How to Write Email With Attachment + 20 Samples That Work Every Time

Sending files via email is easy, you may say. But are you sending them the right way? 

Adding attachments in an email is not just clicking the paperclip icon in your mailbox. It’s much more than that. 

To help you avoid some common pitfalls and communicate more effectively, we have curated a list of best practices for email attachments and 20 excellent samples across multiple situations. These rules are basic, timeless, and can be applied in most contexts. Whether you’re a student, an HR manager, or an employer, they work like a charm. Learn how to write emails with attachment files once and improve your professional life forever.

What Is an Email Attachment?  

Any file attached to your email is called an attachment. There are many email attachments, but the most common are video attachments, PDF attachments, image attachments, and spreadsheets.

Email attachment is an invaluable tool for online communication in your personal and professional life.

How to Write an Email With an Attachment File?

1. Attachment Size: the Smaller, the Better

Did you know that Google’s attachment size limit is 25MB? This number is even smaller for Outlook and Apple Mail, only 20MB. 

Here are more details on maximum attachment file size from multiple email services: 

• Gmail: 25MB
• Yahoo: 25MB
• AOL: 25MB
• Proton mail: 25MB
• Apple Mail: 20MB
• Outlook: 10MB
• Hotmail: 10MB
• Zoho Mail: 10MB

These providers set maximum email size limits mainly because of security issues. The file size restriction protects the email system from being bombarded by overly large files and spam, which can cause possible dysfunction to the whole system.

When the attachment size exceeds the limitation, an error message lets you know that files can’t be sent.

Sending a file in a small size lets you send it quickly and let recipients download it faster, and most importantly, they can save a tremendous amount of storage space. 

So, how to send large files via email?

Don’t send files over 10MB. When your file adds up to several MB, consider compressing or uploading them to a Cloud. 

To compress a file, there are several handy tools you can use:

1. WeCompress: just drop the file and relax; it will return a compressed file in a few seconds. Supported file formats include PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, JPEG, PNG & TIFF files online.
2. Small PDF: an online tool to compress PDF files. It works exactly the same as Wecompress.
3. Compress JPEG: a similar service like the two above but for JPEG, particularly.
4. Zip your file. This practice is great when you need to compress multiple files. You can put them into a folder or simply press Ctrl and choose the files you want. Right-click and select one of the Compress options. 

That’s how you make a file smaller to send through email. 

The second option is uploading the file to a Cloud. Then, share this link via your email for your recipients. 

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• Google Drive allows you to upload 10GB. 
• Dropbox is another great option. Dropbox Basic (free) allows up to 2GB of storage. 
• One Drive gives users 5GB of free storage. To expand the limitations, you need to pay more. 

2. When in Doubt, Use PDF

Excluding some formats blocked by Gmail, most formats are allowed. 

But just because you can send an attachment successfully doesn’t mean your recipient can open it successfully. 

In fact, to read a file, recipients need the support of specific programs. 

That’s why when in doubt, use PDF. It’s a simple solution. It’s a friendly format and can be read on most computers and mobile devices. 

Here are 2 common ways to convert a file to PDF online.

1. Convert Word to PDF online with Adobe

With this online tool, you just need to drag and drop a file from your computer into the website to convert it to PDF. It works for Word, PPT, Excel, and JPG. The Acrobat online toolkit also has many more cool features, as below.

2. Small PDF Converter

Small PDF Converter helps you convert common Microsoft Office formats like Word, PDF, PPT, Excel to PDF and vice versa. Check out the website to explore the full set of tools.

If running a Magento online store, try the FREE Magezon Email Attachment for Magento 2. It automatically attaches PDF invoices, shipments, and Credit Memos to your transactional emails.

3. Use a Link as an Attachment Alternative

If I could only choose 1 tip to tell you about How to write an email with an attachment file, that would be using a link. Let me tell you why.

In many cases, a link can deliver the same content as attachments and add even more mutual benefits to both sender and receiver.

To the sender, links can save them from the frustration of sending capacity, formats, etc. 

To the receiver, most links can be opened with an Internet connection, whether on a computer or mobile device. 

That’s why we recommend it to you as one of the best ways to send emails with attachments. 

What’s more, it makes the email look cleaner. Who doesn’t like a simple, productive email right? 

When including a link, remember 2 tips. 

Tip #1. Use the Insert Link feature of Gmail. 

This feature helps you turn text into anchor text. 

Tip #2: Shorten the link.

Sometimes, to avoid a lengthy, clumsy link, you better shorten it. To quickly make a shortened link, try bit.ly or cutt.ly. They are pretty popular and easy to use. 

