How to Solve Outlook Email Not Opening Attachments Issue?

Many people and businesses use Outlook as their primary method of communication. Many of these Outlook emails contain attachments. So if Outlook email not opening attachments then you’re not alone.

However, like applications and programs on computers or mobile devices, the use of Outlook email is bound to lead to a number of technical issues. One of these is the inability to open email attachments.

Outlook Email Not Opening Attachments – Reasons & Solutions

Email attachments are important for businesses because they allow you to email specific invoices, notes and other important company documents. So if you can’t open the attachment, it’s a big problem. Get the reasons and solutions:

Symbols in an Attached File Name

If the file name of the email attachment contains a question mark (?) Or a plus sign (+), you may not be able to open the submitted attachment. In this case, you need to ask the sender to correct the file name and resend the email.

Unknown Attachment Format

If you have a specific application that requires you to open an attachment, and you do not have one, you will need to download the required program before you can open an email attachment.

Some examples are:

• File Type: Microsoft Word Document
  Extension: .doc or .docx
• File Type: Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet
  Extension: .xls or .xlsx

Incorrect File Association

A linked file cannot be opened if the associated file is incorrect or there is a problem with the program required to open the attached file.

For example, compressed files can have a .doc or .docx extension. The attached file will not open because the file extension is not supported by the decompression program.

Disable Antivirus & Add-ins

The ability to download email attachments may be blocked by anti-virus or firewall protection installed on your computer or device. Temporarily disable anti-virus or firewall. After downloading the email attachment, add an exception to your anti-virus program or firewall. Re-enable anti-virus or firewall.
If you are using Microsoft Outlook and Outlook email not opening attachments, you may need to disable the plugin / add-ins.

Platform Compatibility Issues

There can be problems if the email is sent from the MAC computer and the attachments are not saved in a Windows compatible format. You must inform the email sender that the recipient is using a Windows computer and that the attachments need to be saved accordingly.

Corrupted Attachment File

If you get an error “File is corrupt and cannot be opened”, ask the sender to check if the email attachment is working properly and then resend it.
If all of the above steps do not work, the file may already be corrupted before it is sent as an attachment.

Outlook Mail Viewer to Open Emails with Attachments

Outlook Email Viewer Software allows you to manage and explore PST files in an easy and efficient way. The free tool makes PST files easy to view by downloading this reliable software that can be installed on all Windows operating systems.

Summing Up

If you Outlook email not opening attachments, please see this guide for a possible solutions. Remember to download and open the attachment from trusted senders only, especially if the attachment is an executable file.

You have to be especially careful, even if it’s an email from someone you know. Ask for the purpose of the executable file or ask your company’s IT to check the attachment before downloading.