How to Open an Attachment in Google Mail

Google provides four ways to view Google Mail attachments: in a new window, in Google Drive, in Google Docs, or in the associated application. The associated application is the application in which the attachment was originally created, or the application that is intended to display the file.

To view an attachment in Google Mail:

1. Hover over the attachment file, and then click the attachment name. A pop-up page should appear displaying the file.
2. View the file or choose from the following options:
   • To open the attachment in an application, click "Open with" > Choose an application to open the attachment.
   • To view the attachment in your Google Drive, in the upper-right corner of the screen, click the triangle [Show in Drive] icon.
   • To print out the attachment, in the upper-right corner of the screen, click the [Print] icon.
   • To download the attachment to your computer, in the upper-right corner of the screen, click the down arrow [Download] icon.
   • To view the file's details or open the file in a new window, in the upper-right corner of the screen, click the dotted line [More actions] icon.
   • To close out of the attachment, in the upper-left corner of the screen, click the left arrow [Close] icon.

To view an attachment in the associated application:

1. Hover over the attachment file, and then click the down arrow [Download] icon. In Chrome, the download should appear at the bottom of your open window.
2. Click the file to open it in the associated application, or click the drop-down arrow to open it in its folder.

To view and save the attachment in Google Drive:

1. Hover over the attachment file, and then click the triangle [Save to Drive] icon.
2. In the drop-down menu, choose the folder you wish to save the attachment under.
3. Click the triangle [Show in Drive] icon to view the attachment in your Google Drive.

To view and edit the attachment in Google Docs:

1. Hover over the attachment file, and then click the pencil [Edit with Google Docs] icon. A new window will open displaying the file in Google Docs.