4. Always Name the Files Properly 

Using a random name for your files on your computer is okay because, after all, who cares? 

But this harmless practice could be harmful if those randomly named files “accidentally” landed in your recipients’ mailboxes. 

Prevent this by always naming your files correctly, especially those you want to share with others.  

#Do:

• The filename should be sufficiently descriptive and tells you what’s inside. Sometimes, you may want to add more information to your file names so that the recipients can quickly tell it apart from others. This info can be the name of the project, the name of the creator, …

• Adding several versions or a/b if you send more than one version of the content. This will help your recipients distinguish them.

• Including the date in your file is a good idea. Use the format YYYYMMDD or YYMMDD because they are the most common ones. Plus, applying dates to your files helps you organize them better. 

#Don’t:

• Don’t use the word “Final”. Many people use the word “final” in their file names. And then “final 2”, “final-of-final,”… the list goes on. Just remember that your recipients don’t want to see that. Remove as soon as possible.

• Don’t make a file name too long because some programs can’t read the files with too long names.

• Don’t overuse caps lock because it looks like you are SHOUTING. Using lowercase letters is a safe choice.

• Don’t use special characters such as  ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ` ; < > ? , [ ] { } ‘ ” and |. 

• Don’t use spaces. Space can cause problems with some reading software. Instead, use dashes, underscores, or camel cases. 

Most importantly, be consistent. Find a named formula you like and stick with it. Otherwise, your file names will mess up sooner or later. 

5. Attach Files Before Drafting the Body

Make sure you always attach files. The best practice is to do it before you start with the body. This way, you can save another embarrassing follow-up email saying, “I forgot to attach the file”.

6. Only Attach a Document When It’s Important

Did you know that 121 is the number of emails an average office worker receives daily? 

So don’t mess up with their mailboxes. 

Send attachments via email only when necessary. Use a link or copy-paste the information directly to the email body whenever you can. 

If you are using Magento, maybe you are interested in How to send email attachment in Magento 2

7. Let Recipients Know That You Attached a File in the Email

There are cases when you don’t necessarily need to mention the attachments. That’s when both sides already acknowledge the sole purpose of the email is about the attachments. But even in that case, adding something like “Here is [your attachment name]” won’t hurt. 

In most other cases, letting recipients know about your attachments will make your email clear and polite. It helps your recipients know what to expect. 

Here are some tips when you attach documents to your email:

• Inform recipients about the name of the file. For example, instead of saying: “Please see the attached file”, you can say: “Please see my resume attached right below”.
• Write down the number of files and their versions. For example: “I included the latest industry reports in the attachments. You will find the 2020 version and the 2021 version.”
• Add more context. For example: “Here are the testimonials you asked for yesterday”.

To inform recipients, be concise and informative. You need to tell them what the files are about and how many numbers of files you attached. 

Many people find lines such as “Please, find attached” and PFA boring and repetitive. 

That’s why we have found some alternatives to make your email more natural. 

4 ways to write emails with attachments are: 

• I have [attached/linked/appended] …
• [Here/Attached] is …
• The attached [file/chart/PDF/proposal/report] [is/shows/includes/covers] …
• In the attachments, you will [notice/see/find] [the report/invoice/spreadsheet].

Note: Use “Attached” in your email instead of “Enclosed” because “Enclosed” is a phrase for physical mail. 

8. Double-Check

Many check grammar and spelling mistakes but forget to do the same with email attachments. As a result, it’s widespread that people attach the wrong files or forget to attach files to their emails. 

To avoid those “oops” moments, check everything before sending it because better safe than sorry. 

If you’ve made a mistake, follow the golden rules below to fix it.  

• Reply in a timely fashion. As soon as you realize the mistake, send the apology email immediately. 
• Be straightforward. Simple phrases like “I am sorry I attached the wrong file” or “Please accept my apologies for not attaching the documents” work perfectly. 
• Clearly state how you correct the mistake. Let recipients know you’ve attached the necessary information/file in the second email. 
• And last but not least, never forget to double-check. 

Magento 2 Email Builder is a compelling set of tools for building and designing transactional emails. Its user-friendly editor enables you to create any email templates that go inline with your web design and theme. You are also empowered to customize a large number of brilliant pre-built email templates without effort.

20 Samples of How to Write Email With Attachment

In the past, when someone sent a mail with a physical attachment, they would write:” Enclosed is …” on the letter. 

But now, things have changed. We send more emails than ever. When you send an email with an attachment, there are many ways to say, “I have attached the document to this email”. 

