how to view prior attachments in the outlook email conversation thread when someone replies to the email

Question

When someone sends me attachments in an email, I am unable to see all those attachments again if they reply back at any point or if I I reply back. How do I see ALL prior attachments in an Outlook email conversation?

Answer 1

Hi Lori Ward,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Have a good day and I hope you're doing well!

Based on my research, I can clarify why this happens. By design, when someone clicks "Reply" or "Reply All," Outlook does not re-attach the files from the original message to the new reply. This is intended to prevent mailbox clutter and save storage space. Therefore, when you are reading the latest reply in a thread, the attachments are technically not inside that specific email, but they are still safely stored in the previous messages within that thread.

Based on my testing in a virtual environment, I can recommend a solution that will give you better insight and help you locate those files quickly without searching blindly. The key is to ensure you are utilizing the "Show as Conversations" feature effectively.

Here is how you can view the full history:

1. Enable Conversation View:

In the Outlook ribbon, go to the View tab. Look for the Messages group and check the Show as Conversations checkbox (if you don't see it directly, check insid View > Current View).

In the popping up Microsoft Outlook dialog box, click the button you need (usually, clicking This folder is best for testing).

2. Expand the Thread: Once enabled, the selected email chain is arranged by conversation. Look for the small triangle (arrow) next to the subject line of the email thread in your message list. Click it to expand the thread.

This action will drop down all the individual emails contained within that conversation.

3. Locate and View: Scan through the expanded list and look for the email line that has a paperclip icon next to it. Click on that specific email, and you will see the attachments appear in the reading pane or header again.

I hope this partially helps you manage your email attachments more easily! If you have any questions or concerns, or if I was unclear about anything, feel free to reach out anytime.

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Answer 2

In Outlook, when you are part of an email conversation that includes attachments, you can view prior attachments by expanding the conversation view. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Enable Conversation View: Ensure that Conversation View is enabled in your Outlook settings. You can do this by going to the View tab and checking the "Show as Conversations" option.
2. Expand the Conversation: Click on the conversation in your inbox. You will see a list of all messages in that thread, including replies and forwards.
3. View Attachments: When you expand the conversation, you should be able to see all previous messages along with their attachments. Click on each message to view its attachments.

Note that attachments are tied to the specific messages they were sent with, so you will need to open the individual messages to access their attachments. If a message is deleted or moved, its attachments will not be accessible unless the message is restored.

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References:

• Managing Outlook Items as Conversations
• Tracking Conversations
• Messages in an e-mail thread are automatically moved to the Deleted Items folder
• MAPI Attachments