How to Extract Attachments From an Email

Emails can transfer digital files by adding an attachment.

Email is an online service provided by website companies that allows users to send free messages to one another. There is a way to send files over email rather than just text. This process is known as sending an attachment. Attachments may be photo files, word documents, music files or many other forms of digital files. To extract an attachment from an email, it must be opened and downloaded to a computer's hard drive.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access
• Email account

Instructions

1. Log in to your email account. Locate and open the email that holds the attachments you would like to extract. Emails with attachments will be designated with a little paperclip symbol at the end of the subject line when viewed in their respective folders.

2. Double-click the file hyperlink embedded within the email. A window will appear with several options about how to handle this file.

3. Click "Open" from the window that appears if you would like the file to open in its respective program without saving it to your computer. Once open, you may work with the file in its program and save accordingly. If the file type is not specialized for a specific program, such as Adobe, it will open in the appropriate Microsoft program.

4. Click "Save" in the window that appeared in Step 3 if you would like to save the file to your computer without opening it first.

5. Select the location where you would like to save the file in the box that appears. To save to "My Documents" or the Desktop, use the large shortcut icons on the left-hand side of the window. To select a more specific location, use the drop down menu at the top of the window.

6. Name the file with a new name in the box marked "File Name," or you may choose to leave the name as it was sent to you. Select "OK" to finish the saving process. Your file has now been saved in your specified location with your specified file name. It may be accessed at any time offline by simply double-clicking it.

References

• Free Email Tutorials: Download Email Attachments in Yahoo Mail
• Expedient: Email Attachments