How to add an email as an attachment in Mail

If you want to send an email you received to another person as an attachment, it’s easy to do in the Mail app on Mac, iPad, and even iPhone. Maybe you don’t want to just forward it because you want to keep it in its original form.

Here’s how to add emails as attachments in Apple Mail.

Add email as attachment

How to add an email as an attachment

On Mac

Open the Mail app to the message you are composing and want to attach the other email to. It’s easiest to open it in its own window if it’s a reply or forward.

With both the Mail window and the email composing window open, drag the email you want to attach to the other window and drop it in.

Mail Add Email Attachment Mac

Add a saved email

If you saved the email to another location already, you can navigate to it and use the same drag and drop action to add it to your new message.

Alternatively, click the Attach button, locate the email, and click Choose File.

Mail Choose Attachment Mac

Just remember that if you use the first method to drag the email to the message, it will be attached in its original format. If you save the email first, you may also want to select Raw Message Source to retain that format.

Mail Save as Raw Message Source Mac

On iPad

If you have an iPad running iPadOS, you can drag and drop an email into another one in Mail with Slide Over.

Open the message you’re composing, hold down on the line at the top, and drag the window to the right side. It should be parked there, so you see it along with the Mail app window.

Select your email in the Mail window, drag it onto the message window on the right, and release.

Mail Add Email Attachment iPad Slide Over

On iPhone

If you’re on iOS 14, iOS 15, or later, you can drag and drop an email as an attachment. Here’s how:

  1. Open the Mail app on your iPhone and tap the button to compose a new email (or reply to one).
  2. Slide down the top of the New Message screen to minimize it.
  3. With one finger, press the email you wish to add and drag it. Don’t lift your finger until step 5.
  4. With another finger, tap the minimized New Message card to open it.
  5. Finally, drop the dragged email onto this New Message screen.

Here’s GIF showing how it’s done.

Add email as an attachment in Mail app on iPhone

When the recipient opens the attachment, it will show as an actual email with images, formatting, and everything else in its original form.

Sending email attachments may not be something you need to do often, but when the time comes, you know now just how easy it is on Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

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