Attachment Not Downloading in Outlook | Top 7 Solutions
Summary: Outlook is not only for sending and receiving emails. It was mainly used to share documents, secret files, images, and other important data using the email attachment feature. So that they can send the document via electronic mail but what happens if the attachment not downloading in Outlook.
Now, this is not a hypothetical situation, there are many users of Outlook to prove this let’s see some of the real-time user queries.
The above query screenshots are from Microsoft Community and Reddit. And this is not just the end during our research work we found so many Outlook users reported this issue on others forums and community sites.
Now, after knowing the requirement, we have come up with the solutions that will help you to fix this error in Outlook. But before going to troubleshooting techniques let’s first understand the reasons for this issue.
Top Signs of Outlook Attachment Download Failure
These are some key scenarios which users will face before this problem.
- Attachments keeps loading and they never open
- In Outlook, we see the “Error downloading the file” issue
- It directly preview your files without downloading
- The download button stays disabled
- That’s when attachments don’t work in Outlook web app
- PDF or Excel files do not open
- Only a part of the attachment gets downloaded by Outlook
User Query:
“Some versions of the Outlook may show the different attachment problems. Certain users are able to open attachments but cannot save them on the computer. And, there are some users which cannot preview . Sometimes Outlook stops responding when downloading attachments or continuously showing the ” Try Again Later” message.”
Reasons Responsible for Attachment Not Working in Outlook
When it comes to the causes, there are a number of factors that contribute to the attachment not downloading in Outlook mistake.
- The first cause is internet connectivity, if your internet connection is inconsistent, you will see this problem when downloading Outlook email attachments.
- This Outlook attachment download problem might also be caused by the server timeout settings
- It indicates that if the server timeout is less than in the event of a huge file download, the download will fail
- The attachment download problem can also be caused by using an outdated Outlook version
- After knowing the reasons now let’s work on the cases one by one
- It can be due to corrupted Outlook cache
- Having antivirus/firewall which blocks from downloading
- There can be difference in Browser extension especially for Outlook Web
- If you have large attachments with you
- Unsafe file type restrictions
- Corrupt OST/PST file
- Add-ins conflict
- Microsoft server-side outage
- Shared mailbox sync issues
User-Reported Problem:
In just the past few days, reports submitted by users saying that attachments do not work from shared mailboxes over on Outlook Web and New Outlook. But it seems to be working fine in their normal desktop app. This generally means the issue arises due to either syncing of the mailbox or from Microsoft’s server side and not from the user’s computer.
How to Fix Attachment Not Downloading in Outlook? 5 Manual Ways
Now that we all know the main reason behind it, we’ll go over each of the probable causes one by one in this part. So give it a shot, and if it doesn’t work, try another way.
#Fix 1. Check Internet Connection
As previously stated, poor internet access is the primary cause of the Outlook attachment download issue. So, the first step in resolving this problem is to check for internet access. To do so, simply open any browser and type in any phrase; if search results display, you are connected to the internet.
If nothing works, examine your router or just connect to your internet service provider to fix the problem.
#Fix 2. Install the Recent Version of Outlook
Outlook attachment download error may also be caused by an old Outlook version. As we all know, updates are released to repair issues and defects, and if you are using an outdated version, you may have this problem. So just update the software by following the instructions below:
1. Open the Outlook program on your computer.
2. After that, go to the File menu and choose Office Account.
3. Select the Update Option from the Product Information menu, and then click Update Now.
#Fix 3. Increase Server Timeout Duration
Due to a shorter server timeout period, an Outlook attachment download problem might also occur. To remedy this, just raise the server timeout time, which may be done by following the instructions below:
1. To begin, open Outlook and go to the File tab.
2. Then select Info from the drop-down menu.
3. Now choose Account Settings from the drop-down menu.
4. Following your click on Account Settings, a new Account Settings pop-up will appear.
5. Choose the E-mail and then the account from the Account Settings box.
6. Then select More Settings from the drop-down menu.
7. Go to the Advanced option under Internet E-mail Settings now.
8. Increase the timeout to 5 to 10 minutes in the Server Timeouts setting.
Restart Outlook after applying the settings to see if the problem has been fixed. If you’re still having problems, we’ll go through an alternative technique in the following section that will allow you to save all attachments from Outlook emails.
