Step-by-Step Guide: How to Easily send Email Attachments on iPhone

If you would like to attach a photo, video, PDF, Pages doc, or any other file to an email in Mail on iPhone, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a simple guide to help you do so:

(Note: This method is appropriate for small to medium-sized files only. For larger files, check out our article on How to Send Large Documents on an iPad or iPhone.)

Step 1:

Open Mail and open or create your email message. If it is a new message, tap the ‘pen in a square’ icon at the bottom right of the screen. Otherwise, open someone else’s email and tap the reply icon (an arrow that bends to the left) and then reply again.

Step 2:

You can attach the file to the email at any point. Once added, you can continue typing or hit send right away.

Step 3:

When you’re ready to attach a file, long press on the body of your email (a regular tap that’s a little longer, do not press harder to activate 3D Touch). Double-tapping also works. Either way, a black ribbon menu that begins with ‘Select’ should appear.

Step 4:

Tap the right arrow at the end of the ribbon to see more options. (You can tap the right arrow again to see even more options, but for now, we’ll work with the second page of options.)

Step 5:

If you’re emailing a photo or video saved in the Photos app, choose the first visible option: Insert Picture or Video. This will take you to your Photos folder, and you can select the file you want to attach. Open the right file and tap “Choose” on the bottom right corner. It’ll then appear in the body of your email.

Step 6:

If you want to attach a different type of file or a photo stored elsewhere, choose the more general “Add Attachment” command. From there, you can choose from existing files or browse files stored in iCloud, your apps (like Pages), or a variety of third-party services like DropBox.

How to Remove an Attachment from Your Email

Once you attach a file, it will mostly behave like any other element of an email. If you place the text cursor to the right of it and then hit backspace, it will be removed. (If you accidentally delete it, remember that you can shake your iPhone and choose “Undo.”)