Forum Discussion

AtanasM

Iron Contributor

Apr 25, 2022

Solved

Share a file as email attachment not as a link in SharePoint

Is it possible to share a file as email attachment not as a link in SharePoint? I think in the past it was possible.

SharePoint Online

Paul_HK_de_Jong
Apr 26, 2022
AtanasM
OOTB this is not possible. It requires downloading of the SharePoint document, creating a new email in Outlook and attaching the downloaded file.

Alternatives:
1. There are 3rd party SharePoint apps that offer this capability (https://www.slimapplications.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/EmailManagerMailItemSPFx.png). This allows users to select one or more documents in SharePoint and attach them to a new email.
2. Use PowerAutomate

biteme1160

Brass Contributor

Mar 13, 2024

JBock You wrote: "'Share Link' just puts a hyperlink in the body. 'Attach as copy' doesn't link to the shared file, it's just a local copy".

It seems to me those are the only two possibilities: either you send a link or you send a copy. What else could it be?

Duncan

JBock

Copper Contributor

Mar 14, 2024

Like I said, attaching a Sharepoint file as an attachment allows you to search for attachments later in Outlook. Personally, I can think of far more instances where sharing that file as an attachment is better than a hyperlink in the body of the email--the searchability mentioned, the fact that it's obvious there is a file related to the message, and that it opens in the appropriate Office app rather than a browser--all behavior I want and I know my colleagues want. It's unfortunate that this feature isn't consistent across users, and it seems to me like it's being deprecated by Microsoft for no reason.

biteme1160
Brass Contributor
Mar 14, 2024
JBock Unfortunately we seem to be misunderstanding each other. I think there are two possibilities: 1) share a link in the body of the email message, or 2) share the file as an attachment to the email message. Were you looking for something different than either of those two possibilities? If so, what is it?
- JBock
  Copper Contributor
  Mar 14, 2024
  biteme1160 Historically there have been 3 options: 1 - Attach a local copy of a file -- any changes made are not shared because opening the attachment just opens a local, unshared copy, 2 - Share a hyperlink to a shared file in the body of the email (clicking the link will open the file in a browser, navigated to the Sharepoint site), and 3 - Share a shared file as an attachment (that is what my screenshot shows). In this example, opening the attachment opens the Sharepoint file, not a local copy. This 3rd example--what I cannot do anymore--is different from #1 because it is a Sharepoint file and, I think, was the spirit behind the OP.
  - dfanous
    Copper Contributor
    May 03, 2024
    JBock 100% agree with you. There used to be an option to share a file as an attachment but it functioned similar to a link in the body of the email. When you clicked on it, it would open up the SharePoint file not a local copy. This feature is critical. Our users search for emails by attachment and only being able to link in the body of the email kills this ability.