How to not forward emails as attachments in Outlook?

Author Kelly Last modified 2025-04-11

By default, when you forward multiple selected emails in Outlook using "Home" > "Forward", they are forwarded as attachments. Sometimes, even forwarding a single email results in it being sent as an attachment. This behavior can be inconvenient, especially when you want to forward emails as inline messages. In this article, we’ll explore methods to prevent forwarding emails as attachments in Outlook, whether you're forwarding a single email or multiple emails.

Prevent a Single Email from Being Forwarded as an Attachment

Prevent Multiple Emails from Being Forwarded as Attachments using Kutools for Outlook 👍

Prevent a Single Email from Being Forwarded as an Attachment

Some users find that emails are always forwarded as attachments, even when forwarding just one email. This is usually due to the Attach original message setting configured in Outlook Options. You can change this setting to prevent emails from being forwarded as attachments.

1. Click "File" > "Options" to open the "Outlook Options" dialog box.

2. In the left-hand menu, select "Mail". Scroll to the "Replies and forwards" section. From the "When forwarding a message" drop-down list, choose any option other than "Attach original message".

the Outlook Options dialog box

3. Click the "OK" button to save the new settings.

From now on, emails forwarded using "Home" > "Forward" will appear as inline messages instead of attachments.

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Prevent Multiple Emails from Being Forwarded as Attachments using Kutools for Outlook 👍

When you select multiple emails and forward them in bulk using "Home" > "Forward", Outlook automatically includes all selected emails as attachments in a single email. To forward multiple emails separately and avoid attachments, you can use "Kutools for Outlook"’s "Forward Selected Emails one by one in the Form of Email" feature. This tool forwards each selected email individually, preserving its original format.

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Step 1: Select Multiple Emails

In the "Mail" view, select the emails you wish to forward individually.

Hold "Ctrl" to select multiple non-adjacent emails.
Hold "Shift" to select multiple adjacent emails by clicking the first and last email in the range.

Step 2: Access the Forward Feature in Kutools

Click "Kutools" > "Bulk Processing" > "Forward Selected Emails one by one in the Form of Email".

the Forward Selected Emails one by one in the Form of Email feature

Step 3: Specify the Recipients

In the "Select Names" dialog box, enter the recipients’ email addresses in the "To/Cc/Bcc" fields. Click "OK" to confirm.

the Select Names dialog box

Result

All selected emails will now be forwarded separately as individual emails, without being attached as files.

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Individual Email Forwarding: Forward multiple emails separately instead of combining them as attachments in one email.
Time-Saving: Streamline the forwarding process for multiple emails with just a few clicks.
Enhanced Flexibility: Easily specify recipients for multiple emails in one step.

Note: To apply the "Forward Selected Emails one by one in the Form of Email" feature in "Kutools for Outlook", firstly, you should download and install Kutools for Outlook.