attachment in a ZIP file

Although Outlook allows users to send files to anybody, it doesn’t mean that you can send any file to your friend. Apart from having the barrier on file size, it also blocks users from sending some specific files containing suspicious extensions. That happens because of users’ security concerns as many people often get issues by just downloading the attachment to their computer. If you are sending a valid file, but Outlook is blocking you from doing that, there is only one solution. You need to make a .zip file containing your original file. After that, you can send it to anyone via Outlook.

You can use free file compression software to compress your files. If you do not want to install third-party software, you can use the built-in feature of Windows 11/10 that allows users to compress files by creating a zip file. To do so, select the files you want to compress, then right-click on them and select Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. Rename the folder. In Windows 11, you need to select the Show more options first in the right-click context menu.

3] Use the drag-and-drop method

You can also attach files in the Outlook desktop app and Outlook.com by using the drag-and-drop method. This method is useful if the Attach files button or icon in the Outlook desktop app and Outlook.com is not working. Select the files you want to send, drag them, and drop them in the Send email window in Outlook.com or the Outlook desktop app.

4] Disable your antivirus

Your antivirus might be conflicting with the Outlook desktop app or Outlook.com and preventing you from attaching files to email in Outlook. You can check this by disabling your antivirus software temporarily. If you can attach files to email in Outlook.com or the Outlook desktop app after disabling your antivirus, you need to allow the Outlook app through your antivirus by adding its exe file to your antivirus exclusion list.

You will find the Outlook exe file at any of the following locations on your system:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

Office16 in the above path may be different in your case depending on the version of Microsoft Office installed on your system.

5] Disable add-ins

Add-ins installed in the Outlook desktop app can also cause problems sometimes. We suggest you disable all add-ins and then check if you can attach files. If this fixes the issue, one of the installed add-ins is causing this problem. To identify that add-in, start enabling the add-ins one by one and attach the files after enabling each add-in. When the problem reappears, the add-in you have just enabled is the culprit.

6] Create a new profile

Sometimes, issues in the Outlook desktop app are associated with a particular Outlook profile due to profile corruption. We suggest you create a new profile in Outlook and see if it helps.

7] Change sharing preferences

If you can’t attach files in Outlook, you can change the sharing preferences and check if it resolves the issue or not. It is quite easy when you are using Outlook.com to send an email. To get started, open the Settings panel and visit Mail > Attachments. From here, you can change your sharing preferences. By default, it is set to Ask me how I want to share them every time. However, you can set it to Always share them as OneDrive links or Always share them as copies.

After doing that, save your change, and try to send a file to someone.

8] Clear your browser cache and cookies

Corrupted browser cache and cookies can also cause problems with some websites or web applications. Therefore, we suggest you clear your web browser cache and cookies and see if this helps. To do this, use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + Shift + Delete. This keyboard shortcut launches the Clear browsing data window and works in almost all web browsers.

9] Change or update your browser

If you are using an outdated version of the browser, it is recommended to update it to the latest version. If that doesn’t provide a positive result, you should change it. Sometimes a browser extension, security plugin, etc. may block the upload process. We suggest you open Outlook.com in Microsoft Edge and see if you can attach files to Outlook. Additionally, you can also disable all your browser extensions to check if an extension is the culprit of this problem.

If Outlook.com works fine in another web browser you can reset the previous web browser.

10] Repair Office

If the problem still persists, we suggest you repair Microsoft Office. Run an Online repair to repair Microsoft Office.

These are some working solutions to fix this issue.

Why is my Outlook email not letting me attach files?

There can be many reasons why you cannot attach files in Outlook. The foremost reason is the size limit. Might be you are attaching a file of size more than allowed in Outlook.

How do you send an email with attachments in Outlook?

To send an email with attachments in Outlook, click on the New mail button to compose a new email. Now, click on the Attach files icon on the ribbon and select the files on your PC. After attaching the files, you can send the email to the receiver.