Here are 20 ways to eliminate the question “How to communicate that an email has an attachment?”.

Sending Attachments to Clients 

1. Testimonial

Hi Christie, 

I just wanted to reach out because I noticed that you recently requested more info about ProfitFirst. I am Jesse, a Customer Support agent at ProfitFirst. We’re a pricing platform to help small businesses set a successful, data-backed pricing strategy. 

I also want to pass along a testimonial video from one of our customers, Robert. After six months of adjusting his pricing with ProfitFirst, he increased his company’s operating profit margin by 5% and their profit by 20%. 

Please don’t hesitate to reply to this email with any questions. 

Cheers, 

Jesse, 

ProfitFirst

2. Monthly report

Hi John, 

Hope your week is going well. We wanted to send over our monthly report to show you how things were looking in August. 

It shows that we are still on track to hit 5% revenue growth numbers by the end of the year, even with the slight dip we saw in revenue this month. 

Let me know what you think. We will discuss it all in the next meeting. 

Regards, 

Allen Paul

3. Meeting reminder

Dear BBS Stakeholder,

This message is a reminder of the BBS stakeholder meeting on December 1, 2017, at 10:00am in New York. You will find attached a draft meeting agenda for your review. Please find attached also the summary of logistics. This includes the location of the meeting as well as nearby hotels, train stations, and airports.

We will send you the other documents by the end of next week. These include the stakeholder comments on the first draft of the Yearly Plan and a confirmed meeting agenda. It is hoped that this will update all stakeholders on the Yearly Plan status even if you cannot attend the meeting in person.

Regards, 

Mary

BBS

4. Invitation

Dear Jen,

I enclosed a letter from Oslo Freedom Forum founder Thor Havorssen inviting you to join him in Oslo. for the Dec. 11th Prize ceremony. Let me know if you have any questions. 

Sincerely yours, 

Shaun Albertsen, 

Vice President of Strategy

Oslo Freedom Forum

5. Follow-up email with new data

Hi Elise, 

I hope you are doing well. I am reaching out on behalf of Yesware, whose email data you’ve featured in past pieces from Fast Company. I’m excited to share that we just released new data this week!

I’m attaching a guide that we put together that lists 9 findings from 115,000,000 tracked emails. 

We think you’ll find this especially interesting because many of our findings go against the grain of common opinion. Most email marketing thought leaders preach to use subject lines like “quick question”, etc. In fact, these subject lines actually hurt the open and reply rates. Our study shows they’re actually in the bottom 10 of all subject lines sent. 

Are you interested in featuring any of this data? 

Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great day!

Best, 

Susan Grant

6. Sending a contract copy

Hi Jason, 

We have received your payment and contract for the 15th Parson Business Show. 

For your record, we have attached a signed copy of the contract. 

Please let us know if you have any questions between now and then. 

Best, 

Vanessa Aoki

7. Proposal 

Hi Chloe, 

It was great chatting with you on Friday about your WordPress redesign project. 

As discussed during the call, I am sending you a detailed proposal and scope of work. 

This project reminds me of Kostas Inc. Their website redesign was completed by me in 5 weeks (3 weeks ahead of schedule). I am confident I can also deliver the same quality to your team at Magen. 

If everything is crystal-clear and you are ready to proceed – simply execute the agreement, and I can start on Phase 1 immediately. 

If you have any questions, please let me know, and I will be happy to set up a call next week, 

Thanks, 

Jane Freelancer

8. Business introduction

Dear Mr. Cooper, 

I would like to introduce our organization, Mates Cleaners Limited, which provides cleaning services to various office premises. 

We have been specializing in this business for over 20 years. Our client list includes reputed organizations in the cities. 

Besides cleaning services, we also provide plumbing and cleaning of the sewage pipes and trains. 

I would be highly grateful if you consider us for cleaning your office premises. I am also attaching a PDF file stating our quotation. In case of any further queries, you can mail us or call us at 03039-3933-9493.

Regards, 

Nathan Lee

9. Goods information

Dear Mr.Angie, 

Thank you for your email of Sep. 6th, 2015.

We can produce 3 series of starter batteries, namely BCI (Battery council international), DIN (German standard), and JIS (Japanese standard). 

From your website, I know your company has maintained a long-term business relationship with some Japanese carmakers. So I figure the batteries you are using should be the JIS series. 

Here is the specification of this series of batteries for your reference. 

We hope our products can meet your needs and we may establish a long-term business relationship. 

