Why Does a Mail Attachment in Yahoo! Take So Long to Download?
By Lou Martin
Email attachments that take a long time to download in Yahoo! Mail may be due to one or more causes, some of which can be easily remedied and some of which require a little patience. Yahoo! Mail has gone through several upgrades over the years, so begin troubleshooting your slow-downloading attachment issue by ensuring you have the most recent version installed on your computer.
Encrypted Files
Opening an encrypted file attachment is one of the issues known to cause problems with Yahoo! Mail. Encrypted files are modified using a secret code to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to the file’s content. Yahoo! Mail does not open these types of attachments and attempting to open one may appear as if Yahoo! Mail is taking a long time to open the attachment. Contact the person who sent the email and request a copy that has not been encrypted.
JavaScript and Browser Downloading
Because Yahoo! Mail is a Java-based application, it requires JavaScript to be enabled to operate properly. Any Yahoo! Mail malfunction, including slow attachment downloading, can be the result of JavaScript being disabled. Ensure this feature is enabled by checking your Web browser’s settings. Your browser’s download settings may also be an issue when opening an attachment. Check where your browser is saving opened attachments by accessing its settings. Slow opening of an attachment could be a situation where the file is being saved to a particular folder instead of being opened by Yahoo! Mail.
Software Conflicts
According to its website, Yahoo! Mail malfunctioning, which includes slow downloading speeds, can be the result of a variety of other reasons, including conflicts with firewalls, anti-virus software and Web browser add-ons and plug-ins. Disabling these features can result in faster downloading speeds. Restarting your computer or opening the file from another computer or Web browser can help you identify whether the problem with opening an attachment lies with your computer or with Yahoo! Mail and may resolve the situation altogether.
Other Causes
Your computer’s RAM and the attachment’s file size can also have an impact on how quickly Yahoo! Mail opens an attachment. Larger files, such as high-resolution pictures and music files, take longer to download than smaller files, such as memos and low-resolution pictures. Your computer’s RAM, which stores copied files from the system’s main memory for quicker access, can slow the attachment-opening process down, as well. Turn the computer off or restart it to clear the RAM, which should improve the computer’s performance speed and could possibly help you open a Yahoo! Mail attachment more quickly.
References
Writer Bio
Lou Martin has been writing professionally since 1992. His work has appeared in the "Los Angeles Times," the "Long Beach Press-Telegram" and the "Deseret Morning News." Martin holds a Bachelor of Science in history and communication.