Software Tips & Tricks Sending Attachments Via E-mail

By Laura Noble

In many businesses, e-mailing documents created in Word, WordPerfect, Excel, and PowerPoint has replaced faxing. A significant advantage to e-mailing versus faxing is that you can quickly and easily edit the document, not to mention the financial savings without the long distance telephone costs associated with faxes.

There are still many people, however, that have difficulty using attachments. Here’s your chance to fulfill a resolution you can stick to for the new year and learn this simple procedure.

Sending a Document as an Attachment Method One:

1. Open document and ensure document’s appearance is as you want it e-mailed.
   
   
2. Select from File menu, Send To
   
   
3. Click Mail Recipient (as Attachment). (In Word, if this option is not available, select Tools, Options, General Tab, and “ü” Mail as attachment).
   
   The Mail Recipient option will NOT send the file as an attachment; rather the file will be inserted into the body of the e-mail as it appears on your computer screen.
   
   
4. This will open up your e-mail package. The sample box below is a sample of an Outlook Express window.
   
   
   
   
5. Fill in “To,” “Subject,” and body of e-mail as normal and click the Send button. If you are not connected to your Internet provider, it will be dialled.
   

Method Two:

1. Open e-mail package and open a new mail message.
   
   
2. Fill in the “To” and “Subject” lines. Click the Attach icon or from the Insert menu, select File as attachment (this may vary depending upon your e-mail package).
   
   
3. An Insert Attachment box will open as per the sample below. Select from the Look in box the folder the file is located in and then select the file. If you need to attach more than one file (within the same folder), hold the Control key and select each file.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. After file(s) are selected click the Attach button and complete e-mail.
   
   
5. Click Send button.

The exact directions may differ on your computer depending upon your set up, e-mail package and file type.

If you’re unsure if the recipient of your e-mail has the same word processing software as you, read You Say WordPerfect, I Say Word – Now Let's E-Mail! for further tips and instructions.

Next month’s software tip will highlight “How do I open those attachments?” and “How the heck do I find the attachment after I have opened and then closed it?”

Laura Noble is the owner of Noble Software Solutions. Laura can be contacted at 519-680-2689 or by e-mail at lnoble@noblesoftwaresolutions.com. www.noblesoftwaresolutions.com

Published in Networking Today, January 2001.