{"id":761,"date":"2026-05-05T10:50:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T05:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/?p=761"},"modified":"2026-05-06T17:57:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:27:26","slug":"outlook-app-unable-to-download-attachments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/outlook-app-unable-to-download-attachments\/","title":{"rendered":"Outlook Not Downloading Attachments in Windows &#8211; Solved"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Do you know why Outlook not downloading attachments in Windows? Well, don&#8217;t panic, we have a perfect solution for you. Read this post carefully, and know how to overcome error like &#8220;can\u2019t save attachments&#8221; from Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, etc., versions. So, let\u2019s begin the post.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When it comes to managing business mail profiles from a single platform, MS Outlook has become the most preferred choice by millions of users, thanks to its speed and reliability.<\/p>\n<div class=\"card my-5 bg-menu\">\n<div class=\"card-header text-center font-weight-bold\"><strong>Techniques to Extract Attachments <a class=\"badge badge-primary toc-hv\" href=\"#\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#toc\">Hide<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<div id=\"toc\" class=\"card-body collapse show\">\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#table\">Not Downloading &amp; Not Opening &#8211; Key Differences<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#a1\">Disable Network Device and Protective Window<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#m2\">Delete Temporary File<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#m3\">Change Download Settings in Outlook Earlier Editions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#m4\">Expert Recommended Solution to Complete the Task<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#why\">Unable to Open Outlook Attachments After Download<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#steps\">Steps to Fix Attachments in Outlook not Opening<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#end\">End Note<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"scroll\" href=\"#faq\">FAQs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although, Outlook is widely used and trusted by millions of users. But error can occur in it too, Sometimes, you can find the error like &#8220;Unable to Open Outlook Attachments&#8221;. By this, Outlook fails to download large attachments. It can be either technical glitch or network issue.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This error could be a significant problem while downloading any attached file or document from the Outlook profile. This problem often occurs due to Temp files, Network drives, or Download and Security Settings. In upcoming blog sections, we will assist you in solving the issue of unable to open download attachments from Outlook mailbox.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s begin!<\/p>\n<p><strong>User Query related to Outlook not downloading attachments in Windows:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1610 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/user-query.png\" alt=\"outlook\" width=\"700\" height=\"230\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1611 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/user-query-2.png\" alt=\"user query \" width=\"686\" height=\"357\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"table\"><b>Not Downloading\u201d &amp; \u201cNot Opening\u201d Errors in Outlook &#8211; Difference Table<\/b><\/h3>\n<p data-id=\"c63806e2-b6fb-4dac-add6-1e7869f234b6\" data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Knowing these differences will allow users to fix attachments in Outlook not opening, and better understand the actual problem.<\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-bordered table-hover\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"bg-success text-white\">\n<td><b>Issue Type<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>What Happens<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Root Cause<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outlook not downloading attachments<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">File doesn\u2019t save or load<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internet, size limits, cache<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unable to open Outlook attachments<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">File downloads but won\u2019t open<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">App issues, file association<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attachments not opening in Outlook<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Click does nothing or shows error<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Security settings, temp folder<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Now, let us move to the below section to learn about the solutions.<\/p>\n<h2>Outlook Not Downloading Attachments\u00a0 \u2013 Top 4 Solutions<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Here we will discuss four different techniques to resolve the inability to save attachments from Outlook 2021, 2019, and all below versions in Windows 11. After performing all the steps listed below probably, you will get the root cause of can\u2019t save attachments from Outlook.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span id=\"a1\">1) Disable Network Device and Protective Window:<\/span> <\/strong>Most of the time, the error cannot download attachments from Outlook 2021, 2019, generated due to network error. Disable it, and check how it works. If the error still exists, follow the steps to disable the protective view in Outlook.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Launch Outlook.<\/li>\n<li>Navigate to Ribbon Bar &gt;&gt;<strong> File &gt;&gt; Options<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click on <strong>\u201cTrust Center Tab\u201d<\/strong> &gt;&gt; <strong>\u201cTrust Center Settings.\u201d<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-764 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/trust-center-1.jpg\" alt=\"file-options\" width=\"825\" height=\"395\" \/><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Select <strong>\u201cProtected View\u201d<\/strong> from the list and <strong>uncheck all the files<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Now <strong>Re-launch Outlook<\/strong> and open attachments.