Outlook 365 drop-down attachment menu showing only MS files

Question

Outlook 365 drop-down attachment menu showing only MS files

Mark Radell 6

Starting a couple weeks ago when one of the latest updates to Outlook was installed the drop-down menu you used to select files to attach is only showing Office files from word, Excel, etc. It's not showing DWG, PDF, etc. files. It used to show the most recent files the user had open and that feature made things work very well for the type of work I do which involves a lot of drawings. How can I get the drop-down list to again show all types of files that I have used recently, not just the files generated by Office 365?

Mike Barker 0 Reputation points

2023-11-24T21:53:20.8333333+00:00
Has anyone been able to get this resolved? I have this on multiple computers for my work. Still can't find a work around for this:

Windows 22H2

Latest O365 Updates applied for my channel

What I have done:

Reset Recent Items list (by going to the Recent folder in AppData and right clicking the empty space and choosing clear recent list

Cleared recent list and disabled/re-enabled the Quick Access settings in File Explorer

Enabled the show jump lists option in Personalize > Start in the settings app

Ran DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

Confirmed the list is updating by opening some Word files - the lists CAN show other file types like it did before it stopped, you just have to access them with an Office in some way shape or form (i.e. using the legacy Attach File command instead of the new one)

Confirmed that location doesn't matter - can be a Network Share, OneDrive file, or a file stored locally in folders where this user account would have full control over the files in there

I've rebuild the Search index, double checked it was taking all the folders except some funny app specific ones (like .pdfsam with PDF Split and Merge)

Enable File Searching in the Start Menu

Double checked that I'm using the built in explorer.exe shell

No Group policy is configured for this (Domain joined Enterprise computer) - or at least nothing that shows up in gpresult - but I've been over every configured option in our domain policy and it's not showing there either - cortana is GP disabled BUT was never a problem in the past, this has only been the last 2 weeks

No Windows Update are available

No Office updates are available

Quick and Online repair of Office has been done - complete re-install has not

Happening on multiple computers so it's not a "user issue" like some might turn around and say

Office and Edge are signed in with the same M365 account (every computer only has 1 person signed into the machine, so it's not like it's a problem with shared logins)

Issue persists in new Outlook profile

Issue persists with Outlook.exe /safe

Data File for this account IS in AppData but it's in the Index for searching so that shouldn't matter.

I did run an scf /scannow which "found some corrupt files" but I have a lot of doubts of that fixing anything. So after I post this I'm going to reboot.

I have a strange feeling I've done some more things but that's what I have in my notes so far.
Jonn Lebron 0 Reputation points

2024-11-15T19:22:11.49+00:00

Hey Mike, I'm facing the same issue after updating to windows 11. Where you able to find a solution?
Shan Jeet 0 Reputation points

2025-05-14T05:52:16.2633333+00:00

I've been having the same problems for a while now. Today, I decided to Google and look for solutions. None of them worked until I discovered some of the solutions posted here. Mine has to do with the disabled "Recent Items" in Windows Settings under Personalisation> Start. After enabling it back, the recent folders was no longer empty and the "attach file" drop down list now has PDF and other file formats.

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Jonn Lebron 0 Reputation points

2024-11-15T19:22:11.49+00:00

Hey Mike, I'm facing the same issue after updating to windows 11. Where you able to find a solution?
Shan Jeet 0 Reputation points

2025-05-14T05:52:16.2633333+00:00

I've been having the same problems for a while now. Today, I decided to Google and look for solutions. None of them worked until I discovered some of the solutions posted here. Mine has to do with the disabled "Recent Items" in Windows Settings under Personalisation> Start. After enabling it back, the recent folders was no longer empty and the "attach file" drop down list now has PDF and other file formats.

Answer 1

What's the version of your Outlook365(File>Office Account>About Outlook)? Please ensure that you have already worked with the latest version of Windows and Office.

Starting a couple weeks ago when one of the latest updates to Outlook was installed the drop-down menu you used to select files to attach is only showing Office files

Does the drop-down menu mentioned here represent the “Attach File” list like below? Can files in other formats (such as .png or .txt) be displayed normally? According to my tests, I created .dwg and .pdf file locally, then I tried to attach files in a new message by my latest Outlook 365(Version 2007(Build 13029.20344 Click-to-Run)) and could find my .dwg and .pdf file in the Recent Items.

As I know, the Recent Items list is being fed from the Recent Items or Quick Access list that Windows maintains and you should be able to find the (hidden) folder in the following location by default: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent. Please try to clear recent items list in the folder(Right-click > clear recent items list) and reopen your .dwg or .pdf file and check if the items show on normal.

If the issue still exists, please try the following steps to troubleshot your issue:

To avoid the interference of add-ins, please try to restart Outlook in safe mode(windows + R> type"outlook.exe /safe") and check if the issue has any difference.
Corrupted Outlook client may cause this issue, please try to repair your Outlook.
Besides,if you still worried the issue is related to the updating, it's suggested to revert your Office to an earlier version firstly and check if the issue has any difference.

Any update, please feel free to post back.

If the response is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.

Jade Liang-MSFT 9,986 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2020-08-28T00:29:41.767+00:00

Does this issue have any upgrades?
If it has been resolved, please click "Accept as answer" to mark useful post or share your solution, your action would benefit others who have similar issues.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to post back. Thanks!
Jade Liang-MSFT 9,986 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2020-08-31T12:49:00.717+00:00

Has your issue been solved after so long?
If not, please provide me with more information about it for further analysis.
Thanks!

Answer 2

Mark Gillespie 0

Does anyone have a definitive answer for this? Been experiencing it with one user for a couple of months now and absolutely nothing works!

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Outlook 365 drop-down attachment menu showing only MS files

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