Share via

NEW Outlook attachment issues

Jeff Slavish 0 Reputation points
2026-06-11T18:28:44.9766667+00:00

When sending attachments in NEW Outlook, the recipients who get the attachments indicate they are garbled and missing information when opened

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. John Jefferson Doyon 72,945 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-11T19:10:24.9666667+00:00

    Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

    To help narrow down the issue:

    1. What type of file are you attaching (PDF, Word, Excel, JPG, etc.)?
    2. Does this happen with all attachments or only specific files?
    3. Are you attaching the file directly from your computer, or are you sharing a OneDrive link?

    As a quick test, try downloading the file to your PC first, then attach it again using Attach > Browse this computer instead of sharing a cloud link.

    If you are currently attaching the raw file, another option is to upload the file to OneDrive, create a shareable link, and then include that link in the body of the email. This can help determine whether the issue is related to the attachment itself or how New Outlook is sending it. Here’s how: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/share-files-and-folders-in-microsoft-onedrive-9fcc2f7d-de0c-4cec-93b0-a82024800c07

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-06-11T18:28:59.48+00:00

    Garbled or incomplete attachments are typically caused by how the message or attachment is encoded or by security/AV products altering the content in transit.

    Based on the provided information, there are two main patterns to check:

    1. Inline/UUEncoded attachments from applications or devices
      If the attachments are being generated by a UNIX-based application or another system that embeds attachments inline in the message body (for example, scanners, line-of-business apps, or scripts), and recipients see blocks of encoded text or corrupted files:
      • Ensure the sending application encodes messages using multipart MIME, not inline UUEncoding.
      • When an email contains an inline UUEncoded attachment but is marked as simple text MIME, Exchange and Outlook treat the encoded data as part of the message body, which results in garbled or unreadable attachments on the recipient side.
      • This must be fixed in the sending application or device configuration; it cannot be corrected on the Exchange/Outlook side.
    2. Security software altering message/attachment content
      If the body text and/or attachments appear corrupted only after delivery, and especially if security software is installed on the sending or receiving machine:
      • Check whether any endpoint security/antivirus (for example, Norton or similar) is scanning and rewriting email content.
      • Disable email scanning temporarily or update the security product to the latest version and test again. Some AV modules have previously caused garbled email bodies and attachments until a vendor hotfix was applied.

    If the problem persists after these checks:

    • Send a test message with the same attachment from a different client (for example, Outlook on the web) to see if the issue reproduces. If it does not, the issue is likely specific to New Outlook or the local environment (add-ins, AV, or network device rewriting mail).
    • If the attachments originate from a specific device or application (scanner, ERP, monitoring system), focus on its email/encoding settings and switch it to standard MIME attachments.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.