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If the above steps don&#8217;t work for you, try deleting Outlook&#8217;s temp files to fix Outlook attachments not saving in Windows.<\/p>\n<h2>Fix Not Able to Save Attachments from Outlook 2000 &amp; 2007<\/h2>\n<p><strong><span id=\"m2\">2) Delete Temporary File in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2017:<\/span><\/strong> Outlook creates a folder under &#8220;Temporary Internet Files,&#8221; which keeps the temp copies of the file attachments that are open or saved to a disk.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sometimes, the temp file is not erased, and Outlook begins to create mirror copies of temp attachments, for example, &#8220;XYZ (1) to XYZ (99). Once it reaches copy number 99, users will start facing errors that can&#8217;t save attachments from Outlook 2019, 2016, etc.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Follow these string to locate temp files in Outlook 2016 &amp; above:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>C:\\Users\\admin\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\Windows\\NetCache\\Outlook\\<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Or users can make use of &#8220;Registry Editor&#8221; to locate the temp folder in all Outlook editions. Delete the data file, and restart Outlook to check whether the error unable to save attachments from Outlook 2016 is gone or not. Now, let&#8217;s check out the solutions to solve these error codes in Outlook 2010 &amp; below.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span id=\"m3\">3) Modify Download Settings:<\/span> <\/strong>For an <strong>earlier version of Outlook<\/strong>, try to change the download and security settings, and it might fix the Outlook app not downloading attachments in Windows OS:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open Outlook, then go to<strong> \u201cTools\u201d &gt;&gt; \u201cOptions\u201d<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-765 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mds-1.png\" alt=\"Outlook 2010 Tools\" width=\"438\" height=\"264\" \/><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>In the next panel, select the <strong>&#8220;Security Tab&#8221;<\/strong> and click <strong>&#8220;Change Automatic Download Settings.&#8221;<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-766 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mds-2.png\" alt=\"Outlook 2010 security settings\" width=\"344\" height=\"383\" \/><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Fix &#8211; Outlook Not Downloading Attachments<\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;re experiencing issues with Outlook failing to download attachments, consider checking your Internet connection and make sure you have enough storage space. If the problem persists, update your MS Outlook to the latest edition or access your Outlook profile in the web app.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 id=\"m4\">Outlook Not Downloading Large Attachments &#8211; Go for Alternative<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If Outlook restrict to download attachments then using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/attachment-extractor\/\"><strong>Outlook Attachment Extractor Wizard<\/strong><\/a> is perfect choice. It will work as lifesaver for Outlook users. The utility provides multiple advanced filters and options.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The advanced algorithms of the toolkit allows users to export attached file even without Outlook environment. Additionally, It offers an option to detect the source location from the source, or users can manually upload the data file to the software panel.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The availability of the solution is freeware and licensed edition. For now, users can download the demo edition of the software to evaluate its performance, and effortlessly get rid of unable to save attachments from Outlook 2021 2019, 2016 &amp; below.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Alternate Way to Fix Outlook Attachments Not Saving Problem<\/h3>\n<p>The below listed step will change anything in Outlook application. Rather, user can use this tool to browse OST, PST, OLK, OLM, or MSG file and easy detach attachments. Choose this verified solution to resolve Outlook not downloading large attachments issues.<\/p>\n<nav id=\"nav-tab\" class=\"nav nav-tabs\" role=\"tablist\"><a id=\"nav-win-tab\" class=\"nav-link active\" role=\"tab\" href=\"#nav-win\" data-bs-toggle=\"tab\" aria-controls=\"nav-win\" aria-selected=\"true\"><i class=\"icon-windows\"><\/i> Window<\/a><a id=\"nav-mac-tab\" class=\"nav-link\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"tab\" href=\"#nav-mac\" data-bs-toggle=\"tab\" aria-controls=\"nav-mac\" aria-selected=\"false\"><i class=\"icon-appstore\"><\/i> Mac<\/a><\/nav>\n<div id=\"nav-tabContent\" class=\"tab-content py-3\">\n<div id=\"nav-win\" class=\"tab-pane fade show active\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"nav-win-tab\">\n<div class=\"d-flex\">\n<p class=\"text-center\"><a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-success btn-md-block m-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/download\/SYS0O7A4E\/14\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i class=\"icon-download\"><\/i> Download Now<\/a> <a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-danger btn-md-block m-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/buy\/SYS0O7A4E\/14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><i class=\"icon-buy\"><\/i> Purchase Now<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"nav-mac\" class=\"tab-pane fade\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"nav-mac-tab\">\n<div class=\"d-flex\">\n<p class=\"text-center\"><a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-success btn-md-block m-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/download\/SYS3M6O0A\/14\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i class=\"icon-download\"><\/i> Download Now<\/a> <a class=\"btn btn-lg btn-danger btn-md-block m-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/buy\/SYS3M6O0A\/14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><i class=\"icon-buy\"><\/i> Purchase Now<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Free download &amp; run the software<\/strong> on Windows. The tool will automatically<strong> detect the MS Outlook profile<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/systoolskart.com\/imgp\/outlook-attachment-extractor\/v9\/download.webp\" alt=\"outlook not downloading large attachments\" width=\"786\" height=\"604\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Now, <strong>select the required attachment hierarchy<\/strong> option &amp; <strong>click Next<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/systoolskart.com\/imgp\/outlook-attachment-extractor\/v9\/auto-maintain.webp\" alt=\"not downloading attachments\" width=\"788\" height=\"606\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Next, Afterwards, <strong>apply the data filters<\/strong> &amp; browse the location to save data.