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On a Mac, drag the email from Mail’s message list into a new message or reply to attach it as a separate item. On iPhone and iPad, a recent how-to guide describes a drag-and-drop method, but Apple’s cited mobile instructions document ordinary forwarding—not that specific attachment gesture.
Attach an email in Mail on a Mac
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Open Mail and start a new message or reply.
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Arrange the message list and the compose window so both are available.
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Drag the email you want to attach from the message list and drop it into the compose window. A recent iDownloadBlog guide describes this as attaching the message in its original format.
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If dragging the message is inconvenient, the same guide describes saving it first: choose File > Save As, select Raw Message Source from the Format menu, and save the email. Then drag the saved file into the draft or click the Attach button and select it. Apple’s separate Mail for Mac attachment instructions cover attaching saved files, but do not document dragging an existing email from the message list.
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Try the drag gesture on iPhone or iPad
The iPhone and iPad steps below come from the secondary iDownloadBlog guide; Apple’s cited support pages do not verify this specific way to attach an existing message. Gestures and controls can vary by operating-system version.
iPhone
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Start a new email or reply, then pull the compose sheet down to reveal the message list.
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Touch and drag the email you want to attach.
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While continuing to hold the message, use another finger to bring the minimized draft forward, then drop the email into it.
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iPad
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Touch and hold the message, then begin dragging it.
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With another finger, open the compose or reply window, and drop the message into the draft.
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Alternatively, use two Mail windows side by side or Slide Over, then drag the message between them.
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Choose between attaching and forwarding
An attached email is sent as a separate item. Ordinary forwarding places the forwarded message below your response in the message body. Use an attachment when the recipient needs the original email as a distinct item; forward it when a readable message in the body is sufficient.
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On iPhone and iPad, Apple documents ordinary forwarding: open the message, tap Forward, choose whether to include attachments already in the original, enter recipients, and add a response. See Apple’s instructions for Mail on iPhone and Mail on iPad. These steps forward the message; they are not the same as attaching it as a separate item.
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When Mail’s file-attachment options apply
Apple’s Mac guide covers regular files and photos: click Attach in a draft and choose a file, or drag a file into the message. It also documents Mail Drop for files larger than the email provider’s size limit. Mail Drop uploads the files to iCloud, keeps them available for up to 30 days, and requires the sender to be signed in to an Apple Account. These are general file-attachment features; Apple does not describe them as controls for packaging an attached email.
To place ordinary attachments at the end of messages, Apple documents the setting Edit > Attachments > Always Insert Attachments at End of Message. That setting concerns attachment placement, not the format of an attached email.
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