Need to email a form, receipt or photo? An attachment is a file sent alongside your message. You do not need to copy the contents into the email: select the file using Gmail’s paperclip button.
This guide is for Gmail in a web browser on a Windows PC or Mac, not the Gmail phone app. Start with a small, ordinary document or photo. Avoid using sensitive paperwork for a practice run.
Find the right file first
Before opening your email, locate the file on your computer and check that it is the version you want to send. A name such as Garden quote November.pdf is easier to recognise than a row of nearly identical downloads.
If you cannot find it, our guide to finding downloaded files will help. If you have not yet made a digital copy of a paper form, see how to scan it on iPhone or Android.
Attach and send your file
- Open Gmail in your browser and choose Compose.
- Add the recipient in To, a subject and a short message explaining what you are sending.
- At the bottom of the message, click the paperclip button to attach a file.
- In the file-selection window, find your document or photo, select it and click Open.
- Wait for the upload to finish. Check the attachment’s name, the recipient’s full email address and your message.
- When you are ready, click Send.
A useful message might be: “Hello, I’ve attached the garden quote we discussed. Please let me know if you have any trouble opening it.” Naming the attachment in your message gives the recipient an extra clue about what to expect.
Attached the wrong file?
Before sending, click the X beside the attachment’s name to remove it from the message, then use the paperclip to choose the correct file. Removing it from the email does not delete your original file from the computer.
If you have already clicked Send, use Undo in Gmail’s confirmation message immediately if it is still available. Gmail’s cancellation window is short: your setting can be 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds. Do not rely on being able to recall a message later.
Why did Gmail add a Google Drive link?
Personal Gmail accounts have a 25 MB total attachment limit. Above the applicable limit, Gmail replaces the attachment with a Google Drive link. Work and school limits are set by the organisation’s administrator.
A Drive link is different from a file attached directly to the email: it points to a file stored online. Gmail checks whether the recipients can access that file and may ask you to change its sharing settings.
Read the sharing prompt before agreeing. “Anyone with the link” can give access beyond the original recipients if the message is forwarded. Where appropriate, use the option to share only with the email recipients instead. Google-account requirements and workplace restrictions can affect access. Do not broaden access to private documents simply to get past a warning.
For a first practice email, choose one small file so you can learn the attachment steps without also dealing with Drive sharing.
If the recipient says nothing arrived
- Check Sent first. Open the message and check that you sent it to the intended address and included the file. Also check Drafts if you cannot find a sent copy.
- Do not keep pressing Send. Ask the recipient to check their spam or junk folder, and look for a delivery-error email in your own inbox.
- If it is a Drive link: check that access was granted to the same email address the recipient is using.
- If you replied to an earlier email: Gmail does not automatically include its original attachments in a reply. Forwarding normally includes them, so check carefully before forwarding private files or correspondence.
A quick safety check before you send
Pause for three questions: Is this the right person? Is this the right file? Does it contain anything they do not need? A familiar display name is not enough if the underlying email address is wrong.
If someone unexpectedly asks for identity documents or financial information, confirm the request using contact details you already trust. See our guide to spotting phishing emails.
Sources and scope
Checked on 13 November 2026 against Google’s guidance on sending attachments, Google Drive attachments and sharing, sending and undoing messages, and attachments in replies and forwards. This is a documentation-based guide; we are not claiming hands-on testing.