How to Attach an Email to an Email in Gmail

Forwarding a single message is straightforward, but sometimes you need to send an entire email — headers, original formatting, and all — as an attachment inside a new message. Gmail supports this, though the method isn't obvious from the standard interface. Here's exactly how it works, and what shapes the experience depending on how you use Gmail.

Why Attach an Email Instead of Just Forwarding It?

When you forward an email, Gmail pastes the original content into the body of your new message. That works for most cases, but it has limitations:

• The original email headers (sender, timestamp, routing data) aren't fully preserved
• Multiple emails can't easily be forwarded together as a clean package
• Recipients with strict email clients may see inline-forwarded content differently

Attaching an email as a file sends it as a .eml attachment — a standard email format that most email clients can open. The recipient gets a discrete, intact copy of the original message, separate from your new message body. This is common in legal contexts, IT support workflows, or when someone needs to see the original message exactly as it arrived.

How to Attach an Email to Another Email in Gmail 📎

Gmail doesn't have a dedicated "attach as email" button, but the drag-and-drop method works reliably in the desktop browser version.

Method 1: Drag and Drop (Desktop Browser)

1. Open Gmail in a desktop browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari all work)
2. Compose a new email — click Compose to open the compose window
3. In your inbox or another folder, find the email you want to attach
4. Click and drag that email from the message list and drop it into the compose window
5. Gmail will attach it as a .eml file automatically
6. Finish your message and send

The key here is the compose window must be open and visible at the same time as the message list. If you're in a full-screen compose view, shrink it to the standard pop-up size so both are visible simultaneously.

Method 2: Forward as Attachment (via Keyboard Shortcut)

Gmail has a less-known option to forward a message as an attachment directly:

1. Open the email you want to attach
2. Press F on your keyboard (this requires Gmail keyboard shortcuts to be enabled)
3. Alternatively, click the three-dot menu (More options) in the email toolbar
4. Select "Forward as attachment"
5. A new compose window opens with the original email already attached as a .eml file
6. Address it, add your message, and send

To enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail: go to Settings → See all settings → General → Keyboard shortcuts → On.

Method 3: Download and Re-attach

If drag-and-drop isn't working or you're on a slower connection:

1. Open the original email
2. Click the three-dot menu → Download message
3. Gmail saves it as a .eml file to your downloads folder
4. Compose a new email, click the attachment icon (paperclip), and upload the .eml file manually

This method works regardless of screen layout and is useful when attaching emails from different accounts or older archived messages.

Attaching Multiple Emails at Once

Need to bundle several emails together? The drag-and-drop method supports multiple messages:

• In the message list, select multiple emails using the checkboxes on the left
• With the compose window open, drag the selected group into the compose window
• Gmail attaches each as a separate .eml file

This is particularly useful when escalating an issue to someone who needs full context across a thread, or when compiling records for documentation purposes.

Variables That Affect How This Works

Not every Gmail setup behaves identically. Several factors influence which methods are available to you:

What the Recipient Sees

When someone receives a .eml attachment, what they can do with it depends on their email client:

• Gmail users can click the .eml attachment and Gmail will render the original email inline in the browser
• Outlook users can open .eml files directly as a standard message
• Apple Mail handles .eml files natively
• Some webmail clients or older enterprise systems may prompt the user to download the file rather than preview it

The .eml format is widely supported, but the experience isn't perfectly consistent across every platform. If you know your recipient uses a non-standard or heavily locked-down email client, it's worth confirming they can open .eml files before relying on this workflow regularly.

On Mobile: The Workaround

Gmail's Android and iOS apps don't support drag-and-drop email attachment. The practical workaround on mobile:

1. Find the email you want to attach
2. Use the three-dot menu → "Forward as attachment" if your app version supports it
3. If that option isn't visible, use the Download message route on desktop, then upload via mobile — though this defeats the purpose if you're working entirely on mobile

The feature availability in Gmail's mobile apps has varied across versions, so whether "Forward as attachment" appears in your mobile menu depends on which app version is currently installed on your device. 📱

The Part That Depends on Your Setup

The mechanics here are consistent — Gmail supports .eml attachment through drag-and-drop, the three-dot menu, and manual download. But which method actually fits your workflow hinges on factors that look different for everyone: whether you're primarily on mobile or desktop, whether you're on a personal account or a Workspace environment with admin restrictions, and whether your recipients' email clients handle .eml files cleanly. The steps above work — how smoothly they fit into your day-to-day depends on the specifics of your own setup.