What to Know

• Photos app: Locate photo > Share icon > Mail > enter email message and send.
• Mail app: Inside an email select Insert Photo or Video > select photo > Use > send email.
• iPad multitasking: Open message and show dock. Tap and hold Photos. Drag icon to side for Split View > Photos.

This article explains three ways to attach a photo to an email message on an iPhone or iPad. Instructions apply to devices running iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 and later.

How to Attach a Photo to an Email Using the Photos App

This approach dedicates the entire screen to selecting the photo, making it easier to pick the right one. 

1. Open the Photos app and locate the photo you want to email.

   

2. Tap the Share icon (an arrow pointing out of a box).

   

3. To share several photos, tap each one you want to attach to the email message. A blue check mark appears next to the photos you select.

   Scroll through the images using iPad gestures, swiping from left to right or from right to left to make your selections. On iPhone, scroll through your photos and tap the ones to attach.

   

4. Tap the Mail icon to open a new email message containing the photos.

   

5. Type your email message and send it.

How to Attach Photos From the Mail App

If you're already writing an email in the Mail app and want to attach a photo, follow these steps:

1. Tap inside the body of the message to open a menu that includes the option to Insert Photo or Video. (You might have to tap the right arrow first.)

   

   On iPhone, select the Camera icon below the email draft and move on to Step 2.

2. Tapping this icon activates a window with your photos in it. Tap the one you want to send and then x when you're done with your selection.

   

   You can select multiple images by tapping them to insert them in your email.

3. To take a new photo to attach to your email (iPad-only), tap the Camera icon on the keyboard > choose Take Photo or Video > and take a photo.

   

4. If you are satisfied with the image, select Use Photo to add it to the email.

   

5. After you've attached the photos, send the email as usual.

Use iPad Multitasking to Attach Several Images

Attach several photos using the iPad's drag-and-drop feature and its multitasking abilities to move photos into your email message using Split View. Inside a new email message, do the following:

You don't need to drag the Photos icon to the dock, but it could be helpful for faster split-screen access.

1. Open the Mail app. Tap the three dots at the top of the screen.

   

2. Tap the Split View icon to send the Mail app to one side of the screen.

   

3. Tap the Photos app icon to open Photos on the other side of the screen.

   

4. Locate the photos you want to attach in the Photos app. Tap Select and tap each image you want to include in an email.

   

5. Tap the Share icon.

   

6. Select Mail to open a new email with the images included.

   

7. Finish your email and send it.

   

• How do I send my Google Photos through an email on my Chromebook?

  You may not be able to attach your Google Photos by using the regular email attachment (paperclip) button. Use the Insert Photo button (it looks like a photo landscape) instead, which should give you a choice of choosing a photo either from your Chromebook or from Photos.

• How do I send photos through Gmail?

  The process of attaching and sending photos through Gmail is fairly straightforward, and is mostly the same whether you're using the mobile app or website. On a computer, you can drag and drop images or place them inline. In the mobile app, select the paperclip icon to attach images inline.

• How do I send large photos through email?

  Most email services have a file size limit for attachments. The simplest way to circumvent those limits is to share your large photos through Google Drive.