James Martin, 

Export Dept,

AMG. Co., Ltd

10. Invoice 

Hi Sylvia Kim, 

Thank you for your recent business with us. We have attached a detailed copy of Invoice #10 to this email. 

The invoice is $391.00, with #391.00 to be paid by 10/12/2020.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this invoice, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Sincerely, 

Plum Landscaping

11. Shipment

Dear Kristen McCormick, 

We are planning to ship the following items next week, but due to the Coronavirus, we have postponed the below shipment. 

Please check the attached for new shipping info, instructions, and advice if we should proceed. 

If you have no problem with this shipment time, we will proceed. 

Best regards, 

Tokyo Apparel

12. Purchase Order 

Hi Bob, 

Please find Purchase Order in PDF format in the attachment to this message. 

Thanks, and if you have any questions or require further assistance, please don’t hesitate to email me. 

Regards, 

Marek Koznik, 

PrimaSoftPC, Inc.

Sending Attachments to Colleagues

13. Review contract

Hi Lucy, 

This is the contract of our new freelance designer who starts working with us next month. 

Could you please review the contract by Friday, August 14? I will greatly appreciate your feedback!

Best, 

James Stevens, 

Legal Consultant

14. Apology for sending the wrong attachment

Dear Nigel, 

I would like to express my apologies to you for sending you the wrong document yesterday. The file you originally requested has been attached to this email. Kindly discard the wrong document.

I regret causing you any inconvenience that may have occurred owing to my mistake. I hope it didn’t cause any trouble. 

Regards, 

Candice

Recommended for you: 30+ excellent samples of apology email for a mistake

15. Monthly results

Hello, 

I am happy to report that during the last month, we were above expectations. Sales increased 15% and are 5% above our target. Most of that increase was supported by the acquisition of new customers. Our current CAC is up 3% at $187 per customer. The LTV stayed at the same level of $250. 

However, there is an increase in the churn rate. We lost 3% more customers than usual. I am not sure it’s seasonal or not, so I’ll follow up on this one. 

Please find attached the executive reports for the previous month. 

Happy analyst. 

16. Audit report

Attached is the Final BCP Internal Audit report.  The purpose of the audit was to perform a comprehensive independent internal audit of CO-OP’s Business Continuity Planning process (BCP). Our assessment of the current control environment resulted in an “Effective” report rating.

The report will be presented to the Audit Committee during the next Audit Committee Meeting. 

Internal Audit would like to thank the management for making this audit a success!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions/comments. 

Thank you,

Magie Shaker, CPA 

Internal Audit Manager

Sending Resume and Cover Letter

17. Sending resume after seeing a vacancy on the company website

Dear Ms.Deborah, 

I am responding to your job vacancy posting on your company website for a Business Advisor (REF:244LK), and I wish to be considered for the position. 

Please find attached my resume and cover letter for your consideration. 

Thank you for taking the time to consider my application for this role, and I look forward to meeting you shortly. 

Yours sincerely, 

Eric Scott. 

18. Follow up after a job fair

Hi Brian,

It’s Noah Jacobs, and we met at today’s Amelia job fair. I know your inbox is probably busy, but I just wanted to thank you for talking to me today.

As I mentioned, I would be excited to get a chance for an interview for the position of Senior Business Analyst you’re currently offering. I believe that both my soft and hard skills are strongly in line with your requirements.

Let me know if you’d like any additional information.

I also attached my resume, just in case.

Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Best,

Noah Jacobs

19. Sending a resume for the Event Manager position

Hi Kim, 

I am very interested in applying for the Event Manager position at Tamson. Please find attached my resume and cover letter for your consideration. 

With 10 years of experience in event management, I believe I would be a strong fit for this position. 

Thank you very much for reviewing my application. I look forward to hearing from you regarding the next step. 

Yours sincerely, 

David Wang

20. Sending a resume for the Editorial Manager position

Dear Becky, 

I am interested in the Editorial Manager position at ABCD, Inc.

My combination of creative talent, technical expertise, and experience managing writers and projects make me an ideal candidate for the position. 

My cover letter detailing my qualifications and resume is attached for your review. 

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about this employment opportunity.

Best regards, 

Joey Gates

>> Read more: How to write a mail to send resume through someone’s reference

Wrap up

Like many things else, there are basic rules for sending email attachments. Following the proper email etiquette will significantly increase your productivity and professional presentation. 

But remember that you can constantly adjust the rules depending on your context and unique style. Questions like “How well do you know the recipient?” or “Does the recipient prefer a file or a link in the attachment?” will influence how you create your email.