It is very simple to attach a file to a emailAlthough we cannot say the same for a binder. Next, we are going to see a way to attach a folder via email from Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo or any other email service.
Attach a folder to an email
The only way to be able to attach a whole folder to an email is by compressing it. The only alternative would be to upload it to a cloud storage service and share the folder through a link, although we would not be attaching it to the email, strictly speaking, but it works.
Zip a folder into a file and attach it to an email
The easiest way to get a folder attached to an email is by zipping this folder, it’s one of the few ways we can actually do it. Luckily, it’s easy to compress the folder into a ZIP file. The only thing we will have to do is right-click on the folder and then we will choose Send to > Compressed file (Zip).
In case we are using Windows 11 and the Send to option does not appear, we will have to click on Show more options to display the expanded context menu. In this way we will be able to see the option that we mentioned and we will compress the folder.
Once we have the zipped folder, let’s go to Gmail, for example. We’ll need to compose a new email as we normally would, and then click the Attach Files icon as we would any individual file. We are going to navigate to the location where the ZIP file is located and add it.
In the case of Outlook we will have to click on New email > Insert. Then we are going to go to Attach file> Browse this PC, we will select the compressed file and add it. That would be all.
Upload the cloud folder and create a link
If we do not want to compress the folder, what we can do is upload it to a service like One Drive or Google Drive, we request the link for it and then we send it by email like any other.
How can we upload a folder? In Google Drive, we will click on New and then on Upload folder. We will have to choose the folder we want to upload and share. After it loads, we are going to right click on it from the Folder section and choose Get link. We can change the permissions of who is going to access the folder, if we do not trust that person, we would have to configure it so that they can only see the content; otherwise, we can choose to also be able to edit it.
In the case of OneDrive, we start by clicking Upload, then Folder and we will look for the folder we want to share, select it and it will be uploaded. Once it is in the cloud, we continue to right click on it and choose Share. We’re going to click the Copy button next to the Copy link option and paste it into the email.
Is it possible to attach a folder directly to an email?
No, it is not possible to attach a folder to an email directly. As we discussed a little above, we have these two methods to achieve it. But more directly, it is impossible to attach it in any email service.