<\/li>\n<li>At last, click on Extract to download all attachments from MS Outlook.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/systoolskart.com\/imgp\/outlook-attachment-extractor\/v9\/select-items.webp\" alt=\"successfully fix outlook download failed attachment error\" width=\"786\" height=\"607\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The software will take only a few minutes and quickly extract all attached information from the Outlook profile.<\/p>\n<p data-id=\"fedc69b0-d50f-4322-ac61-cc502e1a7b1d\" data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">However, even after resolving the downloading issues, some of them are still struggling to open their attachments. Here the problem is not downloading, but rather file access.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"why\"><b>Unable to Open Outlook Attachments Even After Download<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most users believe that there will be no problem\u00a0 in opening an attachment after it has been downloaded. Like, your download process might look complete, but some problems come when you open it in Outlook. Below are the points which are responsible for this:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no appropriate app to open the file<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to uncheck all options under protected view mode<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to corrupted Cache or temp files\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For security reasons, it has been for limited file types<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, in background any add-ons are running<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what happens that your file is downloaded, but still shows errors such as <\/span><b>cannot open file<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><b>cannot create file<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"steps\"><b>Steps to Fix \u201cUnable to Open Outlook Attachments\u201d Error<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, are some quick fixes for attachments which are properly downloaded but not opening:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try to open the file using the correct apps like Word, PDF, and etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always clear Outlook temp folder whenever you see storage problems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Outlook is blocking that type of file, check <\/span><b>Trust Center<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> settings once<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some file types like .exe are blocked by default<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can also because of any antivirus installed in your system<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 id=\"end\">So There You Have It<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Users can opt for any methods mentioned above to resolve Outlook not downloading attachments. The manual solution is complex and time-consuming if the data is significant. The toolkit is an instant way to save all attachments from Outlook profiles with data attributes in a few moments. So, now the choice is for users to select any method accordingly.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Next Read:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/extract-email-address-from-outlook-distribution-list-contact-group\/\"><strong>Guide to Extract Email Address from Outlook<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/save-attachments-from-multiple-emails-outlook\/\"><strong>Easy to to Remove Attachments from Emails in Outlook<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<h4 id=\"faq\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h4>\n<p>In this section, we have tried to answer user queries related to &#8220;Unable to Open Outlook Attachments&#8221; issue.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q 1: Why are attachments in Outlook not downloading?<\/strong><br \/>\nAns: This difficulty could be caused by a number of factors, including a bad internet connection, Outlook configuration issues, attachment file type or size issues, antivirus or firewall preventing attachments, and so on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q 2: Why are some attachments in Outlook blocked?<\/strong><br \/>\nAns: Certain attachment types may be blocked by Outlook for security concerns. To prevent potential malware risks, file formats such as.exe,.bat,.msi, and others are frequently restricted.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q 3: Is it possible that Outlook add-ins are causing attachment download issues?<\/strong><br \/>\nAns: Yes, third-party Outlook add-ins can sometimes interfere with attachment downloads. Disable add-ins one by one to avoid attachments in Outlook not opening problem too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q 4: Is there a size limit for Outlook attachments?<\/strong><br \/>\nAns: Yes, attachments in Outlook have a default size limit. If an attachment exceeds this size, it may fail to download or send properly. Organizations frequently set their own attachment size limits, so check with your IT department for precise constraints.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you know why Outlook not downloading attachments in Windows? Well, don&#8217;t panic, we have a perfect solution for you. Read this post carefully, and know how to overcome <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":762,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outlook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msoutlooktools.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}