#Fix 4. Clear Browser Cache
Follow these steps to fix attachment not downloading in Outlook. You need to clear cache folder within your system.
- Open your browser settings.
- Navigate to Privacy & Security
- Click “Clear Browsing Data”
- Select “Cached Images and Files”
- \Now, restart the browser and open Outlook again
Advantages:
- Removes damaged cache files
- Fixes attachment download problems
- Your Outlook will run smooth
- Refreshes old browser data
- Helps in completing pending attachments
#Fix 5. Disable Browser Extension
- Firstly, open your browser’s Extensions page
- Disable ad blocker extensions for a minute
- Turn off download manager add-ons too
- Disable your antivirus or security extensions
- Now, reopen the browser after that and visit Outlook once again
Advantages:
- It fixes attachment download issues
- Stops extensions from blocking files
- Your Outlook Web works better
- Helps find the faulty extension
- Reduces browser problems
#Fix 6. Open Outlook Through Incognito Mode
- Open your browser menu
- Click on Incognito or Private Window
- Over there, log into Outlook Web App
- Now, download the attachment again
- Make sure to see if it works better than your standard mode
Benefits:
- So you open Outlook in a new browser to start fresh
- Skips old cache and temporary information
- Disables most browser extensions
- Helps find browser-related problems
- Provides a fast option to test attachment problems
Best Way to Download Multiple Attachments from Outlook
If you’re still having trouble with attachment not downloading in Outlook after trying all of the above techniques, you can use the Outlook Attachment Extractor program. You may use this program to download all attachments from Outlook emails. You may extract attachments from Outlook MSG, PST and orphaned OLM files with this utility.
So, if you’re having trouble downloading Outlook, you may use this utility as an alternative. Because the program isn’t going to fix the problem, it’ll only extract the attached file.
Procedures for Using the Tool
1. To begin, download and install the software on your computer.
2. To get the Outlook files, select the Auto Locate MS Outlook Default Storage Location option.
3. To save the attachment, select a destination location.
5. Finally, to save the attachments, click the Extract option.
New Outlook Vs Classic Outlook – Different Attachment Problem
Understand, and know what type of errors you can face while using both these Outlook versions. It helps you to deal with the attachment not downloading in Outlook error and move forward with the solution.
| Outlook Version | Common Issue |
| New Outlook | Shared mailbox attachment failures |
| Outlook Web | Browser cache & session conflicts |
| Classic Outlook | PST/OST file corruption |
| Mac Outlook | Sync delay issues |
Frequently Asked Questions
You can read some of the user queries to overcome attachment not downloading in Outlook error.
Q1. Why is it taking so long to download Outlook attachments?
Ans.1 Attachments may download more slowly because of large files, weak internet speed, or too much Outlook cache. You need to clear those files to speed up your Outlook or by updating it.
Q2. There is option to preview your attachments, but not to save it. Why?
Ans.2 However, problems with cache, sync, or permissions can block the download process. And it end up showing only the file preview from server.
Q3. Why am I unable to download certain types of attachments in Outlook?
Ans.3 Certain kinds of file types are blocked by Outlook. Your organization might also limit some attachments. So, you need to change or try to download in different format.
Q4. Do you have trouble downloading attachments in the New Outlook app?
Ans 4. New Outlook relies on cloud sync, and if the problem is related to sync, then it can create problem in downloading your attachments. This is usually due to a shared mailbox or poor internet.
Conclusion
Email attachments are now one of the best ways to send confidential files and documents. But when users are not able to download the email attachment, then it is a very frustrating situation. Now, to fix this issue in the above blog we have discussed some best ways to fix attachment not downloading in Outlook. And also discussed an alternative way to download attachments from Outlook emails.